It was a short drive today, only about 85 miles, but once we started climbing it felt like we would never stop. The road was good, but the last 20 miles or so were definitely mountain driving.

As advertised, it’s much cooler here. It rained a little as we came close to the campground, so was a little muddy coming in. But…a thunderstorm broke around 2 pm…it was a truly powerful thing and seemed to be right overhead.

We did see some sights on the way. The Vermillion Cliffs were very pretty, and I’m guessing some of the vistas were too (I was watching the road!).

This campground is not terribly fancy, but being in the woods and enjoying the cooler air is very nice indeed. The entire group got together tonight around three propane fire pits; it’s really the first time we’ve all gotten to just hang out together, due to the heat.

Tomorrow we drive the final 40 miles to the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Hope to have grand pictures for you then.

Last day in Page, as we head for the north rim of the Grand Canyon tomorrow. It was a thoroughly busy day:

The RV group started the day with a breakfast in the marina hotel’s restaurant. The food was good, the conversation enjoyable, and the view of the houseboats in the marina excellent.

The two of us then drove a little south through town. We had floated through Horseshoe Bend on the river yesterday, but today we drove to an overlook. A photo from this location was used in an earlier version of Windows (someone will have to research which version that was). It was an easy walk and an incredible view. Leila ended up with the best photo this trip…see below.

In the afternoon our group took a trip to see the Antelope Slot Canyon on tribal land. It is amazing how this crack in the ground became such a beautiful place in the middle of the desert.

As I said, tomorrow is moving day. It won’t be a long drive, only about 80 miles. I’m not sure what kind of internet service we’ll have, so the next edition of this blog may be delayed. The weather forecast is for cooler weather and for rain/thunderstorms as well. After a week hovering around 100 degrees the coolness will be welcome.

It was another hot day in Arizona, but we had a great time. The group had been scheduled to take a boat cruise on Lake Powell, but due to the lake’s low level this was cancelled and replaced by a float down the Colorado River to Lees Ferry.

The float trip starts at the base of the Glen Canyon Dam, but to get there our bus had to drive through a two mile tunnel drilled through the ever present Navajo sandstone to the base of the canyon. This gave us a great view of both the dam and the canyon.

Did I mention it was a three hour tour? Thankfully, the canyon walls prevented the ship from getting tossed…

We saw so many tremendous sites, not least of which were canyon walls as high as 1700 feet above us. There were desert bighorn sheep, feral horses, and native art drawn on the canyon walls. At the end of the trip we also saw crews preparing boats for a seven day float through the Grand Canyon, leaving from Lees Ferry for the south rim.

Tomorrow may be a bit cooler. We are scheduled to go see some slot canyons. Pictures to come…

Today was moving day. We left Virgin, Utah at about 9:15 AM MDT and arrived in Page, Arizona 135 miles later, one time change later. The entire drive was really pretty, and not too hilly. We did have one climb that took us over 5500 feet, but it was gradual and not curvy.

About a third of the way to our destination we took a stop at the Pipe Springs National Monument. The water supply there brought three distinct groups together, the Paiute native tribespeople, Mormon ranchers and missionaries, and the US government. Water was scarce in this high desert region, and each group had reason to claim it. The monument tells the story of each group.

It continues to be blessed hot, topping out at about 103 degrees today. The AC in the motorhome struggles to keep up, but by bedtime it is manageable. The next stop on Wednesday takes us over 7000 feet, and temperatures will drop about 30 degrees. We’re looking forward to less sweat.

Page is situated next to the Page Canyon dam and to Lake Powell. The setting is gorgeous, and we will be seeing more of it tomorrow on a float trip on the Colorado River. More then…

We got another early start to beat the heat (102 degrees), starting with a walk along the Virgin River. The early morning sun on the mountains was wonderful

Next, we drove over switchbacks to the 1930 tunnel and the east side of the park. The tunnel itself is 1.1 miles long and designed for the finest Model A’s of its era. Adding to the fun are three portholes in the side of the tunnel that allow you to briefly see the canyon below.

The east side was completely different in character. It’s much drier, layered slick rock in giant, twisted mounds. We loved looking at the varied patterns. We also got to enjoy a group (Flock? Herd?) of bighorn sheep; they really know how to navigate the rock.

After lunch we drove back to the west entrance of Zion, touring the Kolob Canyon. Again, a completely different environment. It’s much greener and higher in elevation at about 6200 feet. It’s also wonderful to see…we enjoyed the variety.

Sunday is driving day…we head for Page, Arizona and two days at Lake Powell. We also stop en route at the Pipe Springs National Monument…details in day six.

We had a wonderful day today, 17,940 steps attest to our getting around Zion Canyon, at least a little. It was a hot day today (I think it topped out at 102), so we started early. We left the RV at 6:30, were in the park by 7 AM, then up at a trailhead via shuttle bus by 7:30. The plan was to get our hiking/walking done before it got too hot. We were successful, back at the visitor’s center by lunchtime.

Navajo sandstone was the word today. We saw a lot of it! The landscape here is incredible, and it was a real blessing to take it all in. There were a lot of people in the park, but it never felt crowded. We shared things with more than a few deer and a flock of wild turkeys.

We plan to go back into the park tomorrow for two more trails, and a drive through a one mile tunnel that dates back to about 1930. It should all be excellent. Tomorrow night is our first driver’s meeting, then Sunday is a travel day. More about that tomorrow.

A short drive, followed by getting to know our new fellow travelers. It’s a little warmer here, and is going to be warmer yet tomorrow.

The scenery is gorgeous! And we’ve just seen a little of it. Tomorrow figures to be a great day of seeing this corner of God’s creation. We had an orientation meeting with the group, and we understand better how things will be working for the rest of the trip.

This was followed by a get-to-know-you dinner at a local restaurant. The waiter said I should expect the best pork chop I’d ever had, and he wasn’t wrong. The restaurant was built from the ground up ten months ago; the challenge of opening a place in the middle of the pandemic boggles the mind. We wish them well…the food was great.

A shorter day today. We drove about four hours, then reached the KOA here in Beaver just after lunchtime. This gave us some time to explore.

First off, let me say that driving the motorhome through SLC was a bit nerve wracking. Lanes got pretty narrow in places, and since it was a new highway for us we never knew when the right lane would disappear. We survived…

Second, Utah has way too many billboards along I-15! I know this is how I-5 used to be back in the day, but I’ve gotten used to being able to enjoy the scenery.

Beaver is a nice town. It seems that the last couple of trips have had a mandatory cheese factory stop, and this was no exception. We had fun strolling through their gift shop.

Tomorrow is a short drive to meet up with our caravan in Virgin. We are excited to get things going.

After about five and a half hours, here we are in a KOA. Nice view of the mountains to our left, and I 15 to our right!

We’re thankful to be started on this adventure, one that we weren’t sure would happen…between COVID and RV repairs. Leila booked the trip May 13, 2020; it’s been a long time coming. There is a nice collection of bugs on the RV’s front; we are only sorry none of our kids needs bugs for a science project right now.

We are planning ahead…driving east of Twin Falls we were reminded of the fabric store in Rupert. I think we’ll make a side trip on the way home…