Tag: Arizona

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Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park – Utah/Arizona June 18, 2019

Sweeping across the border between UTAH and ARIZONA is one of the most photographed places on the planet, the MONUMENT VALLEY NAVAJO TRIBAL PARK. As the name states, the land is owned entirely by the NAVAJO NATION. It is the CLASSIC WESTERN SCENERY, and what you imagine when you think of the rugged western United States. As most people are aware, many WESTERN MOVIES used the scenery within the park for their movie sets. Additionally, if you recall the scene within the FORREST GUMP movie when he completed his cross country run (“Run Forrest Run”), that location was on the main road within the park. The area boasts unsurpassed beauty and absolutely magnificent, unique, and large RED ROCK FORMATIONS, which you can view up and close as you drive the 16 mile dirt road loop throughout the park. You expect to see the rugged, dry, high altitude, desert terrain and large rock formations here, but we did not expect to see the beauty we experienced. All in all, this gem surpassed our expectations and we highly recommend it!!!!!!

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Glen Canyon National Recreation Area (Lake Powell, Lone Rock, Glen Canyon Dam, Rainbow Bridge National Monument)

After two weeks in the fabulous BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK area of Utah, we returned to the GLEN CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, near PAGE, ARIZONA, to have our RV awning arms replaced. Although the weather topped out at 100 DEGREES earlier this week, the outstanding cool waters of LAKE POWELL offered the desired relief we needed. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which encompasses 1. 25 MILLION ACRES of scenic vistas, geologic wonders and a vast history, contains rugged wind and water carved canyons, buttes, mesas, rivers, springs and hanging gardens. The area stretches hundreds of miles across northern ARIZONA and southern UTAH, and is at the center of the COLORADO PLATEAU. JOHN WESLEY POWELL explored the GRAND CANYON to GLEN CANYON area during his COLORADO RIVER exploration in 1869. Lake Powell, formed as a result of the GLEN CANYON DAM, is at the heart of the unprecedented water-based and back-country recreation in the area. This national gem holds within its boundaries, one of the world’s largest known natural sandstone arches, the RAINBOW BRIDGE NATIONAL MONUMENT. This is a wonderful place to spend some relaxing time, and to experience the intriguing ruggedness of this high plains desert, encompassing the beautiful and refreshing Lake Powell.

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Vermillion Cliffs National Monument Page, Arizona – Navajo Nation May 25, 2019

Deep within NAVAJO NATION, within the GLEN CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION AREA is an amazingly beautiful place between two impressive mountain ranges, the VERMILION CLIFFS and ECHO CLIFFS. The Vermilion Cliffs National Monument is as named, a National Monument, and are the most brilliantly multi-colored, sheer cliffs you can imagine The cliffs rest within an impressive park which encompasses 294,000 ACRES within the Paria Plateau. On the east side of the road are the rugged, tall and darker Echo Cliffs, a great contrast to that of its westerly neighboring cliffs. After traveling across the beautiful, sheer cliff, Glen Canyon, over the impressive 909 foot expanse of the NAVAJO BRIDGE, you travel about 15 to 20 miles northeast to LEES FERRY.  A river ferry system built in 1873 (no longer there) to cross people, supplies and equipment across the COLORADO RIVER took place at this very spot. On the way, we stopped at BALANCED ROCKS and witnessed multiple massive rocks somehow still supported by weaker, heavily eroding bases. The structures took on the appearance of mushrooms with over sized weighty tops. We continued on to PARIA BEACH located right on the COLORADO RIVER, which unexpectedly turned out to be our GEM OF THE DAY with its beautiful location within the canyon, proximity to the river “riffle”(defined as small rapids), actual sand beach, and overall ambiance within the canyon. Adjacent Lee’s Ferry, where they now launch some of the very large, multi-day Grand Canyon National Park rafts, we hiked to an old farm, LONELY DELL RANCH, which housed the families operating Lees Ferry in the 1870’s and 1880’s. As a side note, this beautiful plateau and canyon were settled by Mormon settlers in the 1970’s. What an interesting, historical and adventurous day!!!!

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Glen Canyon Dam & Bridge Visit/Tour – Page, Arizona May 24 & 25, 2019

We visited the impressive GLEN CANYON DAM located in PAGE, ARIZONA on two consecutive days; the first to explore the outside of the DAM, ARCH BRIDGE standing above the dam, the beautiful COLORADO RIVER, and the spectacular GLEN CANYON GORGE, and the second day, to tour the inside the operation of this magnificent structure. The bridge was commissioned into service in 1966, stands 710 feet tall, using 10 million tons of poured concrete to construct this monolithic structure. It is an engineering and construction feat that will amaze you, especially considering the time frame it was built, as well as thoroughly impress you from a visual standpoint. This is a great place to visit and learn a bit about how Lake Powell was created!!!!!!

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Horseshoe Bend & Slot Canyon Tour Page, Arizona May 24, 2019

Today was one of the most enriching and adventurous days on our trip. We were within the NAVAJO NATION, just south of PAGE, ARIZONA, and hence, were guided through the most amazing and stunningly beautiful slot canyon you can imagine, the HORSESHOE BEND SLOT CANYON. We then were guided to a glorious, private look-out over HORSESHOE BEND, where the COLORADO RIVER takes a 180 degree turn through the very steep, vertical canyon walls within GLEN CANYON. A unique fact, over 30,000 acres of this unique and wonderful land are owned by our guide’s grandparents, which contains these incredible natural treasures. The TOO-FAST-FOR-COMFORT JEEP ride to each location through winding, uneven dirt roads, over and down rock formations, and sometimes next to relatively steep drop-offs, was an absolute thrill. The guide was gracious, knowledgeable, and really made the day fun, culture-filled, and adventurous. Enjoy the stunning pictures; the beauty of the canyon and river bend are as beautiful as you witness in the pictures!!!!!!!!!

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Glen Canyon National Recreation Center Page, Arizona & Big Water, Utah (May 23 – 30, 2019) (Lake Powell, Glen Canyon Dam, Lone Rock Beach)

Anna and I have moved from Lake Mead, Nevada to the LONE ROCK BEACH CAMPGROUND located near the border town of BIG WATER, UTAH, and 20 minutes northwest of the larger town of PAGE, ARIZONA. The campground is part of the GLEN CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, commissioned in 1972, and is a fabulous, no hook-up location right on LAKE POWELL, with stunning views of the lake and surrounding mountains. JOHN WESLEY POWELL explored this area in 1869 and again in 1871 as he mapped out the course of the COLORADO RIVER through the GRAND CANYON and GLEN CANYON. This was 100 years before the gates of the GLEN CANYON DAM were closed forming the beautiful and impressive LAKE POWELL we enjoy today. By 1984, seven major dams tamed the Colorado River system and put its water to work. So important is the Colorado River, that it feeds much of the water needs for seven states – Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, California, Arizona, and New Mexico. What a wonderful place we landed in, filled with beauty and recreation.

  • Lone Rock Beach Campground on Lake Powell (Arizona-Utah)
  • Glen Canyon Dam in Page, Arizona
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Hoover Dam – Boulder City, Nevada (A Dam in Two States) May 19, 2019

We visited the impressive HOOVER DAM in BOULDER CITY, NEVADA for the second time today. What an absolutely amazing engineered structure and operational facility!! It was built to provide power to the many of the southwestern United States. The facility started producing hydroelectric power in 1935, after a 4 year construction process. The dam, BUILT IN TWO STATES, NEVADA AND ARIZONA, is enormous and in 1939 was still the LARGEST HYDROELECTRIC FACILITY IN THE WORLD. The height of the dam is an impressive 726 feet from the base of the COLORADO RIVER, and the crest length, or distance across the top, is 1,244 feet. Try to grasp this, during contraction they used 3.25 million cubic yards of concrete to construct this massive facility. Beautiful LAKE MEAD was formed as a result of the dam, sporting an impressive 550 miles of shoreline, surface acreage of 157,000 acres, and a maximum depth of nearly 500 feet. Join us in marveling at the grandeur of this national icon!!!!!

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Las Vegas/Lake Mead – Nevada Lake Mead, Boulder City, Hoover Dam May 8, 2019

What a beautiful place to spend some wonderful quality time. We arrived in BOULDER CITY, NEVADA, today, southeast of Las Vegas, and are camping at the Boulder Beach campground in the stunning LAKE MEAD NATIONAL RECREATION AREA, which is divided by the powerful COLORADO RIVER, with Nevada on one side and Arizona on the other. Our site overlooks the gorgeous blue waters of Lake Mead, surrounded by multi-colored mountains in every direction. Joined together, LAKE MEAD and its southern sister, LAKE MOHAVE became the FIRST NATIONAL RECREATION AREA established by the National Park Service in 1964. What a beautiful and expansive recreation area which encompasses the historic and impressively large HOOVER DAM and the CALLAGHAN-TILLMAN MEMORIAL BRIDGE which overlooks the dam. The pictures tell the story….ENJOY!!!

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Museum of Northern Arizona – Flagstaff, Arizona Indigenous People & Colorado Plateau May 7, 2019

We visited the MUSEUM OF NORTHERN ARIZONA located in FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA this morning and enjoyed every moment of it. The museum was wonderful and so informative. We continued to learn more about the formation of the magnificent Colorado Plateau, once a sea, now glorious mountains, gorges, valleys, and more, throughout the four state area including Colorado, Arizona, Utah and New Mexico. More importantly, we learned much more about the life, culture, heritage, and hardships of the indigenous peoples of this expansive area. It was an incredible morning of knowledge growth for us. We then traveled to the ninth state on our RV trip, Nevada, ending up in a glorious campsite overlooking beautiful Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam. What a day, and what an incredible place to end up at. Wow!!!!!!!

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Sedona, Arizona May 4, 2019

Sedona, Arizona, located one hour south of FLAGSTAFF, ARIZONA, where we visited today, is a genuine piece of “Heaven on Earth”!!! The town was founded in 1902 and sits at and elevation of 4,500 feet. We had heard how wonderful the town and surrounding mountains were, but who could know how incredibly beautiful and stunning the area is, even compared to its surroundings. This town is upscale, thriving, well maintained, and situated in an amazing valley surrounded by glorious tall, red rock mountains and unique rock formations. Today we hiked over 5 ½ miles with our FRIENDS, Paul and Lynn Matthews, around the circumference of a mountain near their home, which provided glorious 360 degree views of the city and mountains. We had the best of time seeing them and catching up!!! In the afternoon, Anna and I explored the valleys and hiked beautiful BOYNTON CANYON VISTA TRAIL, which end up at the top of a glorious and picturesque rock structure, where we stood in awe of the valley below, and the surrounding mountains and rock structures all around us. If you like nature and outdoor activities, this is a town you need to put on your BUCKET LIST. You will be very glad you did!!!!!!!