I was awake at 5:30 AM this morning—according to my cell phone, but my watch said 6:30. Forgot that Arizona didn’t recognize daylight savings. What woke me was a small tortoiseshell cat rubbing against the tent. I let her in and she curled up next to me on my Polartec blanket and purred herself and me back to sleep.
I got up an hour later at the real 6:30, packed up the tent etc., all of which was full of sand, took another shower to get rid of the sand on me, ate my cold pizza and drank a cup of free coffee from the campground store. The wind had died down sometime in the night but picked up again this morning. Had it not been windy I would have stayed in the campground another night. As it was, I decided it was Quality Inn time, and booked a room.
Yesterday when I’d booked the Antelope Canyon Tour they told me they’d pick me up at the campground at 9:10. And that they did on the dot. Drove me back to the tour office where there were big 4WD trucks equipped with bench seats in the truck bed and canopies. We were loaded in, 14 to a truck, and off we went. When we got to the parking lot outside the canyon, our driver had us put on seatbelts and told us to hang on to our cameras and hats—for good reason. We were tossed about as the driver skidded and bumped for 5 miles down a wide wash to the slot canyon entrance. The sand was at least two feet deep in most places. I guess that if I go away from Arizona with anything, it will be SAND.
They expertly herd you through this canyon, pointing out places to stand for the best photos, and telling about the canyon and how it is shaped from flash floods. Getting good photos is difficult, however, as the canyon is elbow to elbow people. Most shots therefore are of the canyon walls and do not reflect its narrowness. The floor of the canyon is—you guessed it—sand. Sand is deposited as the water gushes through and also sifts in from the rim. Our guide told us that from above, the canyon looks like a narrow crack in the earth. I had to protect the camera, but could do nothing about the sand that got in my hair and teeth and clothing. The guide also told us that because of the flash flood deposits and drifting sand, the canyon floor has risen about 10 feet since 2002.
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| Here's one with some of the people in the group to give you an idea of perspective |
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| This one is my best effort I think; I managed no people and the floor of the canyon |
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| Here the sand is sifting in from the canyon rim and then falling from the rocks below |
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| Wish I could say that this photo was mine but it is from the Internet. There was a sunbeam but there were just too many people to capture it |
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| What we saw when we emerged from the slot canyon |
After the crazy bouncing ride back to the parking lot and thence to the campground, I drove 89 south until I came to Horseshoe Bend Canyon. It was about a 3-mile RT hike to the rim through—you guessed it—deep sand. Bah. There were some bare rocks though and they attracted lizards that lay out and sunbathed. All of you will recognize my photo of the canyon, even though I could not get close enough to the edge to get the best effect. I’m a height as well as a heat wienie and lose my sense of balance when up high.
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| After some Internet research, I think this is a Desert Spiny Lizard |
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| And think this guy is a Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard |
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| As close to the edge as I could get to give you a photo of Horseshoe Bend in the Colorado River |
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The left side of Horseshoe Bend; notice that I am standing near the canyon rim. It dropped straight down from here and I considered myself brave to get this close. So glad there were no other people as I can't stand (literally) it when others are close to the edge either.
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At three o'Clock, I checked in to the Quality Inn in Page and have been at the computer de-sanding, snacking, enjoying the AC, and updating the journal ever since. The Inn is high on the mesa wall and overlooks the valley and the dam.
The flowers above were Wild Flax, I think, but the camera did not capture their blue color. This has happened in other pix of pale blue flowers and I am not experienced enough with the camera to correct it.
Tomorrow I’m at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. In the lodge. Will send another report then.😊
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