Blanding Utah to Page Arizona, Rainbow Bridge

2018-14

Blanding Utah
Page Arizona
Lone Rock lake Powell Utah
Glen Canyon

Rainbow Bridge, the grand adventure!

Campground: Recapture Lake Recreation Area., Blanding. Boondocking. Free, not hookups. Camping is free on either side of the lake, off of Radio Road.

Campground: Lone Rock Lake Powell, Utah. Almost Boondocking site. Cost: $7 senior rate. They do have a dump station and water available. Paved road leading to lake. All sites are dispersed campsites. I took one on top, though many campers line up along the edge of the lake. During my time here, it has been very windy and sand was blowing especially down along the sandy beach lake front.

Distance traveled: 175 miles

After leaving the Navajo Dam site in New Mexico, I drove into Colorado 30 minutes later and an hour and a half later, I was in Utah. After all, I truly am in the 4 corners region where Az/Ut/Co/ and Nm meet up.

I passed so many places I’ve had the pleasure of visiting in the past, but this year I’d like to explore a bit more of Utah, and we can only tarry so long before one realizes the summer is over with. My first stop in Utah is Blanding, where I’ll dry camp (boondocking) for a couple of days. I had planned on going to a national forest site I’d been to in the past, but when I got there, even though it is listed online as first come/first served camping, all the campsites (even the empty ones) of which there were plenty. Had signs posted on them that the site was reserved, most indicating only a couple of days, but still, I couldn’t take a spot and the camp-host was no where to be found.

boondocking available on both sides of the lake

Fortunately this area has a lot of other BLM and national forest campsites to be had and I drove a couple miles down the road to the Recapture Lake site. One tenter was in the dispersed camping area, and after an unsuccessful attempt to drive the truck and camper through a grove of cedar trees and rutted sandy roads, I settled on a location overlooking the lake. Wide open spaces are the best.

One of my day trips was to the Natural Bridges National Monument. Hwy 95 itself was an awesome route to take as it dipped deep down into large canyons, back up over huge mesas some that appeared to be 10 times larger than any I’d seen in New Mexico. Awesome rock formations along the way kept me busy oewhing and awhhing all the way to natural bridges.

hwy 95, Utah what a scenic drive

hwy 95 what a wonder western drive

This is a small park, with a newly paved single lane, one way loop road to the three main natural bridges in the park. Lots of view points and hiking trails leading deep down onto the canyon floor for viewing the natural bridges up close. Lots of European, Austrian and Canadian visitors. French motorcycle riders were everywhere as these roads with all their dips, turns, and surprising views along the way are a motorcyclist’s dream.

Great views and enjoyed talking to all the travelers enjoying the scenery.

Back in Blanding I stopped off at the excellent visitors center and got some great tips about things to see and do in the area. The Navajo fry bread/taco is a must. Topped with chili/beans lettuce/tomato/ black olives and cheese along with salsa and cream cheese.

Many of the canyons feature Indian ruins, I even saw some cliff dwellings while touring the Natural Bridges site. The visitor center in Blanding gave me a lowdown of where many are located close by as well as additional options for camping in the area. There wasn’t a corner or canyon of this region as arid as it is that wasn’t inhabited by Anasazi (ancient Native Indian stone adobe builders) They told me this is a very safe area to boon-dock as well.

Note:  no photos available, lost photos, having major issues with Google Photos, unable to upload photos!!!!

Speaking of my campsite, with it’s water views, mountains and a mesa near by, on my second day here, except for the occasional boater, sunbather or brave swimmer as the water is still very cold, it is mostly very quiet. To the point that I have not experienced a location like this in quite some time. Along with having no camping neighbors, at least for the present, I have no Tv, cellphone, or internet connectivity at the campsite. The stillness and serenity at first is almost overwhelming. As I rarely ever experience places such as this. And I doubt you have either. Often, from what I’ve observed with boondocking, even though your not connected to utilities, one often has fellow campers near by. The lack of internet and cell phone service at the campsite means I am truly disconnected. Not being able to research my next route and camping options, linking up with all my friends and relatives on Facebook and e-mail hasn’t happened in quite some time. Fortunately a short drive into town and I’m re-connected with the world.

There’s a stillness about the camper as well. Except for when I have the ceiling fan running, it too is quiet. No A/C running or the hum of electronic devices. Only the sound of a wall clock ticking away. Fortunately, even though it has gotten up to around 85 degrees today, the camper has remained relatively cool, with a gentle breeze blowing all day off of the lake. Windows and ceiling vents all open to enjoy the refreshing air flow. I’ve even turned off the radio as I’m enjoying the peacefulness of it all. Sitting outside in the shade of the camper, reading a book or reviewing and editing my photos for future blog or Facebook use. An afternoon siesta can always be fit in as well.

Edge of the Cedars State Park

extremely rare The highlight being a Macaw feather sash

Also on display was a rare Turkey feather blanket
including one with it’s feathers intact
and one showing just the skeletal frame 

Almost forgot to tell you about a neat exhibit at the Edge of the Cedars SP. As I’m heading to Lake Powell which was created by the making of the Glen Canyon Dam, it was interesting to see a display of photos of some wonderful Indian petroglyphs that have been flooded once the dam was built. Along with many Indian pueblo’s and settlements along the original water way. Sad to think they will remain buried under hundreds of feet of water, but that is progress. The State Park also has quite a collection of local ancient artifacts, many clay pots from era’s going as far back as a couple thousand years. The highlight being a Macaw feather sash. The Pueblo Indians traded often with the Mexican Aztec tribes and Live Macaws were a cherished item. Their feathers were only worn by the most elite in the Indian tribe. Also on display was a rare Turkey feather blanket including one with it’s feathers intact and one showing just the skeletal frame they would have been woven onto. Such rare finds that rarely if ever would have survived more than a thousand years.

Distance Traveled: 198 miles

Monument Valley, this is the classic shot
often used in TV adds, magazines etc.

Well all good intentions to stop along the way for a couple of days in the Mexican Hat area to revisit places such as Valley of the Gods, Monument Valley, Gooseneck State Park and all those awesome places throughout the area before heading to Lake Powell and Page Arizona. But my efforts were thwarted once I got to Mexican Hat, as they didn’t have any campgrounds in the almost non-exsistant town. Come to find out it was the previous town I’d passed through, Bluff Utah, that has all the Rv parks. Go figure. I could have stayed at Gooseneck SP ( no utilities)or even a campsite in Valley of the Gods (again no utilities) , but since my final destination, Lake Powell was beckoning, I continued on. Of course stopping when ever I could to take pictures along the way. Monument Valley fortunately had a number of pull offs to take those all important photos.

I did note that Monument Valley now has a KOA campground, but as my fellow Rv-ers may know, they are often overpriced and this one only had picnic table at each site, with hookups of course, but basically desert setup like a large dirt parking lot.

Lake Powell

Glen Canyon Dam

So, it was onto Page Arizona and my campsite for a couple of day at Lone Rock Lake Powell Utah. It being right on the Arizona/Utah boarder. After a few false starts, as I was attempting to get to a visitor center or BLM office for more information of local camping options (no luck there), I ended up heading directly to a the campground I’d selected. I was a bit concerned about heading onto dirt roads to get to the boon-docking site, but as it turned out, the road leading to the camping area is newly paved, with park office as well. There was a $7 charge per night for camping (half off senior rate) as this is a part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The other campground next to the marina on the lake charges around $45 a night for hookups.

Lone Rock site also beach camping available
it was really windy, lots of sand blowing so didn't stay on the beach below

How was my first day at Lone Rock. Hot and windy. Really hot, it got up to 98 degrees and the winds were around 35-40 mph. Range. Not the most pleasant of experiences, but I survived. I of course have had to leave the windows open, so everything is getting a good dusting of fine sand. There will be a couple of days of cleaning for sure once I leave the area. Fortunately the last two days in the area the weather cooled off and the winds settled down considerably.

Page Arizona

The town of Page Az (originally called Government Camp) got it’s start in 1957 as a land exchange with Navajo Nation. It was created to provide a housing settlement for the creation of the Glen Canyon Dam on the Colorado River. Along with the dams largest hydo power plant in the U.S. there is also a coal fired electric plant as well, both producing an enormous amount of electric power for the region. It’s a modern town of 9,000 with an additional three million visitors each year.

I’m on the Utah side and there’s a one hour difference in time zones, so every time I go into Page, it’s an hour earlier and often many of the places I want to go are still closed early morning.

The Big Adventure
Rainbow Bridge Boat Tour ($117)

the beginning of the adventure,
a 6+ hour boat tour of over 100 miles round trip

Lake Powell

It was up and early for my on Sunday as the tour would begin at 7:30 and I needed to sign in by 7 am. After packing a lunch and some snacks I headed over to the Lake Powell Lodge. The tour boat had inside seating and enough room for 35 passengers above deck. I chose the lower section since the morning temps were to be a bit on the cool side and I’d be able to take pictures not only through the windows, open windows as well as the back deck of the boat. And it was less crowded than up top.

Out tour would take us on a 100 mile round trip journey over water and last 6+ hours. The ride through the Glen Canyons of Lake Powell in and of itself would have been an awesome boat ride, but ours includes the famous Rainbow Bridge. Of the 3 million visitors that come here each year, most go to see the famous Slot Canyons run by the Navajo Tribe. But 200,000 visitor each year take the 6 hour or longer journey to see one of the largest arches/natural bridges in the word, the Rainbow Bridge. The red and tan sandstone canyons leading us deeper and deeper up into Lake Powell were an every changing landscape of buttes, shear cliff walls, strange shapes and the beginning of crescent shaped rock formation as slices of the sandstone get worn away or come crashing down over millions of years.

The Rainbow Bridge began it’s formation over 30 million years ago when the earth’s crust uplifted Navajo Mountain. From there, mother nature took over with wind, rain fast moving rivers and streams carving away at Rainbow Bridge.

Up until the 1960’s one would have to hike up from the Colorado River for 6 miles, or hike 12-20 miles around Navajo Mt and through many canyons to get to the bridge. Today, a three hour ride one way on a fast moving boat and a one mile hike brings me to the Rainbow Bridge. Legend has it that a rainbow was turned to stone. The bridge was re-discovered in recent history in 1909 after hearing many Native Indian stories about Rainbow Bridge. Some of the famous people who first saw it were, John Wetherill, Theodore Roosevelt, and Zane Grey author of many western books. He is even noted for having slept overnight on top of the Rainbow Arch.

my first view of the Rainbow Bridge along the one mile hike to the site

The bridge is 290 feet above of the creek, 275 feet across the canyon. 33 feet wide and 42 feet thick. 

A 25 story building would sit comfortably under the arch. It’s definitely the largest natural bridge I’ve ever seen. The trip did not seem long at all considering the time it took to get there and back. Fortunately we had plenty of time to take our pictures and actually sit or walk around the viewing area and see it from as many angles as possible. With light fluffy clouds changing the scenery by the minutes, with shade and sunlight playing off the surrounding cliffs and Rainbow Bridge itself.

Gosh, I sure did enjoy today’s adventure. I think I’ll have many pleasant memories of this trip for some time to come along with looking back at the 260+ photos I took today. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did. Though I realize the enormous size of the canyons, sandstone cliffs and the Rainbow Bridge may not be able to be appreciated until you get a chance to see it in person. But in any case, enjoy seeing a few of these awesome places through my eyes and hoping you get to experience some of them one day yourself.

first views of Rainbow Bridge

the rainbow that was turned to stone

the mile hike to the site made it all that much more impressive

before the dam was built and Lake Powell was created
one would have to hike many miles to get to the site

walking the trail from the boat landing site

More Photos:

Blanding Utah  Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah

RAINBOW BRIDGE, LAKE POWELL

Heading to PageArizona

Rainbow Bridge and Glen Canyon/Lake Powell (Arizona/Utah)  (NOT AVAILABLE, UNABLE TO UPLOAD TO GOOGLE PHOTOS)  (may not be able to share photos anymore using Google photos)

Not sure what to do now that I'm no longer able to upload to Google photos..... Bummer.