After leaving Tucson, we drove to the outskirts of Phoenix, where we'd found an RV technician who could reinstall, onto Fittata 2, all the towing equipment that we'd had removed from Fittata 1. We stayed overnight at a local campground, and the work was completed by early afternoon the next day. We then continued northward (and up in elevation) to Flagstaff, where we overnighted in the local Cracker Barrel parking lot.
Although we'd talked about moving right into Utah, we decided to stay a couple of days in the town of Page, AZ, which is the northernmost part of the state. Page was created in the mid-50s as the construction town for Glen Canyon dam, which created Lake Powell, which stretches more than 100 miles upstream from the dam.
We'd been to Page a couple of times in the past, but wanted to revisit a couple of our favorite places. The first was Antelope Canyon.
We're sure you've seen pictures of Antelope Canyon before. It's on the Navajo reservation, so you need to be escorted through the canyon (which is about a quarter-mile long) by Native American guides. Antelope Canyon has long been on our bucket list, and obviously, a lot of other peoples' lists as well!
Despite the crowds, it's an amazing place, with a narrow twisting trail through rock that has been carved into amazing patterns by flash floods over the eons. The walls also have a pallet of colors stemming from the sunlight that seeps through the narrow top opening of this slot canyon.
As with many guided tours, there are a number of "named" formations. See if you can pick out some of them below. There's "the lion," "Pumba", "the maiden," "the seahorse," and "the chili pepper."
Some say there's a mystical power in the canyon, and Doug thinks he discovered it while we were there!
The one other time we'd visited Antelope Canyon was before Doug's weight loss surgery and when he was having some knee problems. Needless to say, this time was much more enjoyable.
When you exit Antelope Canyon, you can see how truly narrow the opening at the top is. You'd be hard pressed to tell that there's a canyon underneath with 50-60 foot high walls.
Another spot we wanted to visit in the Page area was Horseshoe Bend, a famous twist in the Colorado River a couple miles below the Glen Canyon dam.
That first evening, we had great BBQ at Big John's in Page. They feed a LOT of people as you can tell from the size of the smokers.
The next morning, before leaving Page, we took a cruise on Lake Powell. This one visited several side canyons in addition to the main channel of the Colorado River.
Navajo Canyon impressed us with its sheer walls and two-tone rock.
We also visited Antelope Canyon (yes, the same canyon, except a couple miles downstream where it empties into Lake Powell). It's as twisty below as it is above.
We left Page with many memories, and moved into southern Utah. More on that in our next blog entry!
Such incredible natural beauty and photos!