After a little sinus medicine and a good night's sleep in our adorable cabin I wake up feeling much better this morning. Yay!
We briefly contemplate returning to Monument Valley, but quickly abandon that idea in favor of heading straight to Page.
Given the lack of options we return to the mediocre Goulding’s Restaurant for breakfast, which fortunately turns out to be a lot more palatable than dinner and it does have a nice view.
When we arrive in Page, we drive directly to Roger Ekis Antelope Canyon tour office. The next tour doesn’t leave for another 40 minutes so we spend some time browsing a local souvenir shop, before returning to board our modified pick-up truck.
The first ten minutes we’re cruising down the highway, then we turn down a dirt road and bounce and rattle our way to the mouth of the canyon.
Antelope Canyon is what’s considered a slot canyon; a narrow-walled canyon that’s considerably deeper than it is wide. Antelope Canyon is approximately 130 feet high in some places, but never more than 20 feet wide and frequently much narrower, to the point where sometimes you have to squeeze past each other.
It’s very difficult to take good pictures, but here’s a selection of the many I took. The darker ones were taken in narrower sections.
As we’re walking through the canyon you can’t help but notice some of the large tree trunks and bundles of tumbleweed wedged between the canyon walls several feet overhead. It’s a good visual reminder of why it’s important to always be aware of the danger of flashfloods when hiking in a (slot) canyon. In ’97 eleven tourists drowned in Antelope Canyon when a thunderstorm miles away caused water to rush towards the canyon and trapped those inside.
From a distance you’d never know it’s there.
A short distance from the canyon lies Horseshoe Bend, another beautiful panorama of the Colorado wrapping back on itself. It’s so wide the camera can’t capture the whole scene!
Sandy has found another colorful lizard friend.
On the way to our hotel I notice signs for the Glen Canyon Dam so we decide to make a quick detour to take a peek at the dam and get my (national park) passport stamped.
You can get a better view from a viewpoint a mile up the road.
Following our visit to the dam we decide to see some more of Lake Powell, but after several minutes of driving around aimlessly I have to admit that I have no idea how to get there. We decide to drive back to the Glen Canyon Dam visitor center, only to find that it’s now closed … Luckily I spot one of the employees walking in the parking lot and he is able to direct us to Wahweap marina.
Quite a nice view as you drive up.
I love water so naturally I have to at least get my feet wet, but finding a spot with beach access is easier said than done. When we finally succeed I’m so disappointed; the bottom of the lake is covered in a layer of black sludge. Ewww!
The marina is in the way when I try to photograph one of the large rock formation across the lake, so we decide to drive down a little further.
As I get out of the car to take a picture a jackrabbit darts out from behind a bush. I love their long, black-tipped ears!
For whatever reason we keep driving until, to our amazement, we cross the stateline. That’s 10 days of spending at least part of the day in Utah … wow! It’s probably a coincidence, but shortly thereafter we happen upon a stretch of lakeshore so beautiful it’s hard to believe your eyes.
As pretty as the pictures are, they don’t do the real thing justice.
It looks just like the sky.
It amazes me that we’re the only people there. I make my way down the rocky cliff to take some pictures near the water, then I join Sandy on the ledge and get comfortable. What a perfect spot to watch the sunset! If you concentrate you can hear just the faintest hum of traffic in the distance, otherwise it’s total silence.
Later on we’re joined by two other people who sit on one of the platforms below us. This picture gives you a good idea of the size of things.
Wow! What a sunset!
When it starts getting dark we reluctantly say goodbye to Glen Canyon and check into our more than adequate budget hotel. There’s a great restaurant called Bonkers just around the corner. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the inside is tastefully decorated with murals of local attractions and the food is exquisite. I have a delicious salmon club sandwich on toasted ciabatta with oregano aioli. Yum!
What a great day! This more than makes up for the disappointment of Monument Valley.
Total miles: 158 mi
Hotel: America’s Best Value Inn Page
Restaurant: Gouldings Restaurant (breakfast)
Bonkers (dinner)
Hotel: America’s Best Value Inn Page
Restaurant: Gouldings Restaurant (breakfast)
Bonkers (dinner)
Stupid, stupid,
The past days I looked 2,3 times a day for an update, but there was always the same entry at the top. Only yesterday I noticed that there were 2 updates beneath it!
Antelope Canyon looks like an incredible but scary experience. I wonder if the American painter O Keefe was inspired by this canyon.
I like the picture of you sitting in the canyon. The seventeeth century painter Carravagio used the same light in his pictures. Look it up and you will see that you could easily be a part of one of his pictures. (or maybe it's the divine look on your face an the folded hands, haha)
The picture of the streaming sand gives me the creeps, but nevertheless I like it. Like a giant hour glass.
I love the colouring of Horse Shoe Bend and the pictures of Wahwead Marina.
But for me the picture of the day is the picture of the clouds reflecting in the water in Utah, wow. Should I have liked to be there with you!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love and xxx, next one tomorrow, have to work now,
Joeve