Today we set out from our hotel in Kanab on the Utah/Arizona border taking scenic highway US 89a south into Arizona. We drove the empty highway for two hours looking at the spectacular desert scenery until we reached a strange roadside attraction called 'Cliff Dwellers'. Not to be confused with your usual 'Cliff Dwellings' which are scattered throughout the desert states, these were homes made beneath large boulders, certainly odd but it made a nice break in the journey. We then continued to the Glen Canyon area where we took a side road to 'Lees Ferry' which is where a ferry service operated across the Colorado river for 100 years, we enjoyed a riverside hike and a short beach wander then continued on toward the town of Page.
Just a few miles outside town we stopped and made the short hike across the desert to Horseshoe bend which Sarah loved, I've been there a few times now and I am still in awe of it, it really is a stunning sight. Finally we went into Page and directly on to Lake Powell to enjoy a hike along the shore and to await the sunset which really brought out the colour of the waves of red sandstone (see main shot below) as usual click for larger and see gallery for captioned shots.
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This morning saw us waking up in Salt Lake City and after a good hotel breakfast we joined I-15 south for 4 hours to reach the main destination today, Bryce Canyon. We stopped off a few times en route and had lunch in the town of Panguich where we had a sandwich!! We first went through Red Canyon and then on to Bryce. The $30 entrance fee was waived for Veterans Day which was a good start and the trails were mostly free of snow but enough remained to make make this spectacular canyon even more stunning. We hiked the Navajo Loop Trail and the rim from Sunset Point to Bryce Point stopping off at Inspiration Point for photos along the way. Finally we sat on the rim waiting for sunset, Bryce is more of a sunrise location as it faces mainly east but the setting sun does add definition to the hoodoos. With the sun dipping and the temperatures along with it we finally called it a day and drove south to Kanab where a nice hotel awaited. The main image is taken from the upper rim at Bryce, (click for larger) the gallery images are captioned with the locations along the way (click to open gallery)
I woke early this morning in anticipation of Sarahs arrival which was on time and trouble free, unfortunately the winter weather advisory was still in play and it was a wet grey morning that greeted her as we walked out of the airport to the truck. We decided to hit the city and do a little shopping rather than go hiking on Antelope Island as we had planned, it's a shame but we still might see Antelope Island when we come back this way in a week or so.
After shopping and lunch we returned to the hotel and lounged around our spacious suite in the Hampton Inn watching a movie until I saw a glimmer of hope around 4.30pm as the cloud broke up a little. We hurriedly gathered our things and headed out to the truck for the short journey to the Great Salt Lake State Marina just 15 mins from the hotel. It wasn't somewhere we had planned to visit but we thought we could maybe catch the sunset there and (even though it was windy and freezing cold) we considered ourselves lucky that there was a little sunset action and really pleased that we made the effort to get out there and see it. We ended the day with steaks in a restaurant close to the hotel before calling it a night and heading back. The weather is reported to be picking up and it's currently showing sunshine all week now, we begin with a trip to beautiful Bryce Canyon tomorrow. The main shot below is of the Wasatch Range which lies east of Salt Lake City, still dominated by low clouds making a beautiful canvas for the evening light, the white speck in the upper right is a plane leaving Salt Lake City airport. Click image for larger and see gallery for a few captioned shots from today. After a 7.5 hour journey from Great Falls Montana today I have arrived safely in Salt Lake City Utah, I managed to dodge almost all of the snow showers that plagued the entire route so that was great. I even began thinking I might get some shots of sunset over the great salt lake but as I booked into the hotel the skies filled with cloud and a huge snowstorm hit bringing with it a "winter weather advisory" for 24 hours, so anything outdoors isn't an option. I've decided to treat myself to a nice steak dinner in the hotel and get an early night ready to pick Sarah up at the airport in the morning. I just posted this to let people know I arrived safely, this is a shot of the interstate (I-15) that I used for the entire journey today taken as I approached the Montana/Idaho border, it was an easy journey with very little traffic and cruise control all the way.
Our permanent residency cards finally arrived meaning we no longer need to mess around with visas and the like to come and go across Canadian borders. In celebration we've decided to spend a week or so roaming around Utah with just a peek into northern Arizona along the way. So today I made the drive south into the US, stopping over tonight in Great Falls, Montana.
I took the 'back roads' today and the snow showers covered the mountains to the west for the entire journey so I stopped a couple of times for photos. Below is a shot of Chief Mountain in Glacier National Park with Alberta highway 800 leading toward it, then Chief Mountain again as the snow encircles it (click images for larger) Luckily for me I stayed in sunshine for the entire route, tomorrow is a long and boring leg on the interstate to Salt Lake City, Utah where I'll pick up Sarah from the airport and begin our desert storm. I hope to post a few shots as we go along (wi-fi permitting) so check back for updates. We've been getting a little glimpse of winter this week as the frost on the garden fence shows, the deer are spending longer in the meadow behind the house looking for exposed grasses and the trees are loaded down with pine cones (or bare to the bone depending on type). Winter here is always fantastic, beautiful blue skies, freezing temperatures and crisp white snow. Occasionally it goes on a bit too long (I'm looking at you 2013-14) but we're told that El Nino will bring us a warmer and shorter winter this year, only time will tell.
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AuthorWe arrived in Calgary, Canada on 29th December 2011 to continue our journey. This blog is intended to keep our family and friends informed whilst we explore Canada.You can use the RSS feed below to stay updated. Categories
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January 2024
The Shaman, West Texas
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