May 2, 2017 - Williams, AZ to Page, AZ

Beautiful morning, warmer than it was yesterday.  I put on long sleeve top thinking it was going to be chilly again. When I stepped out I sweated a bit, but I did not feel like taking the top off and putting on a short-sleeved t-shirt.

We thought about having breakfast at the Cowboy Cafe, next to KOA office, but the lady was starting to close it up, so we did not get any.

We left Grand Canyon KOA at 9:30 am, got on 64 South to get on I-40 East.  The right lane road is in bad shape and it felt like we were riding on a washboard!

We were planning on parking our Lil’ Home at RV parking lot in Flagstaff, take the Jeep to go explore parts of Flagstaff.  We decided to ditch the plan because we had been on the go and really needed rest.

Next destination is Page, AZ where we will spend at Page Lake Powell Campground tonight.  We might stay there one more night tomorrow.

We exited at #185 off I-40 to shop Harley Davidson in Bellmont, AZ.  Our friend wants us to get Harley-Davidson T-shirts  with emblems from few states.  He is die-hard Harley Davidson fan, so is his wife. The interior was very interesting, has vintage signs and memorabilia.  Erwin found a nice looking T-shirt with a very cute emblem of Wile the Coyote and the Roadrunner on the back.  It has “Grand Canyon” on it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We got back on I-40 East after leaving Bellmont, AZ, continued on it until we exited to get on Highway 89 North for Page, AZ.  We decided not to visit Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monument because we may visit these places this coming winter.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The landscape is vast and barren, but has some mountains in the distance.  Not many houses, saw few cows.  One old and run-down gas station with Indian paintings on the side of the station. Two abandoned Indian trading posts and motels.

Once past Cameron, AZ the landscape became so interesting and was an eye-opener.

Lunch spot at a scenic view pullout. There are booths by native Americans selling jewelry and household goods.  Perfect spot for lunching, relaxing, viewing and taking pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The iconic Horseshoe Bend is right off Highway 89, not too far from the campground we will be staying at.  There were many cars and motorhomes parked at the park.  I am looking forward to taking pictures of the Horseshoe Bend before and during the sunset.

We crossed the Glen Canyon Dam Bridge over the Colorado River.  The bridge is a steel arch bridge and was built and completed between 1957-1959.  We did not stop at Carl Hayden Visitor Center/Dam Tour because we wanted to go to Glen Canyon National Recreation Area first to see about campsite availability.

As soon as we entered the recreation area we were wowed by the beauty of Lake Powell.  The entrance fee is $25, but we went in for free with Eagle Pass.  

 

We pulled into one viewpoint to get a good look of the lake and the dam.  There were few boats going by.  There is a marina down below with lots and lots of docked houseboats.  Wahweap Marina is the largest marina in Lake Powell.

We checked into Page Lake Powell RV Park on Coppermine Road at 1:45 pm, went in the office to pick up the pass.  They assigned us to site #29 with electricity and water only.  Nightly rate, after Triple A discount plus resort tax, was $21.58. The receptionist recommended that we disconnect the Jeep before pulling into the site, which we did.

 

The site is gravel, pretty much level.  It is across the road from Fitness Center, bathhouse and laundry.  There is a dump station not too far from us, and we will use it tomorrow before we check out.  There is an indoor pool.

We rested a long while before we went off for sightseeing.  Since Page Lake Powell RV Campground does not have any sites available for tomorrow we decided to check out Wahweap RV & Campground.  It is only 8 miles from here.  

On our way to Wahweap we stopped to Dreamkatchers Antelope Slot Canyon Tours to see if it was possible for us to go on a 10:30 tour instead of 1 pm tomorrow.  No cancellations as of now, so we will stick to the 1 pm tour. 

There was a signage posted on the door at Wahweap RV office that all full hookup sites are full.  We thought maybe we won’t be able to reserve one for tomorrow, but we went in the office to check. Hurrah! Yes, we were lucky to get a site for tomorrow and Thursday night.

We went to visit the iconic Horseshoe Bend. It is off Route 89, about 4 miles south of Page, AZ.  The parking lot was almost full, but I was lucky to find one spot, but it was far from the base of the trailhead.  

The surface of the 3/4 mile trailhead is very sandy making it difficult to walk at a normal pace. We took our sweet time getting to the rim.  

 

Most prime spots were taken by photographers, but we managed to squeeze in to get a better view. The sun had not set, but it was not a great time to take pictures of the Horseshoe Bend. I kicked myself for forgetting to bring along the wide eye lens.  I took some with my iPhone and some with my Canon camera.  

 

As I was getting ready to move closer to the rim Erwin stopped me in my tracks because there was a non-venomous snake. Mohave Glossy . We guessed that it was looking for the sun to warm itself.  Few tourists were unaware as it slithered through the sand, and we had to alert them to its presence.

 

We decided not to stay longer after the sunset because I did not have the right lens, and we were starting to feel tired and hungry. It was already past 7 pm.

Tomorrow we are going to check out of the campground early, go to Glen Canyon Dam Visitor Center to take a tour before checking into Wahweap RV & Campground at 11 am.

~Edith