Crawled out of our rustic little cabin to find another bright sunny, cloudless morning, temperature in the upper 30s. The canyon looks very different in early morning light! After a great breakfast in the lodge dining room, we packed up and headed back up the road to Jacob Lake and on to Page, AZ. That road from the North Rim to Jacob Lake is gorgeous!
From 8000 feet, we drop down to around 3,000 feet as we pass along the Vermilion Cliffs, spectacular red rock cliffs that seem to never end. We came to Lee's Ferry, which was "discovered" by Mormon pioneers in the 1870s as the only way to get across the Colorado River. Today, its the place where adventurous Colorado River rafters begin their arduous journey - 200 miles downstream.
Just down the road the highway crosses the Colorado on the Navajo Bridge. At the northern end is an "official" place for the Navajos to sell their jewelry. Then, we were forced to take a detour as Rt 89 North was closed for rehab. The detour went way around the block and added about 50 miles to our destination, Page, AZ....glad we didn't have a plane to catch!
Page is an interesting place. It was "founded" in 1957. That was the year the Glen Canyon Dam started construction, creating Lake Powell. Today, this is a major recreation area. We found a really nice Best Western with a great view from our window. We explored the Wahweap Resort and Marina, which is part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The late afternoon sun made for some great photos! Dinner at Dam Bar & Grill - very good!
Tomorrow morning we'll do a tour of the Antelope Valley slot canyons, on the reservation, complete with Navajo guide. Then, on to Farmington, N.M.
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| Lee's Ferry put-in |
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| Navajo Bridge |
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| Colorado River |
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| View from motel room |
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| Glen Canyon Dam & Bridge |
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