Red rocks and twinkle toes

October 15, 2021

Kanab, UT to Page, AZ road trip

It was another fun morning when I woke up and discovered that not only did we not have heat but also no hot water! Arghhhh!!! This was because the propane tank we were using had run out over the night.

I had to roust Don out of bed to he could go outside to switch over to our other tank. Once he did that, we were back in business. He went back to bed while I worked on heating up the teakettle and eating my usual breakfast until he woke up later.

At least they can fill up the empty tank here at the campground. They'll even pick it up and deliver it back to you. Nice service. They even did that the other day when we received our Amazon delivery which was another furnace switch along with a few other things. Now we'll have a backup switch should we did it.

Today we planned to play tourist and not do any biking since we are returning tonight to the Elks to dance. By 9 we were out the door, driving south into Arizona to Jacob Lake.

It was fun to see this area once again - one that we had toured through a few years ago. As we wound our way up the hill to the top of the plateau, more and more snow began to appear. There also was evidence of a huge wildfire that must have recently burned through the forest, destroying many beautiful pines.

But we were glad that we hadn't camped at Jacob Lake as originally planned! With the snow and overnight temps in the 20's, it wouldn't have been pleasant.

We stopped at the Jacob Lake store for a break and do a little shopping. I thought they might carry Pendleton blankets but they carried mostly Native American crafts and jewelry.

There were some beautiful woven Indian rugs for sale and I really coveted one depicting of the Tree of Life. It was made by a Navajo artist we had met when we biked this route. This rug was beautiful and truly a work of art meant to hang on a wall, not wrap up in on the couch or walk on. But with a price of over $3000.00, it just wasn't in our budget!!!!!

Back in the truck we turned east onto a highway that would take us past the Vermillion Cliffs NM. We had considered biking this road when setting up the route for our Grand Canyon tour, but knew that going west up to the top of the plateau would have been a brutal climb. One that would have taken us at least 2 days, a wild camp in the desert or forest and more water than we would have been able to carry.

However, it was a beautiful drive as we dropped down, down, down to the desert floor. The towering red rock cliffs of the monument stretched out for miles along the valley. I kept asking Don to stop so I could take yet another picture.

We kept saying, WOW, WOW, WOW!!! as we drove along with the views of the stunning formation getting better and better. There are plenty of red rocks to see all through Utah and Arizona, but all of them are a little different.

When we reached the turnoff to the area with all of the huge boulders, we stopped to take some pictures and look at some jewelry for sale by some Navajo vendors. The prices were a little higher than I would have preferred, but there were some beautiful pieces. I couldn't resist buying a pair of beaded earrings but held off on several other items.

Back in the truck we continued onward across the Colorado River and connecting to the highway that went to Page. Don had been eyeballing the area as a potential spot for 'boondocking' with the trailer. That's also called dry camping, where you just drive down a dirt road and park out in the wilderness if it's BLM or National Forest land.

He'd read several good reviews of camping around here and at some point we will be trying it. You're going to be relying on your batteries and watching your water/waste storage capacity on board but there are ways to make that easier - like solar panels, generators, extra fresh water storage containers, using disposable plates/utensils, portable outdoor toilets etc.

It would be similar to wild camping with your tent while touring but with a more comfortable bed! Some people do it exclusively for weeks. Sure beats spending $60 for a spot at an RV park.

When we reached another scenic view turnoff, I saw there were more Navajo booths set up, so I asked Don to stop. The jewelry was more expensive here, but I did buy a few pieces of more unusual items like juniper berry beaded earrings with matching necklace.

I was tempted by some other things, but Don said I'd maxed out his cash, so we headed onward to Page. I told him it was my anniversary present since he had forgotten our anniversary back in August. Actually we BOTH had totally forgotten that date, if you can believe that!! I guess we were having so much fun glamping that it skipped our minds!

After a potty break at Lake Powell, we continued west onto Highway 89 toward Kanab. We both commented that the shoulders on the AZ section of this highway were wider and better than when we crossed into Utah.

By late-afternoon, we had returned to our campground and had just enough time to clean up for the evening fun - dancing again in St George!

When we got to the Elks, we were happy to see that it wasn't nearly as busy as on Wednesday. There was a woman singing with recorded background music, but only the smaller bar floor was open for dancing.

No matter, we managed to do a lot of dancing and lots of times we were the only ones on the floor. The musician was a good singer and quite the entertainer. She played a good mix of music - no foxtrots or tangos and did cater to the women line dancers. When they were on the floor, there was no room at all for us. I think they offer line dance lessons here at the Elks.

By 9 pm we were pooped, so headed back home. We've enjoyed the dancing here, but are happy we don't have to do this long drive again. Next week we'll be camped in Hurricane so will be much closer to the Elks. So we'll be back there again, kicking up our heels!

The Vermillion Cliffs NM is a jaw dropping geologic formation in AZ. The red rock cliffs stretch on for miles along the valley floor.

This area of huge boulders was so interesting - how did they get there and not elsewhere? Notice the bands of color in the cliffs. Some of these were the size of tiny houses and it's hard to judge the size until you stand next to one.

This is the beginning of the Grand Canyon near Lee's Ferry.

Our trip today took us to Page and Lake Powell. You can see that the water level is very low.

My jewelry booty from today! Beautiful handcrafted Navajo earrings and necklace. One pair of earrings and matching necklace used juniper berries which they say provide protection to the wearer. We could all use a little of that nowdays!

It was much quieter at the Elks tonight so only the small dance floor in the bar was open. The lady line dancers had fun as did we!

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