June 29, 2017

We missed the dinner in the fancy dining room, but we did make breakfast. Enjoyed the view through the huge windows. These windows were stil too small to capture the magnificence. The eggs were good. We were ready for a hike. After packing the car, we headed off for a three mile morning hike. It was cool and wonderful. We also saw what the archeologists have found of the summer houses of the Anazasi farmers from a thousand years ago. They spent the summer on the relatively cool Kiabab plateau.  It will be exciting to see similar Viking foundations in Labrador later this summer. Both cultures left their farming efforts. It is apparent that the ancient Indians survived in a different context. Of course, my Viking ancestors also survived in sunnier climes like Normandy. 

Back in the car and headed for Page some 120 miles away. Needed to cross the Colorado river near historic Lee’s Ferry. Beautiful masonry by the Depression era CCC. Since we were early for check-in, we decided to see the Horseshoe overlook downstream from the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. Plenty of tour buses that disgorged their contents onto a treeless, shade free plateau with numerous warnings about the extreme heat and the importance of water. It was 100 and with no cooling breeze. There were large numbers of Asian tourists. I didn’t see much evidence of water bottles. Nonetheless, no bodies were seen in the sand. We took it easy on the 3/4 mile hike and then back the same distance while climbing up and down. The real danger were the selfie sticks and posing on the cliffs. It was a long way down but fortunately no one made the quick trip. We stayed well back from the edge and lived to tell.

Returned to the city of Page and stopped at the Powell Museum dedicated to the one armed explorer who first braved and survived a passage down the river. I posed in front of a replica of the boat dedicated to his wife Emma. Quite a story. The little museum was well done.

We headed off to our next adventure with the Navajo guide who escorted us and many others through the Antelope Slot Canyons. The canyons were created by flood waters that washed through the slot. The natural beauty of the place is unique. Despite the crowds and using our little travel camera, we were pleased with the surreal pictures. We will post a few. The ride to the canyon in the back of a bucking truck with 14 passengers was interesting. We traveled with a French lady from Nice. She approved of my last name. 

Rotisserie chicken and baguette and a peach for dinner. Perfect. Off to Mesa Verde in the morning. Still working on getting the sand out of my eyes.