Page, AZ
We decided to take the back roads to Page when we left Monument Valley because a number of years ago, I saw a show on TV where Cliff from Cheers (John Ratzenberger) had a show where he traveled to places all across the United States and visited companies who made things. His show was called “Made in America” and he always traveled in an RV. He would say during his shows “to see the real America, you need to get off the interstates and get on the back roads”, I have made that a goal of ours when we travel. I will have to say that now, having been out for 12 weeks on two trips, he was right.
We could have gone south on a pretty good highway and picked up the main north highway to Page AZ, but we opted to take the road less traveled instead. Lori was not so sure this was a good idea and was on the Arizona Department of Transportation website trying get a condition report of said road. She was unable to connect so I said, “let’s give it a shot”. The looks I get from my Navigator sometimes; I wish I had a “GoPro” strapped to my head so I could share.
Off we went and it turned out to be a very nice drive with more amazing scenery. We hit some thunderstorms along the way, and it helped to wash off the dust on the motorhome. We arrived in Page AZ and stayed at a brand spanking new RV park called “The Canyons RV Resort & Cabins” (https://www.thecanyons.camp). This place is very nice and set up for everything. They are still completing some of the areas, but it is a great place to stay.
We arrived early enough to play a round of golf. I had driven by the local course in Page, and it looked very nice (https://lakepowellnationalgolfcourse.com). Gave them a call and the starter said, “come on over, it’s wide open”, so off we went. This course has amazing views, especially from the top tiers as you can see in the pictures posted below. The starter said “if you guys are 60, you get 20% off” so we were 60 for that day! Great course, great service, and beautiful views.
In an earlier post we discussed Horseshoe Bend and how we visited there. Lori saw some Kayakers down on the river and said “That is a bucket list item I want to do”, so I went online and did some research and found “Kayak the Colorado” outfitters (https://www.kayakthecolorado.com). I learned they provide what is called “Backhaul” service from Lees Ferry 10 miles up the river to the top of Horseshoe Bend and they will provide you with the Kayaks and pretty much everything you need. They drop you off and then you either float down river on the current or paddle or do a little of each. So, I booked a trip from their schedule and off we went.
They provide great instructions and are very good at explaining things. We met the boat at the dock at Lees Ferry at 9:30am and together with four other people we started upriver on a pontoon boat loaded with us, our stuff, and the Kayaks. Other companies use this dock for expeditions going down the Colorado through the Grand Canyon and we could see them loading up for a long haul (see pictures), this is another one on the bucket list to complete.
Our guide gave us a great tour all the way upriver. Where to stop on the way down, what to look out for, times from certain points etc. It took about 25 minutes to get to the drop off point and that’s when the adventure begins. You load your Kayak (surprisingly they hold a lot of stuff) and then you are ready to go. You can hike up to see some petroglyphs, but we had seen enough of those so off we went.
The river current picks you up and off you go. It is an amazing feeling as the sides of the river are not very deep at all. You feel like you are gliding on glass because the water is so clear. Now keep in mind that this water is coming out of the bottom of Lake Powel (Glen Canyon Dam) and it is 50 degrees pretty much year round. When I stood in it, I could last maybe a few minutes and then I had to get out and warm my feet. We saw some people swimming in it, brrrrr. We floated down to Horseshoe Bend and pulled over onto a beach so we could wave to all the people looking down at us. I know they were saying the same thing we did when were up there “hey, how can we do that”.
Off we went. What a great experience the whole day was. We stopped at “Lunch beach” and had lunch, went by “the bookcase” and looked for wild horses around the massive sand dunes all while being in a canyon with 1300-foot vertical walls. There are spots where massive rocks are leaning out from the top and are over you, you just look and think “when is that going to fall?”
When we started, we thought this would be great to bring the grandkids on, they would have a blast. I still think so but after completing the whole trip, I would say you would need to have an abbreviated version of the trip because it becomes a very long day, and they would get bored. We were looking for boredom and loved how quiet and nice it was during the trip, but young ones may not like that. The good news is that the company runs boats pretty much all day long, so they are going by during the day. If you want to call it a day, you just wave them down and they will pick you up. If you are taking youngsters out, I suggest you discuss a shorter trip with your guide, and they can coordinate everything for you.
Now for the bad part. We floated 9 of 10 miles down and it was beautiful. This was the highlight of our entire trip. The last mile to the dock was hell, literally. The wind kicked up because a massive thunderstorm started to form on the mesa. Our guide told us that if it rained to hard on us, we could stop and go in the bathrooms if needed (they are every mile) and that if the wind kicked up, we could pull over to the side and wait it out. Well, the last mile does not really have anywhere to pull over, so we gutted it out (along with about 10 other kayakers) and made for the dock.
It started blowing so hard that we were paddling as hard as we could, and we were going backwards. We would get a lull in the wind and paddle like hell to get closer to the dock. Normally, I would have just pulled over and waited but this thunderstorm looming over us made me concerned. They told us lightning does not get into the canyons because the higher areas get the lightning, but I was concerned about downdrafts from the storm.
After what felt like paddling for our lives, we made it to the dock. When we got out, we could barely lift our arms because we were so tired. Everyone who got caught in it was the same way. You just can’t beat mother nature. When you get done, you pull your Kayaks up on the beach and they come by later and pick them up.
We loaded up and headed back to Page (about 50-minute drive) after an amazing day. We watched the storm brew as we climbed the mountain back up to Page and talked about how that was such a great bucket list item to complete.
Next stop is Lake Las Vegas (home) for a few weeks and 103 degree temps.
