Our last day in Lake Powell was packed...first with a morning of sightseeing, then final packing up! We are putting our camper in storage for about 6 weeks, beginning tomorrow, so we can travel back east for a bit. That means this is my last blog post for six weeks....since its about the RV journey:)
The number two item on our wish list for this area was Antelope Canyon. It is one of the most popular things to do in the area, and you will see why in a minute. There are two tours available: the Upper Antelope Canyon and the Lower Antelope Canyon. For more information, click
here. Tours can be arranged directly for either Upper or Lower right at the canyon area. There are also many tour companies in Page that do the Upper Antelope Canyon Tour.
The Upper tour is more popular and more crowded. It is an easy walk on ground level through a slot canyon. The bottom of the canyon is wide and the top gets narrower. The Lower tour is more strenuous-its longer and there are stairs involved. Also, to get into the canyon, you go through a narrow slot that leads underground. The bottom of the canyon is narrow and the top gets wider. This tour may be even more spectacular! It is very popular with photographers and the more adventurous (Klaus!) and physically fit.
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The morning dawned bright and sunny, and we got up and out early to see if we could get a tour through Upper Antelope Canyon. We were hoping to get a tour mid-day, as that is when the light is best, and .... we were able to book an 11:00 tour. Perfect!
We had a couple of hours to wait before the start of the tour. So, there was another thing we wanted to see while here, and that was Horseshoe Bend. For more information, click
here. This is where the Colorado River goes around a bend, and is extremely photogenic-at least with an aerial shot. You can hike up a sandy hill and down to the edge of the canyon (very carefully!) and take some photos. Short people like me should have a selfie stick, which I don't have, to be able to get the shot. That's okay....I did the best I could far away from the edge. The thing about places like this that the public is warned about is that the rock could crumble, or....maybe there is nothing under the outcropping! Still, visitors get mighty close to the edge.
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| heading up a sandy hill to start the hike to the overlook |
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| the landscape was awesome -every where you looked there were rock cliffs or canyons |
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| heading down to the Horseshoe Bend |
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| we are heading down there where all the people are |
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| you can see the top of the canyon from here |
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| there are no railings, by the way |
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| pretty flowers |
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| nice |
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| this is as close as I can do |
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| not too close now Tom! |
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| can you see the horseshoe? Couldn't get the front for obvious reasons |
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| looking around near the edge |
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| another shot of the horseshoe |
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| the landscape was cool...lots of rock, and sand!! |
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| another shot of the Horseshoe...well, you can see the Colorado River at least |
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| time to head back |
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| doesn't look to bad, but its mostly uphill...gently though... |
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| these guys look awfully close to the edge |
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| nothing like a nice sandy steep walk in the bright sunshine and heat (and it was just around 9am!) |
Afterwards, we did some quick errands, one of which included Walmart. We have to laugh. We were driving around this beautiful area, and when we spotted Walmart we just shouted! We are sillies, I know. Walmart is a camper's best friend! Hahahah
We had a little more time before our tour, so we also went to the "scenic road" nearby. It is advertised in the tourist brochures as the "easy way to see Horseshoe Bend"...no need to hike. The view was not nearly as good as the hike's view. But.....the view of the Glen Canyon Dam and the bridge over it was great!
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| there it is...it was like a mirage in the desert |
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| Part of Horseshoe Bend from the scenic road overlook |
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| Glen Canyon Dam and bridge over it |
We headed back out to the Upper Antelope Canyon, where we boarded trucks to get to the canyon. We then proceeded to drive up the wash for about 10 minutes. Being that the wash is dry right now, it was deep sand. Let's just say we had a thrilling ride! Ha! No one fell out of the truck:) Anyway, all tours are trucked in like that and must stay with the tour guide.
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| loading up the trucks with tourists |
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| a bumpy ride through the wash to get to the slot canyon |
The driver was also the tour guide. We had an excellent guide-makes a difference once you are in the canyon. There were many other groups there, and it was actually very orderly. The guides get the groups through, but allow just enough time for photos. They try to space things out, but it is just too busy for that. Since a lot of the beauty is seen looking up, it works out fairly well.
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| Upper Antelope Slot Canyon (and our tour guide in blue) |
I took a bazillion pictures-I've never seen anything quite like this. There is a photographer's tour that can be arranged as well, but that also looked very crowded and rushed. We were happy with our tour! It suited us just fine.What an amazing place! Its all about the light! I have no words...just pictures!
Once through the slot, we waited outside for our turn to go back through quickly and out to the trucks. While in the back, our guide explained to us that the area behind the slot fills with water when there is a heavy rain. The water then rushes through the slot canyon at about 50 mph. Flash floods are a constant danger. The canyon is closed in the rain.
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| heading out the back of the canyon |
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| waiting to go back through to the trucks |
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| thin lizzy |
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| this is the "bowl" that fills with water, which rushes into the canyon |
Heading back through the canyon, I had the opportunity to take a few more pictures since we were in front of the group heading out. We got stuck in the middle of the canyon for a photography group, taking photos of the light just so. I got my camera back out and waited patiently, clicking away the whole time!
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| back out of the canyon |
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| that's our truck now |
That ends a brief stay in Lake Powell for us. We hope to be back out west in about 6 weeks. We've been on the road now for just about 6 months, living in our new home with an ever changing backyard, and so far so good! We are having the time of our lives. More importantly, we have been happily married for 30 years, as of Monday, and we can still say we are happy even after the past 6 months of really close living! This kind of lifestyle isn't for everyone, but we are lovin' it!!
Back in 6 weeks!!
