1-year Anniv Utah - Day 9

The final day of the trip started early.  We left Flagstaff and got to Meteor Crater just as it opened at 8am.  We toured the Visitor Center, snapped some photos, then got back on the road.  We passed ghost towns along Route 66, including Twin Arrows, the town featured on our tour book.

We drove through Winslow, AZ where we of course stood on the corner!  We then rolled into Albuquerque with only a few hours to explore.  Nadine found a local festival in the heart of old Albuquerque, where buildings were lined with dried hot peppers.  We really got a sense of the southwest.

On the way to the airport we grabbed dinner at a local spot, ate it in the car, then dropped off our rental car.  We made it on time for our flight and reflected on another amazing trip.  Another successful NaDave Adventure!

Meteor Crater (outside Flagstaff, AZ)

Road to Meteor Crater

Winslow, AZ - along Route 66

Albuquerque, NM - chili peppers drying outside

Crazy sign in Albuquerque airport

1-year Anniv Utah - Day 8

We packed up from the hotel and headed to Horseshoe Bend just outside Page, Arizona.  This famous sight is home to another entrenched meander of the Colorado River.

From here we headed for the Grand Canyon.  Along the way we passed some fun cities like Tuba City.  We entered Grand Canyon National Park from the east, and stopped along each of the scenic overlooks.

We arrived to the South Entrance Visitor Center and walked around the South Rim, simply beautiful.  We took the shuttle buses to a few stops to the west (Hopi Point, etc), then headed back to see Bright Angel Trail.  We hiked about 0.25 mile and then turned back.  Our family of 4 had hiked part of the rim-to-rim trail.

After seeing the beautiful canyon, we headed for Flagstaff AZ.  We got into town in time to see Lowell Observatory, where Pluto was discovered.  We stayed there for ~2 hours where we learned about unmanned space voyages, as well as a tour of the constellations.

Around 9pm we headed for our AirBNB, and then headed to a local brewery to grab some food and drinks.  We then headed back to our overnight, and got ready for our final day of the trip.  It'd be an early morning, as we had our longest day of driving (5+ hours).

Horseshoe Bend (outside of Page, AZ)

Tuba City, ZA - along drive to Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon National Park

Grand Canyon NP - Hopi Point

Grand Canyon NP - Overlooking Bright Angel Trail

Grand Canyon NP - Bright Angel Trailhead

Grand Canyon NP - Do not Poop!

1-year Anniv Utah - Day 7

We awoke...and sand was everywhere!  In our ears, in our shoes, covering our sleeping bags and backpacks.  We looked at each other and laughed, this was a first!  We've camped in a lot of conditions, but never blowing sand.

We packed up and headed for Page Arizona for our Antelope Canyon Tours.  Despite the Antelope Tours best efforts to confuse time zones, we arrived on time.  In fact we were a little early, so we rushed into town to get details on a Lake Powell sunset cruise.

We got back for our first tour, Lower Antelope tour.  We walked down into the Canyon, and narrowly navigated the twists and turns.  It was beautiful to see it up close, and fun to see different colors and shapes around each corner.

Our next tour was Upper Antelope tour.  We left in SUVs and drove down a long sandy wide road that felt like the middle east.  When we arrived, there were other trucks that looked like Indiana Jones.  We again walked through the canyon, and this one was particularly famous from the National Geographic cover image.  

When the tour ended, we headed towards Lake Powell and caught the sunset cruise.  We learned about Glen Canyon Dam as well as the lake (it took 17 years to fill!).  We relaxed on the boat ride and enjoyed the sights.  

We then checked into our hotel and ordered some yummy italian food.  Calzones for everyone.  We ended the night writing some postcards and reading up sights to come.

Monument Valley - Sand was everywhere inside our tent

Upper Antelope Canyon - Entrance

Antelope Canyon - Narrow footing

Antelope Canyon - beautiful!

Antelope Canyon - Wow!

Antelope Canyon - is that rock or a face?

Antelope Canyon - famous Windows software background

Lake Powell Sunset cruise



Lake Powell sunset cruise

1-year Anniv Utah - Day 6

Before saying goodbye to Moab, we took a morning trip to see some dinosaur tracks and also do a hike to see Corona Arch.  This arch is massive and is famous for people bungee jumping off the arch.
It was a pleasant hike, but the weather got hot quickly so we made sure we were finished by 11am.

As we said goodbye to Moab, we headed for Newspaper Rock, a famous rock with carvings from the early indians.

Next we stopped at Four Corners Monument and did the goofy pose to put a limb in each state at once.

Our final stop before Monument Valley was Gooseneck State Park.  This place is surprisingly unknown, but has an unbelievable double entrenched meander of the San Juan River.  So beautiful.  From there we headed past Mexican Hat, AZ and into Monument Valley.

The photos of Monument Valley can only do it justice.  The place looks like a movie set yet has a spiritual feel due to massive red stone features.  We snapped photos constantly.

We arrived to our campsite and it was very windy.  We picked our campsite, but waited to put up our tent to minimize the amount of sand that would blow in.  To explore the park, we booked a 3 hour driving tour which took us to sights beyond the public road.  We saw old Navajo sights, and spiritual areas that our guide gave background about and told Navajo stories.
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The tour ended and it was time to set up the tent.  It was so windy, we looked like a black-and-white of people who had never put a tent together.  We eventually got everything setup on the sandy surface, and needed big stones to place over the anchors to keep the tent from flying away.  As the sun went down, we made some lovely peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Before climbing in the tent, we saw the moonrise one more time, but this time the moon looked red!  There was so much sand blowing in the wind, that the moon appeared red, crazy!

Corona Arch...Nadine in the lower center (just outside Moab, UT)

 Dinosaur Tracks (just outside Moab, UT)

 Newspaper Rock (south of Moab, UT)

Four Corners Monument

Gooseneck State Park -- Double Entrenched Meander!  (six miles of river are visible)

Monument Valley Entrance

Monument Valley - View from our campsite

 Monument Valley - Three Sisters

Monument Valley - John Wayne Point

Monument Valley - John Wayne Point (look at that hair...it was windy!)

1-year Anniv Utah - Day 5

We again enjoyed not sleeping on the ground in a tent, and the free breakfast!  We headed into nearby Canyonlands National Park, and immediately experience the vastness of the park.  It took 30 minutes just to get to the Visitor Center.  Once there, we saw signs that water was only available at the Visitor Center, so you had to pack smart!

First stop was Mesa Arch, and the view was of course breath-taking.  From there we went to Upheaval Dome hike, where scientists aren't sure whether its a meteor crater or a salt dome.  From there we went to Green River Overlook, which really gave us the sense of how huge and isolated Canyonlands is...and it also gave you a view of The Needles district in the southern part of the park.

Our final stop was Deadhorse Point State Park.  One of the prettiest sites in the park.  While there, we watched birds ride the wind thermals, and whip around near us.  What a great view.  From there we headed back into town, and dressed up for our Anniversary Dinner.  Nadine found a great spot and we shared a nice meal.  We ended the night with an ice cream and a beer, and a final moonrise.  We ended the night by the hotel pool in a comfy loveseat clam!

Canyonlands National Park - Entrance

Canyonlands NP - Mesa Arch

 Canyonlands NP - Upheaval Dome

 Canyonlands NP - Green River overlook

Canyonlands NP - Deadhorse Point (Nadine in upper left)

Canyonlands NP - Deadhorse Point 2