Horseshoe Bend and Lake Powell

9/20/09


This morning I woke to Joe telling me to come out and see what just pulled up next to us. One thing I have realized since we have been traveling is I am married to Mr. Cravits, (the noisy neighbor who is looking out the window all the time). He is always up on who has move into our neighborhood and what they are up too. He said a guy and his two kids, ages about 12 and 14 pulled up and started to drag out their suitcases and everything else. The oldest boy brushed his teeth using the water spigot, and the father pulled out a tank with a snake in it and then kissed it on the nose. Then he wrapped the snake around his neck and they all walked off somewhere in the park. It's just the detective in him. He always wanted to work for the FBI.
Our new neighbors site next to us.

( Don't pay attention to my pictures dates. It is off by many hours. Not sure why, but maybe because we are in a different time zone, and Arizona doesn't follow day light savings time. So we are off 2 hours. But the camera if off more than that. Any one have an answer, would love to know)
We were told we should go see Horseshoe Bend while here. It's free and just a couple miles south of town.

We had to walk up this long steep hill. The path is all sand and it was in the afternoon, with temperatures in the high 80's and no clouds. Joe wanted me to leave Mallery home, but she has been left so much and she begged me to take her; with whines and sad eyes. At the parking lot I pulled out the stroller, but it was a no way. The wheels just dug deep into the sand. Joe put the stroller back into the trunk, and then I graped my doggy carrying bag. Mallery walked all the way up the sandy hill, but half way down the hill she started to wilt. I said to her, " You want me to carry you". She ran to my side and stood there waiting for me to pick her up. I carried her the rest of the 3/4 mile hike. She was done for the day.

Standing in front of Horseshoe Bend.


The other day in the Grand Canyon we had 4 people ask if they could take Mallery's picture. We constantly hear people around us saying, " Look at that puppy with sunglasses, isn't that so cute." and we also hear whispering and laughing all around us. I told Joe I am glad I can provide humor and laughter to people where ever I go, because there is not enough joy & laughter in the world!
Can you see the 3 boats below. (you might have to enlarge the picture to see them- (double click on the picture).
Horseshoe Bend- Colorado River below the dam.
This rock formation is near the Horseshoe Bend. I wanted to climb up it because other people were at the top. Joe didn't want to try, so he sat with Mallery while I walked over to it and tried to find a way up. The way some people went up was too steep for me, so I walked around it. There was a place that looked like a way up, but I started thinking of snakes, and headed back to Joe.
The rock formations around here are very strange.
Looks like maybe Volcano lava flowed here and then hardened. What do you think?
A person standing on top of the layers of rock next to the cliff.
Someone created this rock art up where I wanted to go.

Another view of this rock formation coming out of the sand.

There is Joe and Mallery waiting for me. By the time I reached them I was running out of gas. We rested for a while then headed up the sandy hill we came down.
I had to make at least 4 rest stops up the hill and have Joe carry Mallery up for me. He was not too happy with me. He wanted me to leave her at home. I had told him, I would carry her, but I just couldn't carry her and myself too. By the time we reached the car my face was beat red from heat exhaustion. We both had large containers of water, which were completely gone by the time we got back to the car.
Glen Canyon Dam Bridge over the Colorado River.
At the dam's visitor center they have this sign with
these track, that were found in lower layers of the rock around here.
The dam that was constructed in the 60's to hold back the Colorado River and provide electricity for numerous states. Do you see the cars below.
The dam created Powell Lake.
I walk on the bridge to take this picture of the other side of the dam.
Joe and I had never heard of Lake Powell before we met a couple in the parking lot at Wal-Mart in Gallup, NM. They had just spent a week at Lake Powell, and told us it was near the Grand Canyon. It was kind of on our way to our next stop, so we came to see it. There are boats way off in the distance at a marina.
Boats tied out on buoy's.
Brochures said Lake Powell is the 2nd largest lake in the US, because of all the fingers that branch from it.
Almost all of these are large house boats.
We met a lady as we were walking on the docks at a marina. She had just got off a large rented house boat with her family. I ask her how much it cost to rent one. She told me, she rented it for her family for 4 days for 10,000.00. Wow!
People come from AZ, CA, and elsewhere for just the weekend.
Joe and I would love to boat here someday to see the lake up river with all of it's coves and canyon walls.
The water is very clean looking.
The lake is completely surrounded by a national park, so it will never be built around and stay in it's natural state.
As we leave I see this rainbow. We have not had any rain, but there must be some out there somewhere.