Eas-On Down The Road: Pictures from Page

So far, our 2 week visit to Page, Arizona has been relaxing and filled with some special experiences. We could not get campground reservations at the preferred Wahweap Campground on Lake Powell but our stay at Page Lake Powell Campground in the town of Page has been fine. We didn't have the Lake Powell water views but Little Boy was happy with our desert view of the red Navajo sandstone hills.

Driving out on Highway 89 West, this bridge crosses over the Glen Canyon Dam

with a view of Lake Powell and the Colorado River below. We stopped to visit the Glen Canyon Dam Visitor Center, took a walk to the Scenic "White House" Overlook and drove out to Wahweap Point and Marina on Lake Powell.

White House Overlook of the Glen Canyon Dam

Views of Lake Powell from the Glen Canyon Dam Visitor Center

Glen Canyon Dam is 710 feet tall. We opted out of the dam tour and the electricity generating plant this time because we did it in 2000.

Views of the Glen Canyon Dam from the Wahweap Hill Overlook .

This is Wahweap Marina on Lake Powell. The boats in view are mostly large house boats that can be rented or owner-use for touring and vacations on Lake Powell.

We walked down to one of Lake Powell's public beaches to enjoy the cool water.

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We made a day trip out to visit the Navajo Bridge and Lees Ferry Boat Landing, all part of the National Park, Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

The original Navajo Bridge, built in 1929 is only used for foot traffic now, motorized traffic uses the newer bridge, built in 1995. That's Hwy 89A (a shadow) to the left.

Photographs of the Colorado River from the Navajo Bridge.

Look carefully at the picture on the right. The two white dots in the center of the river (upper portion) are the huge white water rafts filled with overnight rafters and their supplies. The Lees Ferry Boat Landing is up river, here these folks are in for a lifetime experience- several nights of river camping and rafting on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.

Colorado River views at Lees Ferry.

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We were extremely lucky to find 2 open time slots to see the famous Upper Antelope Slot Canyon. When we arrived to Page, I checked all five Navajo tour companies, all were booked out for the two weeks we had planned to be in the area. I finally found 2 time slots available at the last company I checked (and unbelievably at the prime 10:00 am time) and booked them immediately. Internet searches reveal that the Upper and Lower Antelope Slot Canyon sections see approximately 6000 visitors a day. We saw several tour buses depositing lots of foreign tourists in the slot canyon parking lots, downtown Page tour company lots and even the grocery store! Yes, it was very crowded but these Navajo Guides are excellent in how they handle all of these people. I noticed they get the tourists to move along at a good pace, quickly give interesting descriptions of the history and canyon geology and still provide expert camera setting information. Though we were a little bit rushed, judging by how crowded it was and how lucky we were to have even gotten a reservation, we were happy with our tour, Navajo Guide and photographs.

This is a view of the Upper Antelope Canyon as we exited it. We turned around and our Navajo Guide walked us back through the slot canyon again to its entrance. So, I guess you could say this is where the swift water enters Upper Antelope Slot Canyon to form the sculpted sandstone walls.

I really liked the semi-circle pattern here to the left.

I tried hard to only capture Ronnie's photo rather than herds of tourists.

Our Navajo Guide threw some sand on a ledge so photographers could capture the sand and hourglass effect.

The noon hour is best for this slot canyon photography. The light reaches down to the lower walls of the slot canyon. It was fairly dark in the canyon but looking up, you could see strong sunlight illuminating the colorful sandstone.

Our Navajo Guide took these photographs of Ronnie and me with my cellphone's camera. He posed us in the picture on the right, telling us to look up..cheesy I know but it displays the interesting curved linear lines of the sandstone layers with the sunlight beams. Our tour lasted about 90 minutes which was enough for photographs but not enough for me to marvel at this unusual, natural underground feature. We were about 120 feet at the canyon's deepest point.

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Of course, we made a day trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Driving to the northern rim on Hwy 89A, you pass by the beautiful Vermilion Cliffs National Monument.
It is about 124 miles from Page, AZ to the North Rim Visitor Center.

Our day at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon was quiet, relaxing and memorable. Our last visit here was the summer of 2000, Ronnie was barely able to get around with a walking cane, due to his broken leg.

On the Angel Landing Point Trail, we see up close, Beardlip wildflowers

and exposed twisty cedar branches and roots.

This visit, we get to walk out to Imperial Point and Angel Landing Point.

Off in the distance, near the horizon, you can see where the Colorado River has cut a deep ditch into the plateau. I think the town of Page and Lake Powell is just below the horizon line.