Page, Arizona

Leaving Zion was bitter sweet. Yes we wanted to stay a few more days but our site was booked for someone else who wanted to have the same pleasures as us in Zion. So instead of moving sites we decided to push on to Page, Arizona. Where! That is what Susan said when I told her our next destination. Then I explained to her all the things you can see and do, now she's on board. Page began over 50 years ago as a construction camp for workers on the hydroelectric project. Because the land was owned by the Navajo  an agreement was made to transfer 16.7 square miles to the BLM in exchange for an amount of desirable land in Utah. Completed in 1966, the Glen Canyon Dam stands 710 feet tall and produces enough energy to serve 1.5 million users. The bridge was completed in 1959 allowing trucks to deliver material for the dam and the new town of Page.

Glen Canyon Dam & Glen Canyon Bridge

When the dam was completed water began backing up behind the great wall. It took nearly 17 years to reach "full pool" and established over 1,900 miles of shoreline with a depth of more than 500 feet in areas. Lake Powell was born.

Lake Powell

A playground for nearly three million visitors annually

Lone Rock

The sun was out, having lunch while overlooking Lake Powell, and taking pictures can't get any better than that. Oh yes it can. After lunch we went back to the dam for one last look and what do we see flying above our heads but a California Condor. Of course my long lens was back in the rig, so we just stood and admired how beautiful it was.

Looking below the dam at the Colorado River...somewhere down there the Condor landed

Above the dam is a wonderful hiking trail called Hanging Garden. It's flat, easy to follow, one mile out and back, and your rewarded with a hidden oasis. Hanging Garden is a Navajo Sandstone overhang where water seeps from the walls to provide the right conditions for Maidenhair fern to grow.

Standing under the overhang was noticeably cooler

A must thing to see if your in the area and it's free is Horseshoe Bend but beware it's not for the faint of heart. With a drop of a 1000 feet straight down with no guard rails to prevent you from going over, and if you can get close enough, you are rewarded with a beautiful view of the Colorado River.

Horseshoe Bend

Not being afraid of heights I got close enough to take the picture. I have to admit being this close gave me the goosies. Then I got really freaked out when a girl sat on the edge with her legs dangling over. I just walked away, it almost made me sick. 

The Grand Stair-Escalante National Monument (GSENM)was established in 1996 and is overseen by the BLM. Spanning nearly 1.9 million acres of high, remote, and rugged regions, you will find the last place in the continental United States to be mapped. We went to the GSENM visitor center to see the dinosaur displays and to get an idea of trails to hike. The exhibits were amazing and better yet it is also free. We had a guided tour by Merle Graffam whom discovered a new dinosaur species in the GSENM in 1999.

Dinosaur bones discovered in BSENM 

With bold plateaus and monstrous cliffs you have to wonder how much more is out there to discover.