Our World - Rainbow Bridge National Monument–Part 3 of Day 2- Boating on Lake Powell

Arrived at the Rainbow Bridge dock around 12:30. 

Read more here.

Our World - Part 2 Boating on Lake Powell Day 2–Getting to Rainbow Bridge

While navigating on Lake Powell pay close attention to the buoy numbers to find your way to Rainbow Bridge...

Boating on Lake Powell–Day 1

Boating on Lake Powell felt like a possibly endless experience with so many side canyons to explore.  Read more here.

Our World Tuesday–Days of Summer

I’ve been so busy this summer and have so much to post about that I can’t seem to catch up. So here’s a few images of summer, with more to follow.

The days of summer have been filled with adventure including rafting the Colorado River, hiking in Zion, boating on Lake Powell and...

Our World–Lake Powell

Three glorious days boating on Lake Powell exploring side canyons was  just a tease.  Read on...

Boating Birthday on Lake Powell

For Mike’s 50th birthday we are celebrating by boating at Lake Powell and journeying to Rainbow Bridge. We’ve rented this 26 foot deck boat to carry us and...

Dam View

I really need a Red Rock fix.

During the summer Mike and I visited several places I’ve yet to post about. On one of our shopping trips via the Grand Staircase Escalante we stopped at the Dam View in Page, Arizona.

We walked a short trail to the overlook.

Past marvelously eroded sandstone sculpture.

Where shadows stood tall.

Right up to the edge.

The Colorado River far below.

10 million tons of cement called the Glen Canyon Dam hold back and alter the natural flow of the mighty Colorado River. This creates the 186 mile (299 km) long Lake Powell with 1960 miles (3154 km) of shoreline for people to recreate on.

While life looks on.

Tracks in the sand

Do you ever wonder what it is that left tracks in the sand?

Mike and I were walking the beach along Lake Powell last week and saw these, which he says were left by a duck.

Darkling Beetle Coniontis

And I’ve followed these crisscrossing tracks many times but this is the first I’ve seen the beetle that made them.

SWF – A round about way for groceries

On the way to go grocery shopping in Page, Arizona Mike and I hiked the Toadstools trail in the Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument and camped at Lone Rock Beach in Utah.

That’s about 140 miles one way along the northern route.

Lone Rock Beach is part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

The 130 mile return home after shopping the next day along the southern route takes us across Navajo Bridge where we saw California Condors.

To view more skies from around the world, or to share your own, go to Sky Watch Friday by clicking here.

Lake Powell

I headed east to camp for the night at Lone Rock beach along Lake Powell in Utah.  Read more here.

Sky Watch Friday

Sunrise at Lake Powell

To view more skies from around the world or to share your own go to Sky Watch Friday by clicking here.

My World Tuesday - Lone Rock Beach Lake Powell

After leaving Buckskin Gulch I’d planned to hike the 1.5 mile (2.4 km) Toadstool Trail in Grand Staircase Escalante but it was 2pm and too hot to hike with no shade. Another day.

I continued on to Lone Rock Beach at Lake Powell where you drive right onto the beach to camp. It was still hot and also very windy so I parked nose into the wind and made my own shade.

Wahweap Bay is just one little finger of Lake Powell.

RVs, tents & houseboats line the shore for maybe a mile. I’ll bet they’re stacked on top of each other during the summer.

I sat outside working on my evening program, actually trying to remember and rework last year’s program. I’ll post this sometime.

And watching the world watch me.

To discover life around the world of others visit My World Tuesday by clicking here.

Glen Canyon Dam - Arizona

End of Echo Cliffs
I drove up through a cut in Echo Cliffs on my way to Page, Arizona.

Page Sandstone
On top of the Echo Cliffs there lies another exposed layer of sandstone, a little different than below. Windblown sand was deposited about 170 million years ago during the Middle Jurassic creating large-scale cross-bedding (angled lines) seen on exposed sandstone.

Coal fired Navajo Generating Station & Navajo Mountain

Page is a place of power, electricity production that is. The dam generates an average of 451 megawatts compared to the generating station's 2280 megawatts.

Glen Canyon Dam
Glen Canyon Dam, built between 1956 and 1966, stands 710 feet high, 25 feet wide at the top and 300 feet wide at the base. The dam provides water, electricity, flood control and recreation to millions of people.

Colorado River
The dam also radically changed the ecosystem of the Colorado River. Below the dam the water temperature dropped at least 20 degrees F causing the loss of some native fish. Without periodic flooding to wash away and redeposit sediments the entire riparian habitat changed, including the establishment of non-native plants.

Lake Powell
Glen Canyon Dam backed up the river 186 miles creating a reservoir called Lake Powell with about 100 major side canyons and five marinas. This flooding buried many Native American ruins and outstanding geologic features.

I continued my journey into the Grand Staircase – Escalante National Monument. Please check back for that part of the story.