3/26 - So, I did not go to the Petrified Forest NP because the weather there was looking worse than heading north with potential mixed precipitation. BUT, I hit some snow on the way to Flagstaff. It wasn't too cold and there wasn't much so I wasn't too concerned, but I'd rather not have snow! It was very cold, with a high of 42 and quite windy, so wandering around Flagstaff wasn't too much fun. I considered heading to a brewery for a beer and dinner, but decided against it and we just headed for our first KOA experience. KOAs usually have a ton of amenities that are great if you have kids, but for me they aren't usually worth the price. This one didn't have a pool or other high end amenities (it would have been closed for the winter anyway!), so it was only about $44. I wasn't hankering for a shower, since I had just had one the morning before, but since I never know when I'll get the next one, I took one before leaving.
It snowed overnight, but mostly melted before I left. As mentioned, I headed towards the Grand Canyon because the weather was supposed to be better. Welllll, it snowed on and off much of my drive and the temps fluctuated between 35 and 42. I had seen 2 cars off the road, but I assume they either happened earlier or it wasn't due to slippery conditions. I did not enjoy my drive. I was happy once I got closer to the GC and the snow stopped and it warmed up a bit. It was very windy, so I figured it would be unpleasantly cold while walking around the Rim, but it really wasn't bad. Of course, the Grand Canyon was amazing! I've been before, but how could one get tired of it? There was a geology presentation that I sat through and it was really good to learn (probably again) about how the rocks were created and the canyon was formed. Nature is so amazing.
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| Lovely morning in Flagstaff! |
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| This is her begging position while I ate lunch... |
On the way out of the park, I had to stop at all the overlooks. Being later in the day, the sun was lower and brought out the canyon differently. Also, some cool spots. I didn't realize that Page was about 2.5 hours away, so I ended up getting there in the dark. The views were beautiful as I drove north, but once it got dark, I was afraid of what I was missing! I think this might have been the first time arriving after dark and my first Walmart stay! There were so many RVs and vans there that I felt totally safe. I ran into the store to patronize them and on the way out, I heard my name. I figured I heard wrong, but nope! It was Kayla (and Jay), who I've crossed paths with several times since meeting near Carlsbad. She had actually told me they had stayed at the Walmart in Page, but I didn't expect them to still be there and I didn't notice their van. I don't think we're going to cross paths much from now on as we are in different trajectories, but who knows since both of us are apt to change plans as needed.
3/27 - I had my tour scheduled for 1:40 in Antelope Canyon and decided to go to Horseshoe Bend in the morning where I could take Zoe. It was beautiful and so nice not to rush, so we really took our time there. It's a very busy/touristy place, so it was nice to not be hurried around all the other tourists. We were able to just sit near the edge and enjoy.
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| Morning view of the Walmart - there were more RVs than seen here |
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| I finally put up a decoration - Blue Mountain Lake! |
Horseshoe Bend:
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| Some of the tourists |
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| Zoe was very interested in the motor boats and kayaks on the river and sometimes even barked at them. It was so funny! |
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| The rocks are as cool as the river! |
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| Protecting me from the intruders! 😂 |
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| A woman from Venice Italy asked if she could take a picture of us. |
Antelope Canyon tour. I had to leave Zoe in the van, but I had the rear facing the sun and it was only in the low 60s, so with the windows open and the fan running I knew she'd be fine for the 1.5 hour tour. Went with Taadadin Canyon X tours. The tour companies are all owned by the Navajo families that own the land and this one has only been open for about 8 years vs the Upper and Lower canyon trips that have been in business for about 30 years.
3/28 - Took Zoe for a short hike to Hanging Gardens, then did a little longer hike on my own on the Beehive trail. After the Beehive trail, I stopped over at the nicer part of Glen Canyon (mentioned above) on Lake Powell and confirmed with a ranger that I should go to Lees Ferry (another section of Glen Canyon). So after the two hikes, a quick trip around this section of Glen Canyon, we headed to Lees Ferry where I ended up camping for 2 nights.
Hanging Gardens hike:
Beehive Hike:
Glen Canyon Lake Powell:
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| Houseboats! |
Did a quick stop to view the dam and river:
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| This is so cool how the direction of the lines change. I would love to travel with a geologist around here so they could rattle off all the info on how/why things are formed differently. |
Driving towards Lees Ferry
Stopped at the Historic Navajo Bridge. Tess and I had stopped here on our way from Phoenix to Kanab so many years ago (2012/2013)!
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| The Condors were flying all around - so cool |
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| This photo has at least 4 Condors, which I guess are endangered. |
Continuing on towards Lees Ferry
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| Vermillion Cliffs |
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| View from campsite |
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| Campground is just across the road from Paria Beach on the Colorado river. |
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| It was VERY windy! |
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| Taking a break. Tired old girl... |
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| Not a bad view from the van |
3/29 - Woke up to this and took a couple of hikes. First Zoe and I went on an easy 2.5 mile hike, then I took another 1.5 mile hike while she rested up in the van.
Start of the hike up Paria canyon, which starts at Lonely Dell Ranch, settled by Lee when he created the ferry to cross the river..
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| Orchard at Lonely Dell Ranch |
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| This river is pretty much always muddy |
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| But OK for Zoe to drink from! |
River trail along Colorado while Zoe rested
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| Cool rock! |
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| I would have liked to do this hike, but I didn't want to leave Zoe for as long as I figured it would take. It's very steep, except they have switchbacks, unlike out east! |
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| More vermillion cliffs. So pretty! |
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| My van almost looks small near this rock |
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| I don't know the history of these rocks (need to learn that), but the people used them in their buildings. |
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| Nice lunch spot view |
3/30 - Headed out from Lees Ferry to go do a hike and some exploring north of Page, in UT. First we hiked the Toadstool Hoodoos hike, then went to Paria townsite where movies were filmed. I didn't actually go looking for anything along that line (I heard there wasn't much left anyway) because once I got to the bottom of a bumpy road (only very bumpy at the end, but stuff in the van flew all over!), I decided to get the heck out of there. The scenery was what I went for.
On the way to Paria Townsite. Aren't those colors amazing? If not, it's better in real life!
Decided to hang out down by the lake again in the afternoon before heading back to Walmart. I considered staying the night at the campground just above this spot, but decided not to.
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| Another view of the lake on the way out. The color is just so beautiful and the view beyond as well. |
3/31 - Since it was cool and cloudy and was supposed to be rainy on the way towards Monument Valley, I decided to have a down day, so we went back to the lake to hang out for the day. It is amazing how fast the day goes. We went for a couple of walks, I made eggs for breakfast (a rarity still), I chatted with a couple of friends, did a little organizing and worked on my blog. Other than when I'm visiting people, I rarely just hang out and do nothing. I need to do more of this for sure.
