Blame It On The Rain
Dearest gentle readers, you could be forgiven for thinking that the impacts of yesterday’s monsoon had passed. You would be wrong for thinking that of course, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We had an early-ish tour this morning outside of Page, AZ. But, we didnt really want to leave our packed-to-the-brim car in the parking lot while we toured. So, we got a late checkout from the gracious Home2Suites in Page. Though, we were mostly packed up - all we really had to do was load the car after our tour.
We got a tour of the amazing Antelope Slot Canyon just outside of Page. You probably have seen pictures from here - it is truly amazing. The canyon is roughly A-shaped, with the top being much narrower than the bottom. While we waited to board our bus, we chatted with some other people who had their tour cancelled yesterday due to the massive rain. So, they were joining us today.
We drove out the few miles it took to get to the canyon. Walking in, we saw a truly alien world - the walls curved and flowed from the floods that happen regularly there. In fact, the canyon can totally flood, floor to ceiling in only 15 minutes. There were actually people touring the canyon yesterday when the torrent started, and they had to be quickly escorted out. The rest of the day was a scratch, as it was impassable.
Our guide was awesome, and had experience taking photo tours of the canyon, so he helped frame several shots for us. We took some awesome pictures of our own as well. Once we made it through, we had to walk up a pretty steep inclined ramp and stairs. When we got to the top, I had a true Fred Sanford moment - “Elizabeth, I’m coming to join ya!” I think I even clutched my chest as he did too. We walked along the top of the canyon, and couldn’t even tell it was there. We descended the final ramp and stairs to get back on the bus.
After a very long time, my heart rate was back to normal, and we made it back to our starting spot. In the gift shop, there was a display of polished rocks. Since my amazing granddaughter loves rocks, we got her a bag. It will be great for her sand-table - nice treasures.
We headed back to the hotel, and saw, just across the street, was a viewing platform for the Dam we saw yesterday. Carrie and Pat decided to check it out, and I stayed in the car, enjoying the AC and a coffee I had purchased at the gift shop. After quite a while, I got a text from Carrie that she had made a huge mistake (thanks, G.O.B.). Apparently, the return trip up the stairs was much more significant than the one that had nearly killed us at Antelope Canyon. But, fortunately, they both made it back to the car.
We loaded up at the hotel, checked out, and left for Monument Valley. It was kinda crazy that we went from Arizona to Utah, back to Arizona to go to the visitors center at Monument Valley. In the gift shop, Pat was looking for a book that showed all the movies filmed there. They didnt have such a book, and I told her it might be easier to list westerns that weren’t filmed there. My favorite one is the beginning of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade - where young Indy was on a scout trip - shot in Monument Valley.
We got lots of pictures, and debated driving the 4x4 required scenic drive, but after the monsoon yesterday, and the dark clouds on the horizon, we felt like we had seen enough, and left to go on to Moab.
There were several scenic pullouts on the road, and even a Forrest Gump view, from the part where Forrest has had enough running (extra points if you hear it in Tom Hank’s’ accent), so we got some pics there as well.
We finally made it to our condo in Moab, and discovered there was no power. This was a big bummer, as we had planned on doing laundry there, I was going to cook dinner, and it was HOT. Apparently, the utility company was already on the outage, and planned on having it back by 8pm. We unloaded the car, and went to go have dinner. We had a very nice dinner, and headed back. Now, the power company said “back on by 9pm”, so we were losing hope. All of a sudden, just after 8, the power came back on.
We started Laundry, I got tech all hooked up, and went to take a nice hot shower. Pat and Carrie are filtering through pictures, deciding what to paint (tomorrow, they’re too tired and its too late tonight), and which ones to put on this very same blog.
We are heading into Colorado tomorrow, and it is going to be a long day. So, I will sign off for tonight.
