Three canyons
The route from Zion to Antelope Canyon is the longest we travel with Carmen & Lorenzo. The travel time - without stopping - is about 5 hours. We leave as soon as it is light, because we do not want to encounter deer again on the dark road. Besides, the road through Zion is so beautiful that we do not want to miss anything.
Once on the road, it is wonderfully quiet and we can stop anywhere to look around. Zion really is a place to take in your heart. As we travel on, our first stop is at Kanab Creek bakery. There we finally find good freshly baked bread and other tasty things. With full bellies we drive on again.
Grand Canyon
De Grand Canyon is een van de meest bekende nationale parken van Amerika. Het is een kloof die ca 435 kilometers lang en tussen de 15 en 29 kilometers breed is. De canyon wordt gescheiden door de Colorado rivier. Het ene deel van de Canyon heet de North Rim en de andere de South Rim. Bij helder weer kun je zo ver kijken, dat je beseft hoe klein we als mensen zijn.
It's a total of about 2 hours extra travel time today to visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Lorenzo has never seen the Grand Canyon before, we have only seen the South Rim, so we are all curious to see what it will be like. The road to it is beautiful! You drive between the mountains and the trees are decked out in beautiful yellow/green fall colors. When we arrive we see that everything is much smaller and quieter compared to the south side. The North Rim is beautiful and you can reach beautiful viewpoints via a hiking trail.
We make a delicious lunch and picnic overlooking the canyon. After the picnic, we clean up together and drive on. A little later we find out that Ingrid left her slippers outside. It's such a common thing to leave the shoes outside......it's not a disaster, but buying slippers in the winter in America is a challenge. Fortunately Carmen has extra slippers, which we always laughingly call "plaster shoes," and now Ingrid walks in them herself?
Do you have a choice between the north or south side of the Grand Canyon? If so, we would still choose the south side. The hiking trail along this side of the canyon is beautiful and offers continuous new views.
Marble Canyon
Carmen & Lorenzo found this place through Tiktok. You can go there for free and it is in no way inferior in beauty to the many well-known canyons. It is very special to walk among the worn, striped rocks and the colors are beautiful too. We do regret that it is so hot....we are here at the end of September and it is 40 degrees. We walk on flip-flops, but if you want to hike far into the canyon, hiking boots are a better option. Take plenty of drinking water with you!
Antelope Canyon
Antelope Canyon is located in the town of Page, on the reservation of the Navajo Indians. This sight consists of the Upper and Lower canyon and is known for the beautiful light falling between the eroded rocks. You can visit the place only under paid guidance.
Carmen & Lorenzo booked a tour. We have done this before and are skipping it this time. Unfortunately, the tour was hugely disappointing. The sunlight that can shine so beautifully in the canyon was nonexistent. The guide did her best to make the trip a little more fun, by giving all kinds of photo setting tips, but unfortunately it didn't get any more beautiful.
We took the photos with the beautiful light in 2010.
Wahweap campground at Lake Powell
Campsites in national parks are reasonably well priced. You usually stay in beautiful surroundings, have access to a picnic table and a place to light a fire. These sites are without electricity, without water and without drainage. Commercial campsites can be very pricey and especially if there is a festival or attraction nearby.
The high price is also the case at Lake Powell - Wahweap Campground. In late September, you pay $100 per night for a full hookup (water, power, drain) for four people. What is possible here and not at many other campgrounds is to book a site only, without hookup. We have solar panels and don't need power and there are water taps and a dump station available throughout the campground. By choosing this site, we cut the price in half to $50 per night!
The place is on top of the "slope" and offers a wonderful view of Lake Powell and the mountains. Again we see many faces of people and animals in the mountains, really so funny. We stay at this expansive spot for four nights. In the morning we have breakfast in the sun and in the evening Lorenzo makes a campfire. The sunset and just the illumination of the moon and the campfire, give everything a special look.
Lake Powell
This reservoir was created after the construction of the Glenn Canyon Dam and is the second largest reservoir in America after Lake Mead with the Hoover Dam. The water level in this lake is quite a bit lower than the last time we visited here.
Horseshoe bend
The Colorado River curves in the shape of a horseshoe (see photo at the top of this blog) and for that reason this beautiful spot is called Horseshoe bend. Are you near Page? Then this is definitely worth a visit! There is a $10 entrance fee, but then you have immediate access to the parking lots, also specifically for RVs.
Vanaf de parkeerplaats wandel je vervolgens ca. 1200 meter voordat je bij de attractie bent. Lorenzo wil de mooiste foto maken en dat zorgt ervoor dat hij heel dicht bij de rand gaan staan. We durven er amper naar te kijken……
Colorado rivier
The Colorado River is encountered in many national parks. The river begins in the Rocky mountains, crosses 7 US states, 11 national parks and monuments and ends in Mexico. On the route we describe in this blog alone, we see the Colorado River three times: through the Grand Canyon, at Lake Powell and at Horseshoe bend.
Next destination
After a wonderful time full of beautiful nature, relaxation, face masks à la Carmen and card games, we continue on our way. We are going to Bryce Canyon National Park. For us, this is the fourth time we have visited this park, but nature never bores and Bryce Canyon certainly doesn't!
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