Our Arizona Detour

Thoughts of riding Thunder Mountain and camping at Red Canyon were put on hold when we discovered renewal issues with our vehicle rego. After many phone calls the outcome was they required declarations and documentation. We needed a printer and photocopier and called into Kanab to dispatch the documents poste haste as our rego was about to expire.

I'd seen pictures of Antelope Slot Canyon that captured my imagination.....which spurred our detour back to Arizona. Of course there was also Glen Canyon Dam and Horseshoe Bend. So in the blink of an eye the landscape changed to baron desert and we knew we were nearing Lake Powell. By the time we settled into a campsite in Page the temps were into the 100's.

Hardhats..not for rockfall but coin throwing protection

Glen Canyon Dam

Early the next morning we sat mesmerised (probably not quite awake) in a bus travelling 2 miles down a tunnel, to the bottom of Glen Canyon Dam to raft our way to Lees Ferry. The canyon was cool and peaceful. Looking up out of the canyon it took some time to realise that the soaring birds above were huge...could they be the elusive Condors. Then floating on around to Horseshoe Bend we saw tiny specks that were people at the viewpoint above. Our guide pointed out an area where bighorn sheep make their way down the cliff to drink and to my surprise.....swim in the Colorado River. We saw fishermen in waders standing waist deep in the freezing water...got to be keen, with their boats anchored nearby. Then Lees Ferry came into view and the serenity was over. It was now school holidays and we were stepping into a bus for our return to Page. I thought of the perks of being a rafting guide and having the canyon to yourself on the return journey....!!

We arrived at the ticket booth....a wooden lean-to in the midst of dust bowl, to visit Antelope Slot Canyon. What followed was organised kaos. Bumping around in the back of an open aired jeep on a sandy riverbed we passed a bogged tour bus being pulled out. We had Japanese girls in front of us squealing, in their petite outfits and white surgical masks, as they nearly hit the roof and fell overboard. Then, as tour after tour entered into the Canyon it bottle necked inside. Dirt was cascading down from above and the occasional gusts of wind kicked up sand within the Canyon. It was pure mayhem. Our guide, who gave us some photo tips, said "you can't take a bad photo in here" and she was right. Our return trip was not without highlight either as another jeep was all but burning to a shell and all the emergency services were gathered in the parking area. I think we got the deluxe package...!!

Capturing my imagination



 Deluxe Tour's