Horseshoe Bend
After leaving the Grand Canyon, we drove a couple of hours north to Page, Arizona. On the way into town, we pulled off the highway, paid our $10 and joined the steady line of tourists trekking 15 minutes on a sandy path to Horseshoe Bend. Carved by the Colorado River, it was as spectacular as hoped.
Antelope Canyon
The first time I saw a photo of Antelope Canyon I knew it was a place I wanted to see. Antelope Canyon is on Navajo land and requires a guided tour. Two tour companies take ~3000 people daily down into both Lower and Upper Antelope Canyons - we chose Dixie tours.We were split into groups of 10 and assigned a Navajo guide. Our guide shared stories about his upbringing and Navajo culture and told the kids about black widow spiders and scorpions. This helped distract me from the herds of people that were headed towards Lower Antelope Canyon (the more challenging tour).
When we descended a steep metal staircase into the canyon, I was overwhelmed with the number of people crammed into the first chamber of the canyon. I was a little nervous about continuing the tour with so many people and was happy when the groups spread out.
Within a few minutes it felt like it was just our group of 10 and our guide in the canyon. Our guide gave us photography tips and pointed out different shapes in the walls of the canyon.
Similar to the previous 2 slot canyons we explored, Lower Antelope had different views around each corner. It was beautiful, and I can understand why photographers from around the globe travel to capture its beauty. We all enjoyed ourselves!
And on...
All these photos were taken by us, on Samsung phones - the colours are real - a photographer's dream come true!
Lake Powell
Page is the southern gateway to Lake Powell which, aside from being a boater's paradise, is a reservoir for Rocky Mountain runoff that supplies water to 7 southwestern states.We visited the Glen Canyon Dam visitor centre and learned about the construction in the 50's and 60's and its differences from the Hoover dam (whose concrete is still not cured 100%!). We also learned about it's purpose (water reservoir, giving 2M people electricity) as well as the powerful effect of water on the dam's functionin. Mike and the kids went on a tour (there were only 4 spots left) and took the elevator 64 stories down to the turbine room. Security was tight as dams are the 5th most important government asset in need of defense.
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| 8 whopper generators - GE branded... all INSIDE the dam wall - so cool |
To top off a fun day, we treated the kids (and ourselves) to Texas bbq for supper at 'Big John's Texas BBQ' - live country music and all! Nathan even went up on stage to play the tambourine with the band!
Some native artisans were selling their wares out front, and Chelsea fell in love with some earrings... apparently made by the seller's son... a great keepsake.
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