A day on Lake Powell....I couldn't stop going in the water.....wonderful clarity and temperature...great scenery.....loved swimming some distance and seeing the rock formations as I breathed......reminded me of swimming in Coffee Pond.......out from 9:00 to 5:00....a grand time!!

Antelope Canyon....a slot canyon....what a unique experience....understandable that it is a sacred place to the Navajo people.....THe ones we met here go against stereotype and are very hardworking and polite people.....I have often encountered rudeness at some Native AMerican enterprises when there is a monopoly.....Nice to have a different experience....THe canyon was difficult to photograph...so I included two postcards....I was emotionally exhausted after the experience...it was so awesome! THose are shafts of light with sand thrown up to reflect the light....

Red Moon In Red Country

I hope everyone had the right skies to be able to see the Lunar Eclipse last night.  What a treat! And a nice long show. It was fun to see it from Lake Powell. The moon’s red color mirrored the red sandstone that surrounds us. 

We rented a boat for a day, on Saturday and puttered our way around a portion of the lake, in and out a few of its many side canyons. It was terrific. It is easy to see why boat ownership is so very popular. We had a great day and what a way to spend recreational time. Water temp in the mid seventies and we stopped often to jump in, as our day was into the nineties. Our boat was their least expensive option and still priced dearly. There’s little competition here.  It was a deck boat that could have seated a party but was perfect for our purposes, which was to sight see and swim.   Many spots of the lakeshore are against sheer cliffs that go straight down, we were able to slip in very close to some dramatic rock walls. Swimming up to them was a unique and somewhat intimidating experience! We finished our day with a happy hour glass of sparkling wine and some cheese and crackers while floating along with the engine off. There’s that Elmo and Gracie again…living it up!

Here are pics of this early morning’s  moonset  in light clouds to the west and the opposing east sky.

Nice nice campground and site!

Nice Nice campground and campsite at Lake Powell....Nice vegetation and of course ...the Lake!!

Lake Powell

Our wanderings have taken us to this man made water “feature”. Yet another wonder carved by the mighty Colorado River, halted by man’s dam at the right spot, and then back filled by the Colorado to where it embraces 1900 miles of shoreline. What a place. Something that has been on my bucket list since we lived in Denver in the 70’s. Thanks to Vilia, we finally made it! We have been graced with a very scenic campsite that is on the outside edge of the campground and has open views of a portion of this lake and the red, pink, white and grey cliffs off to the distance. We lucked out.

 I played golf yesterday at Lake Powell National and Cathy went to the nearby access beach. The water is 80 degrees and clear and beautiful she reports.

Today we took a tour, (the only way to access), to nearby Antelope Canyon. It is a slot, (narrow), canyon that was created some billion years ago when under water in what was a sea, before the earth’s plates moved together to make California rise up with the rest of the US west. My pics are weak compared to what you will see from Cathy’s camera eye, but I post to show the water flow lines in the sandstone, and just a taste of the color.

Our Guide was a very noble young Navajo man whose Grandmother was the first to document, in written word, the existence of the Antelope Canyon. It was known by word of mouth for many decades before. He was great as a guide with much good info. We stopped at one photo spot where there is a rock image somewhat recognizable as a profile of Abe Lincoln. I asked him if there was a Navajo name that might have been used before Lincoln’s time for the facial profile. He said he did not know but went on to say that Lincoln was no friend to the Navajo. Lincoln was president when the Navajo were banished in what is known as The Long Walk, to parts away from this land, for intended government takeover of their homeland. After hearing the story, I could only come back with the comment, “I’m glad you got it back”.  It is a rare story in the history of our country and our treatment of the native peoples. The Navajo do not do the casino thing and there is no alcohol available within the Nation. These are people that embrace their ancestry yet can live with it within American society. They are wonderful to spend time with.

Nizhoni

It is the Navajo word for beautiful. Monument Valley is part of the large Navajo reservation, or Navajo Nation as it is now called. It encompasses more than 27,000 acres spread over Utah, Arizona and New Mexico. The Nation has its own government, law enforcement, courts, hospitals, schools, etc. Our guide explained that when Hollywood, TV and the Advertising folks want to film, they must meet with the Nation's leaders to review the project first. The monies charged are then spread about for the benefit of the Nation's children. School endowments, scholarships and the like. That was nice to hear.

Sunset in Monument Valley....just glowing...there is one "before sunset" pic so you can see the difference!

Fiery Furnace Arches NP Hike

Went to the Fiery Furnace in Arches NP. You can only go with a ranger-led hike as it is just a maze of red rock formations....lots of skinny passageways to fit thru, much scrambling over rocks and some crab-walking and butt-scooting.....but so worth it! We are continually captivated by Utah....a burger and fries at Milt's topped off the day!