Day 25 – Page, AZ (Day 2)

Some days just don’t turn out as imagined.

The Route

We drove 102 miles on US-89 and US-89A as we made a round trip to Lee’s Ferry.

About the Day

The temperature reached 88° on a sunny, breezy day.  As has become a regular event, a squall moved northeast across the area and passed north of Page in the early afternoon.

We came to the area to see The Wave and Horseshoe Bend.  It didn’t happen because we didn’t understand what it would take to get there.  Access to The Wave requires a permit issued by the Bureau of Land Management on a lottery basis and a 5.2 mile hike.  Access to Horseshoe Bend involves a 1.2 mile hike.  We’ve included a few pictures taken by others so you can see what we had in mind.

Getting Started

We started off by having breakfast “where the locals go” … at Ranch House Grille.  They offer a fun menu and very good food.  It was a perfect way to start the day.

On the Way

Lake Powell …

Glen Canyon Dam …

Glen Canyon

This "beehive" formation looked
like part of the power system.

Horseshoe Bend …

It's quite a hike to the river.

The hike is up hill both ways.

We looked really hard from the hill top.

And got a closer view of the overlook.

Carol at the top of the hill.

Lots of people come to see.

The reason we came.

Lee’s Ferry …

It's the only place for hundreds of miles where you can easily access the Colorado River from both sides.

Upstream

Downstream

Cliff Dwellers …

They sure had sturdy housing.

Vermilion Cliffs …

The Vermilion Cliffs are made of deposited silt and desert dunes, cemented by infiltrated carbonates and intensely colored by red iron oxide.  Here’s what we saw as we drove through the valley.

The Colorado River cuts the valley floor.

This is what drew us to Vermilion Cliffs.

Did you know?

The Vermilion Cliffs are the second step in the five-step Grand Staircase of the Colorado Plateau.

The Grand Staircase refers to an immense sequence of sedimentary rock layers that stretch south from Bryce Canyon National Park and Grand-Staircase-Escalante National Monument, through the Zion and Grand Canyon National Parks.

The Campground

It's a bit like a big gravel parking lot, but there are trees and all of the services work very well.

Tonight
We had dinner at Big John's Texas BBQ (during half-time and part of the 3rd quarter) and watched Ohio State open the 2017 season by beating Indiana (49-21).

Tomorrow

We’re off to Escalante as we head for Capitol Reef National Park.