Dam...................

The Glen Canyon Dam was built to regulate the water flow in the Colorado River. Lake Powell is the reservoir of the Glen Canyon Dam. With the Colorado River dammed up, Glen Canyon flooded. It took 17 years to "fill".  It is the major water supply for the southwest USA.  The Colorado River Compact was signed (in 1922) by six states to allocate the water from the Colorado River. The water release is carefully measured and documented. Each state gets a certain amount each year. This answers a lot about the water issue I was so worked up about in Phoenix!

The flow of the Colorado River and other tributary rivers to the north is controlled with the dam, saving what would be flood water for leaner years, when droughts prevail. A major side benefit of the dam is the hydroelectricity it could supplies to the area. Of course, there has been controversy over the dam regarding its environmental impact.

Glen Canyon Dam-717 feet tall

bridge spanning the canyon

 We spent some time in the Carl HaydenVisitor Center at the Glen Canyon Dam, watching a couple of movies on the construction of the dam itself, which was fascinating. The construcition of the dam began in 1956 and took 10 years to build.  Once the site was determined, roads had to be built so the equipment could arrive, and a bridge needed to be built over the canyon to save hundreds of miles of driving for all the construction equipment and workers. Workers arrived and set up a town comprised of trailers and campers, and the town was eventually built up and is now Page. The population went from 700 to 10,000.

The bonus to this dam is Lake Powell itself. It is a major recreational area (Glen Canyon National Recreation Area) centered around water activities, and has brought in billions to the economy of the area. House boats are a very popular way to explore the lake. Its easy to just relax and enjoy the amazing surroundings. For more information, click here.

Visitor Center

View of the Dam from inside the Visitor Center...lots of security!

You can just imagine the challenges of building the bridge!

very interesting!

tours, movies and displays inside

After visiting the Glen Canyon Dam and doing a few errands, we went home to enjoy the view from our "backyard". A nice evening walk down to the beach during sunset lets us savor the views! It really is magical. Though it seems like the lake is right there, it is actually about a 10 minute walk down a hill, which is gradual at first, but then becomes pretty steep. Walking back up is a workout. According to my fitbit, its 13 flights.

lots of jack rabbits here

heading down to the lake

the sunset show is beginning

look at those colors....it really looks like that

not too many boats, which is a benefit of  visiting "off-season" 

looks like a flat easy path to the lake, doesn't it?

not sure if you can tell, but the steepest part is in the middle of the picture there

nice

a couple or three ducks enjoying the sunset in the water

fun to watch

Back home, a nice campfire keeps us warm in the chilly evening, so we can spend as much time outside as possible. Did I mention the stars?

our new backyard

we are thoroughly enjoying it

do not adjust your computer...this is the real color

the jack rabbit checking out our campsite

can I get you a beer? 

or a hot chocolate?