Day 31, April 2, 2023, Sunday. Page, AZ (115 miles) (elevation 4,300)

We departed Kanab and took the southern route of the Marble Canyon Loop on Highway 89A. We had earlier driven the north route on Highway 89 when we went to the Antelope Lower Canyon on Friday.  About 30 miles from Kanab we stopped at the Le Fevre Overlook on a clear, cold and windy day.  This overlook provides a view of the all of the steps of the  Grand Staircase-Escalante which are chocolate, vermilion, white, gray and pink, although some of the color was obscured by snow. We continued on to Jacob Lake, elevation 7,925.  This is the intersection with Highway 67 which goes to the north rim of the Grand Canyon and the last civilization before the rim. There was snow everywhere except Highway 89A which had been plowed. Jacob Lake Inn is famous for its cookies so we bought one of each of the 4 types. We continued onward through many switchbacks and stopped at the Vermilion Cliffs Overlook which was a perfect place for lunch. Then we continued going down and driving parallel to the cliffs and stopped on the side of a cliff where there were many Native Americans selling their wares. Onward to the Navajo Canyon Bridge. The original bridge opened in 1929 and was the only bridge crossing the Colorado River for 600 miles. It replaced Lee’s Ferry which was a small ferry for river crossings but became too slow with the advent of the motorcar. The original bridge is now pedestrian only as a new modern bridge was built in the 1990's. The views from the bridge are spectacular. And the area is a favorite of the California Condor. We saw about a dozen flying and landing around. We must have spent an hour on the bridge taking photos and enjoying the scene. We entered the visitor center where Rosemary found a beautiful tea mug. Onward to Page where we checked into The Canyons RV Resort, a brand new RV park with FHU.  The temp actually reached 71 and I could hook up the water without a jacket and without fear of freezing as the low was expected to be in the mid-40's. At least for one night!

Day 32, April 3, 2023, Monday. Page, AZ 

The day was sunny but very windy with gusts to 45 mph. We visited Horseshoe Bend, part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.  It is only 7 miles south of Page. The trail is 1.5 out and back and would have been easy but for the wind and sand. The wind required one to lean into it to walk and the sand penetrated every ounce of one’s being including eyes and mouth. When the gusts hit, you had to stop and turn away from the wind and sand. However, this apparently did not discourage anyone as the place was mobbed. We did manage to get some good photos along the railing. We did not attempt any area away from the railing as it would be easy to get blown over the 1,000 foot cliff.  After lunch, we had a guided tour of the famous Antelope Upper Canyon. Our tour departed at 3:25 just as the clouds began to block out the sun. We rode in the back of an open truck for 15 minutes to the canyon while getting sand blasted.  Our guide was a female with a soft voice which we couldn’t hear very well over the wind.  We were with a group of 12 but there were many other groups as well. The canyon was impressive and taller than others we have visited but only about a quarter mile long.  The cloudy day seemed to dim the colors of the canyon, but the bigger issue was the sand.  We had sand “waterfalls” everywhere. Even wearing a mask our mouths became gritty and our eyes felt sandblasted. Our guide moved slowly through the slot canyon allowing prior groups to move further ahead and out of sight. This allowed for photos without other people in them. At the end of the canyon tour we were at top of the canyon and the exit was no longer visible. To top it all off, the rain had started on the hike back to the truck.  Glad we experienced the upper canyon but given the conditions, not as enjoyable as the lower nor Peekaboo slot canyons.  We brought dinner home from Big John’s Texas BBQ, very good but not the best of this trip.

Day 33, April 4, 2023, Tuesday. Page, AZ 

Rosemary attended her 1:00 dulcimer class via zoom at 10:00 AZ time. In the afternoon we went visiting the sites/hikes near Page. Our first stop was the Dam Overlook, an easy 940 foot hike to the edge of a cliff overlooking the Glen Canyon Dam over the Colorado River. Next was the Hanging Gardens moderate 1.5 mile hike. This seep spring takes every drop of rainwater it can absorb creating a lush plant habitat.  To me the plants looked like artificial ferns but they were the real thing. Next we visited the Wahweap section of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area which has several overlooks of the dam and Lake Powell (which was created by the dam). Further west on Highway 89 was the Lone Rock.  This is a large rock that used to be surrounded by water.  However, the water level in Lake Powell is so low, the Lone Rock is now surrounded by only mud.  We chose not to hike in the mud.  The day was sunny but windy and cold with the high temp of only 43. We each wore 3 jackets and gloves and all were needed.

Day 30, April 1, 2023, Saturday. Kanab, UT 

Today we booked two private tours with Coral Cliffs Tours of Kanab. Our guide, John McClellan, picked us up at our campsite at 11:00 am in a 4 wheel Jeep with big tires. Our first destination was the Peekaboo Slot Canyon aka Red Canyon. It is about 9 paved miles north of Kanab and then about 4 miles of sand/mud/rock “road” which shook us so much from side to side and up and down I started wondering if I should have taken dramamine.  Our guide described the “road” as an old time washboard. It was a sunny day but snow was still on the ground. We arrived at the canyon and began with a hike to “Needles”, a red hoodoo, and then entered the canyon. The canyon is an out and back hike with an elevation of 5525 feet. This was a beautiful slot canyon with much less traffic than Antelope Canyon which made for better photos which could show the canyon floor to the top of the canyon walls. It was pretty cold in the canyon and icicles dangling from the top were plentiful. We were narrowly missed when one came crashing down. The canyon evoked much excitement and I was almost sorry to leave but onward to another adventure. Back on the “road” for about 40 minutes to go to the Great Chamber at Cutler Cove. Along the way we saw some mule deer some of which ran across the “road” right in front of us. The sunny day had warmed up to 63 degrees by the afternoon so we opened the windows. I had learned the hard way not to keep my window fully opened as the Jeep wheels extended beyond the body and could flip mud up and into the window any time we went splashing though a mud puddle. Along this part of the trip we ate our packed lunch in the Jeep.  The “road” was so bumpy it was a challenge to get the food into our mouths. When we arrived, we had a hike with a 500 foot elevation gain on mostly thick and soft sand. And this was at elevation of almost 7,000 feet.  The Great Chamber was a naturally carved sandstone formation with a giant sand dune inside. A beautiful shady spot on a sunny day and our excitement did not diminish. And we had the place to ourselves. We climbed to the top of the Chamber but Rosemary slipped and I tried to hold onto her but she fell just as our guide was taking our photo. Luckily, she landed on her head so no damage was incurred.! As we hiked back to the Jeep, several other parties were arriving including one party of about 20.  We took an alternate route back though Johnson Canyon and saw the ruins of the set of the TV show, Gunsmoke, which was filmed there. We got back just before 5:00 and our excitement was still undiminished. A great day!