Days 84,85,86 Sat., Sun., Mon., Aug. 27, 28,29 At Page, AZ.

Days 84,85,86  Sat., Sun., Mon., Aug. 27, 28,29 At PAge AZ.

Saturday.--These days were filled with activities  around the town of Page AZ, except for the trip to Flagstaff to see Ruth’s niece, Karrie,  and her family. That meeting never came to pass, and although both of us made the trip, (They live in Phoenix)  some place along the line we missed communicating the meeting place as we were both there but at two different places , which both thought the other had agreed upon. That was tough, as we had to find a way to consume the birthday cake we bought  for her husband , Beau. Both going and coming it was a beautiful drive through the cliffs and changing desert until the mountains of the San Francisco Peaks of Flagstaff.There were many Native shops selling jewelry and pottery on that US 89 route.

The following day (Sun) we were scheduled to take a boat ride with the Waweap tours on Lake Powell to Rainbow Bridge. When we went to the Lodge to meet the group on the tour there was no one there that was going. We got our barding passes and sat for more than an hour as WE had still been on Mountain daylight time and Page was on Pacific Daylight time. We started that day an hour early. That boat trip the 60 miles to Rainbow Bridge was eye eye opener.  Cap’n Jim and 1st Mate Laura did a fine job looking after the 1/2 capacity full, vessel that took us there in about 2 hours. Slowing for boat traffic was one safety procedure I thought was excellent. The views of the rock formations and the colors was fantastic.  Accenting the red sandstone that is so prevalent on this area were whites, grays and pinks thrown in. We arrived and Ruth stayed on the boat and I took the camera and the pictures. It was not a long walk but discretion is the better part of valor when the knee is  giving problems. Hence , Ruth stayed on board.  The walk was on a gravel path  and the temp was in the 90‘s with lots of sun, so I went slow and arrived just behind the main group. The heat was in the low 90’s, with less wind as we neared the Bridge. 

It is phenomenal to be sure. As tall as the Empire State building  and a bit wider than that.  It is truly a remarkable site that the Navajos have kept sacred all these dozens of generations. There are no commercial entites of any kind there but a huge boat dock.  We kept hydrated in the sun and on the boat and I think I consumed 10-12 cups of lemonade on the boat alone. We were greeted warmly by the captain on return with an apple and a granola bar if we chose. Ruth was happy with my pictures so I guess I “done good”. The ride back was similar with more chances to get pictures of the rocks and mesas and table tops in a brighter light. It was a fine trip that I would recommend to any who can do it.

That evening the wind came up and we had a very typical desert storm that skimmed by us, even though we were on the edge. It did bring , however , a wonderful set of rainbows and a beautiful sunset. All the campers in the area were getting everyone out to see the rainbow that filled the sky from one end to the other.

Then on Tuesday Ruth was looking forward to the Antelope  Canyon tour since April when she made the reservations from Michigan. It was truly both an adventure and a marvelous witness to God’s handiwork here on earth. The Natives revere this place as it is an ancient meeting place with some of the guides telling of how they used to play here as a child. Today the Nation (Navajo) makes money on the tours they have .The day we went there were more than 20 tours of 10-12 people each just in the 3 hours that we were going and coming. Our tour was a photographers tour so we had more time and privilege to take pictures with no interference of time schedules. Other groups were “walk throughs” and had limited time to finish (less than an hour).

 The "flame"

              It was an adventure as we boarded a 12 passenger, covered truck with 2 padded bench seats and handrails for holding. The first 1/2 of the ride was on blacktop surface (smooth) but the second 1/2 was through the deep sand roads that lead to the Canyon and that was very bumpy and rugged. Al, the driver and guide kept it in low gear all the way. When we arrived just about noon (the sun is high) there were about 9 trucks there with passengers. It is a thriving business for the Navajos.

Note the open trucks and the hand rails!

                 The tour begins with a short intro and then we were the canyon. Picture not an “Open” canyon, but picture more  a tall cave with light coming through at the top in places.  Also visualize scoured rock some 30-50 feet high above you as you walk through the canyon. See the twists and turns it makes at each footstep, each one being different keeps you always looking up to see how the light hits the walls in this big opening above you. Our guide, Al has been doing this for 11 years and knew each place to get a good picture, intimately. He assisted Ruth immensely, especially at the last 1/2 of the walk.  I believe he sensed that Ruth was  good photographer and he wanted her to have the best possible pictures. I had told him that Ruth has a good eye for photos, and he commented later after looking at her pictures...by saying “you were right, she does”. The canyon by the way is only about 1/3 of a mile long, but worth every step of the way. Hard to describe the canyon in writing , but a few pictures will give you an idea. The guides have a good sense of humor and make the walk enjoyable as well as pictorially perfect.The ride back to town was windier and hotter, but we made it in the 90+F heat. We celebrated that evening with rib eye steaks on the grill.  Ruth at the grill while Jim made the salad. Tomorrow will be Vermillion Cliffs and Marble Canyon and perhaps some Condors as they inhabit that area just north of the Grand Canyon North Rim.

Tuesday Aug. 30

This day we were to go to the Vermillion Cliffs and Marble canyon , both on 89 A heading for the road to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We did not intend to go to the Canyon, but as it was only 42 miles from the road we were on (89 A), we did get there in time for lunch.

Both the Vermillion Cliffs  and Marble Canyon can be seen easily from the road, and the picture taking possibilities are endless. Seeing the scoured and slick rock portion of the Vermilion Cliffs takes some hiking time into the “back country”. We did not do that.

At Marble canyon (bridge over the Colorado River) there is a  Visitor Center and a gift shop, and the walk across the pedestrian bridge is well worth the walk. Talking to Lucille at the gift store we found that seeing the Condors is not rare but they are not always around either. That day we concentrated on the bridge as they frequent there. We did not see them there nor any other place that day. Twenty five miles further on a sie  road is a Condor Release site (which will be on Sept. 10). I started to take that side road (only two miles long ) but it was so rough and pitted (washboard) that wI turned the truck around and came back.  (I needed that Tundra to pull a trailer some 2,000 miles yet.)  As we were quite close (42 miles) from The North Rim of the Grand Canyon we decided to end our viewing for the day there .Well, it actually was lunch time, but we did go. The road south from US 89 A  is AZ 67 and goes up hill definitely as we begin the climb onto the KAIBAB PLATEAU which get s up to 8,000 feet. Here again  the juniper is replaced at 7,200 feet (exactly and that is not  kidding), by the Ponderosa’s. Remember the ride to Flagstaff where same thing happened? It is beautiful with what appears to be a “parklike” appearance to the forests as the undergrowth is absolutely missing. On the road in,  the results of the last big fire in 2008 were seen for many miles. Quaking aspen is replacing it very quickly. Fires in the PLateau (National Forest) have burned 196,000 acres since 1996. The changing moisture conditions in the SW (much drier) has contributed to that as lightning is the largest cause of fires there (60%) and untended or “not doused” campfires are the largest cause (37%) of human caused fires.

The North Rim a has a very different “feel” from the South Rim. It seems more intimate, close, and has fewer lookout points that the South Rim. It also is quieter, less people, and seems cooler  at 8600 feet. (It is higher than the South Rim by some 2,000 feet) . We took some picture, had lunch over looking the canyon, saw a few birds, and returned to Page by way of Kanab  (89 A to 89 at Kanab) about 25 miles further than the way we came. It was a good day and we looked forward to more scenery on the way to Moab going through  Monument Valley AZ  and crossing the Colorado River at Moab once again.