Glen Canyon and Lake Powell, Arizona

It's Saturday August 31st, Labor Day Weekend, and I'm back in the Rec. Center at Verde Valley Thousand Trails RV Resort using their free Wifi. Every now and then my Verizon Air card works OK but slow, today it is non-existent.

It has been in the lower 90s everyday and almost every evening there has been thunderstorms rolling through. It's noon now and the thunderstorms have already arrived. They don't last long, we get torrential rains and then they move out. The grass loves it though because everything is very green.

The place is almost full but not as full as I expected for Labor Day Weekend. I'm use to campgrounds bursting at the seams with campers on these major holidays. I do miss our usual Labor Day camp out with Wayne, Joann, Pete, Judy, Don, and Joni. We always had such a great time - beer, food, campfires, and good friends. I guess everything moves on.

Well, it's time to continue on with where I left off with our travels.

On Sunday August 18th we headed for the Wahweap Marina at the Lake Powell Resort for a cruise around Lake Powell. It's really the only way to see Glen Canyon because it is filled with water from Lake Powell.

The lake is about 186 miles long and has 1,960 miles of shoreline, which is longer than the entire west coast of the continental United States. There are 96 major canyons to explore though you need a water craft for the majority of them since access is limited because there are few roads. Needless to say we will not explore them all. We took a general cruise that lasted about 3 hours.

The depth of water at the dam when full is 560 feet although it is about 125 feet low now. Lake Powell gets most of its water from the snow melt up North and is highest in the spring. Throughout the year it slowly drops until the next spring. There has been a drought in the area so it hasn't been as high as it could be. The highest was in 1988 when the water was licking over the top of the dam. The Lake started filling on March 13th, 1963 when Lake Powell Dam was completed and took 17 years to June 22, 1980 to fill to the planned level of 3,700 feet above sea level.

I guess that's enough talk its time to see the photos of our cruise. This is a view of the marina from the Lake Powell Resort where we purchased out tickets for the cruise.

That is Castle Rock in the distance.

Bev is sitting with the flowers waiting for our cruise to start.

Sorry Bev, I know you don't like me to post your picture but it is such a great shot I had to.

This is the view from the upper deck of the boat.

There are a load of houseboats on Lake Powell.

That would be a lot of fun, renting out a houseboat and touring the Lake & canyons. It would take a year or so to check out all the major canyons.

We passed Glen Canyon Dam

You can see by the white canyon walls where the height of the water use to be.

After we passed the dam we headed up Antelope Canyon which is over 10 miles long and very narrow. We viewed approximately 4 miles of the canyon before it got to narrow for the boat.

Now this is the way to check out the canyon, up close and personal with their kayaks.

The Captain did a great job navigating up the canyon. We could almost reach out at touch the canyon walls on both sides it was so narrow.

We turned around at a wide spot and headed back down Antelope Canyon to continued our trek up the lake. Here you can see the towering Navajo Sandstone geologic formations with stunning red and burnt orange rocks. Navajo Canyon's walls are 600 feet above the water; you can see desert varnish also known as Navajo Tapestry on the sand stone walls.

It almost looks like someone painted the design on the walls.

That was it, we started heading back to the marina.

It was a great trip and we saw a lot if only a small fraction of Glen Canyon. Like I said it could take you a year or so to see it all touring the canyon in a houseboat.

There is also a cruise to Rainbow Bridge but it is a long 50 mile cruise and very expensive so we opted out of that. The cruise gets you most of the way there and you hike the rest of the way. There are no roads to Rainbow Bridge so you must get there by boat.

Rainbow Bridge is the world's largest known stone bridge. The bridge extends 290 feet into the sky and 275 feet across Bridge Canyon. The bridge is a testament to the power of wind and water in their role that sculpted this remarkable landscape. (I stole the picture from the Internet.)

August 19th we continued our trek around the area. Here is a campground on the shore of Lake Powell. No hookups but a great place to camp. We didn't camp there though because we want hookups especially air conditioning.

We drove up Highway 89 to Big Water Visitor Center and headed down a dirt road to the start of a small canyon. This is a creek entering the canyon.

Stopped at a high view point of Lake Powell.

We viewed the dam from the east side of the canyon.

We wanted to check out Navajo Bridge which is South of Glen Canyon, below the dam, on Highway 89 but Highway 89 is closed because of a rock slide. We followed it south anyway to the end which you can see here. Anyone traveling from Page to Flagstaff must take a long detour.

The steel-arch double Navajo Bridge at Marble Canyon is another great site but we could only see them from the picture I stole from the Internet. I'm sure the views are spectacular but for some other day. In the spring and fall California Condors can be seen from here.

These two bridges, one historic and one new, represent one of only seven land crossings of the Colorado River for 750 miles.

Since the area was accessible and was a natural corridor between Utah and Arizona, a ferry was established there in 1873. Named after the first ferry operator, John D. Lee, Lees Ferry became an important route for pioneers settlers and local traffic. In the 1920's, automobiles began using the ferry as a means to cross the Colorado River. It was recognized that it was time to find a safer, more reliable way for vehicles to Cross. Construction of the bridge began in June of 1927.

We turned around and headed back up Highway 89 where I stopped to view Horseshoe Bend. Horseshoe Bend is just South of the Glen Canyon Dam and the overlook is at the end of a 3/4 mile hike up and down a hill. The trail is quite steep and, as you can see, covered with loose sand like you would find at the beach.

Here are some brave people hiking up the rock.

There are no railing at the viewpoint. It is a 1000 foot drop to the river below and the rocks are not always stable. It was sure worth the hike.

On the way back to the camper we passed a sign to the Hanging Garden saying that a free Ranger Guided Tour will start at 6:00 pm. Bev wants to see anything to do with a garden so we showed up at 6:00 and followed the Ranger out to the Hanging Garden. It was a short 1 mile round trip out to the garden. Along the way she discussed the scenery, wildlife, and plants in the area.

There is an overhanging cliff that protects the plants. Water from the rains follow the cracks and crevices in the rocks providing moisture to the plants. The overhanging cliff shades and keeps the plants cool during the heat of the day.

That was enough touring for the day so it was time to head back to the barn and relax. Of course you know we had to dine out before he headed home.

The next blog will continue with our travels in Glen Canyon and a tour of the Glen Canyon Dam. Oh, what an exciting life.

Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah

I'm back at the Rec. Center at Thousand Trails Verde Valley to use the Internet. The connection from my Verizon Air Card is still very - very slow, so slow it is almost unusable. No matter though because it's comfortable here and the WiFi is free.

We can't do much traveling today because our car is in the auto body shop. When we were in Page, AZ someone zinged our right rear fender in a parking lot and of course they left the scene. There wasn't much damage but the fender was scratched and covered with white paint. It looks like a pickup truck hit it because of the height of the scratch. The fender is plastic to it didn't get dented. I went to the body shop yesterday for an estimate and they took the car in first thing this morning. It should be ready tomorrow. Always something to keep life interesting.

I need to keep Bev happy so today I will blog about our trip to Temple Square in Salt Lake City.

Monday August 12th we headed down I-15 to Salt Lake City to see Temple Square. Every time we went down I-15 we passed this Giant Bull so Bev finally got his picture.

This is what it looked like entering Salt Lake City.

Oh yes there was construction. I believe every road in the U.S. is under construction.

We parked across the street from the North entrance which is next to the North Visitor Center. A short walk across the street and we were there. (We did have to pay for parking though.)

This is what we saw as we entered the Square.

Our first stop was the North Visitor Center which is home to an impressive, 11-foot statue of Jesus Christ known as "The Christus". In the Center are two art galleries, an interactive map of Jerusalem, interactive exhibits on scriptures and revelation, and the "God's Plan for His Family exhibit". There are two one-hour films: "Legacy", portraying the westward trek of the Mormon pioneers, and "The Testaments of One Fold and One Shepherd", a film about the mission of Jesus Christ.

The first building we saw as we left the Visitor Center was the Tabernacle.

The public is allowed inside the Tabernacle so in we went.

This is the home of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square. The public is invited to rehearsals and broadcasts of the choir, which are usually held in the Tabernacle. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day and during the month of December, they are held in the Conference Center. The  Conference Center is a large new building across the street from Temple Square.

This is what we saw as we walked around Temple Square. The grounds are beautiful and well kept.

The Salt Lake Temple.

This building is a world wide icon of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the heart of Temple Square. The massive granite edifice was constructed over the course of an astounding 40-year period between 1853 and 1893; the pioneers who settled the valley sacrificed both time and material goods to the building of the temple, which stands as a testament to their faith and devotion. Granite rock used in its construction was hauled twenty-three miles by ox-drawn wagons from Little Cottonwood Canyon. The walls are nine feet thick at the ground level and narrow to six feet thick at the top. The East center tower is 210 feet high and is topped by the statue of an angle heralding the restoration to earth of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the latter days.

Only members in good standing of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are permitted to enter the temple, but all visitors are welcome to admire the stunning workmanship of the building and the serene beauty of its immediate surroundings.

At the South Visitor Center we were able to see a replica of the Temple with the inside exposed.

Also in the South Visitor Center we saw how the granite rocks were hauled to the site on wagons.

The next photo is of Assembly Hall.

The Assembly Hall, constructed of granite stone left over from the building of the temple, was completed in 1880. It is a place of public worship, in which visitors are welcome. Although the building is used mainly for conferences of Later-day Saint congregations located in Salt Lake City and for other Church meetings, it is also available for various cultural and civic functions. The auditorium holds almost 2,000 people, with choir seats for 100. The truncated spires were originally chimneys.

On the corner of State Street and South Temple is the Beehive House, Brigham Young's mansion residence.

You can just make out the Beehive on top.

The mansion has been beautifully restored and serves as a museum offering tours showing what life was like for the Young family back in 1855. Tours are free and are available Monday - Saturday, 9 am to 9 pm, beginning every 10 minutes.

Next to the Beehive House on South Temple is the Lion House, another of Brigham Young's residences.

Today the Lion House operates as social center and has a restaurant on the street level called the Lion House Pantry, featuring home style meals and baked goods. The Lion House is open Monday - Saturday 11:00 am to 8:00 pm.

Our final stop was at the Conference Center located just north of the temple.

As we approached the building we didn't notice the sign directing us to the entry door. There were a number of doors so as we rattled each of them a volunteer opened the correct door and offered us a tour of the building, which we did.

The auditorium seats 21,000 people and is now believed to be the largest religious and theater auditorium in the world. This is what we saw when we entered the auditorium.

Although the Conference Center is used primarily for religious services, including the Mormon Church's annual and semi-annual General Conference, it was also designed to be used for cultural and artistic shows of all kinds. It regularly hosts musical and dance concerts. During renovation of the Tabernacle on Temple Square, it was home to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's weekly broadcast of Music and the Spoken Word. The public is invited free each Sunday at 9:30 am. Free organ recitals are offered Monday - Saturday from 12:05 noon to 12:35 pm and Sundays from 2:05 pm to 2:35 pm.

The Conference Center is truly a feat of engineering. It contains a 21,000 seat auditorium with a 7,667 pipe organ and no visible support beams, plus a 900 seat proscenium-style theater and 1,300 parking spaces below the building on four levels. It also boasts four acres of landscaped roof with trees, an alpine meadow of grasses and wildflowers, fountains, and a waterfall.

These are the views we saw from the roof.

Well that was enough walking around Temple Square for me, and I was ready to move on. Oh - so you thought we were done touring and headed back to the camper. WRONG. You guessed it, we had another canyon to see after we left Temple Square.

High on the slopes of American Fork Canyon in the shadow of mighty Mt. Timpanogos in Utah's Wasatch Range are three moderate-sized limestone caves: Hansen Cave, Middle Cave, and Timpanogos Cave. Timpanogos Cave National Monument preserves these caves and all their fragile underground wonders.

We drove to the Timpanogos Cave but we spent so much time at Temple Square it was late and all the hiking tours to the cave were filled.

We might have taken a hiking tour if available but I'm glad we couldn't. The trail to the caves go up the steep northern slope of Mt. Timpanogos and is physically demanding. You climb 1,092 feet in 1 1/2 miles on a zigzag trail from the bottom of American Fork Canyon to the cave entrance. It takes about three hours and is 3 1/2 miles round trip.

We have seen many caves and caverns around the country and Bev just dragged me around Temple Square which was enough hiking for the day. We just drove through the canyon and enjoyed the scenery.

We followed Utah Highway 92 which is the Alpine Loop Scenic Byway to U.S. Highway 189 which took us to past Deer Creek Reservoir to Heber City, Utah.

Enjoy the scenery.

Deer Creek Reservoir.

When we hit Heber City we were hungry so we stopped at Arby's, one of our favorite places. I can't get beer but I don't have to give a tip so it works for me.

From Heber City we followed Highway 189 to I-80 West towards Salt Lake City where we picked up I-15 North and back to the Winnebago. This was another long day and we were glad to get back home.

The next blog will be on our travels through Glen Canyon and Lake Powell. So much to see - so little time to see it. I don't have enough time left in my life to see everything our great country has to offer.