ANTELOPE CANYON.
Day 149 – We got up at 6 a.m. this morning, 44 degrees & still dark out. Today we’re taking the early morning Lake Powell boat tour.
The boat tour wasn’t completely full, but it was full enough. There were two levels on the boat; one lower, enclosed, warm level and the other, upper, an open deck. A bus load of Japanese tourists were taking the Tour; there were only five English-speaking tourists including us. At first we were wondering if the narration would be in Japanese, but no problem – each passenger was given headphones & a receiver and you could just dial up the desired language. The Tour was well-organized and began on time. Everyone initially poured into the warmer lower deck; Rob & I were the first to board on the upper deck and got front-row seats.
First the boat went from the crowded marina and then by the Glen Canyon dam and by Antelope Point. Narration was about the Lake & damming up the Colorado River to create Lake Powell. The more well-known cliffs & rock formations were also pointed out. We’d already taken pictures of most of these locations from land, but it was interesting to get a different perspective from the water. As we went by Antelope Point and headed towards Antelope Canyon (which we’d never seen from land), the narration talked about the different layers of color on the cliffs and that you could see where the former high water mark used to be. We remembered an article from a couple of years ago with astonishing before-and-after pictures we’d seen in National Geographic about the effects of climate change and the water levels here. In upcoming pictures, the lower white or light line on the cliffs, also known as the bath tub ring, is the former high water level.
Click any picture below to see a slideshow.
Then we turned into Antelope Canyon and OMG. This was a narrow canyon with the cliffs so close to the boat that we were told not to touch the canyon walls. This part of the Tour was awesome and gorgeous. Totally worth it.
Click any picture below to see a slideshow.
There were signs all over the front upper deck of the boat telling people not to venture beyond the first row of seats. The lady working on the boat also made the announcement, stating that it could weigh the boat down if everyone rushed the front. Throughout the entire Tour, she had to keep coming forward to move the people away from the front of the boat as they piled up taking continual selfies. By the end of the cruise, we wondered if they’d seen anything at all scenery-wise, they were so busy taking pictures of themselves and posing for the cameras. Just an observation from us.
Selfies!!! Antelope Canyon, Lake Powell, Glen Canyon NRA, Page, AZ
We got back to the Lodge at 9:30. It had warmed up to 55 degrees and the wind had picked up. On the way from the boat dock back up the ramp to the Lodge, we encountered the illusive black-tailed jack rabbit we’d been unable to get a picture of at the campground.
The elusive black-Tailed Desert Jackrabbit, Glen Canyon NRA, Page, AZ
After leaving the Lodge, we made a trip into town, once again for a few groceries, since we recently decided to leave tomorrow morning, and we don’t know what kind of produce we’ll find in Zion National Park. Then, back at the RV, we were busy taking care of business – having a cell signal & internet connection has been a luxury which may not continue after today. We did laundry, had lunch, and began the tedious job of notifying every person & company we deal with that our mailing address will be changing soon. (The Post Office will only forward your paper mail for a certain period of time. Then you have to change your mailing address permanently or begin getting your mail at home again. Since we’re not done traveling, we’re changing our mailing address to a mail forwarding service permanently.) It gets confusing in situations where you pay taxes in one place but your address is in another. Where do you get your property & school tax bills sent to? And the Board of Elections – that’s something which will take a while to sort out – you pay taxes in one place, you are never there, you get your mail from another State, you vote where you pay your taxes but you won’t be there to vote, how do you get an Absentee Ballot? The Department of Motor Vehicles, that’s another one. Fun and games and bureaucratic red tape.
The high today was only 58 degrees, and with the windy conditions, it felt colder. Snowing and quite cold again in NY. The new furnace appears to be working well. YAAA! Since it has gotten colder here, Rob is checking the weather in other Utah destinations. For now anyway, Zion looks good with highs in the 50’s & 60’s and lows in the 20’s and no precipitation. Looks like we will indeed be heading there tomorrow.