Today was a busy day as we squeezed in everything we had left to see in Page for the very last minute. It was a lot to do in one day but so, so worth it! Grab a cup of coffee and settle in for a long post…
Our first activity was a tour of a slot canyon located on the Navajo Nation.Antelope Canyon is the most popular slot canyon near Page and attracts millions (!!) of visitors per year. We weren’t originally going to do a tour because they are super expensive and reviews said that the huge group is herded through the canyon as fast as possible.Then the stylist who cut our hair yesterday gave us a personal recommendation for a company who does semi-private tours of Waterhole Canyon.The five of us took up over half of the tour group so it was definitely semi-private!It was a great choice for our first slot canyon tour!Slot canyons are formed by erosion over millions of years as water rushes through cracks in the rock.There were tiny lizards hanging onto (and blending into) the red Navajo sandstone as we hiked by.Despite his desert camo this big lizard didn’t blend in as well. 😆Some sections of the slot canyon were narrow – very narrow!A few places had ladders installed to get down to the next section.My mamarazzi heart has never been so proud as when the kids (unprompted) counted to three in unison and then jumped for a picture together. 🤩All of Waterhole Canyon lies on Navajo land so it is a sacred site – we could easily see why they want to protect it.Our tour guide told us to look up for a Mexican spotted owl that has a nest in the canyon. No one had to tell Adler twice to search for a bird of prey!Got myself an Instagram husband! 📸We spotted a kingsnake and quickly moved aside to get out of his way!Our tour guide played his traditional Navajo flute as we hiked through the canyon. After the tour we asked him about growing up and living on the Navajo Nation. Super interesting to learn about firsthand. We headed back to the RV for lunch and goofing around before heading off to our next destination. I think that we could do an entire post about alternative uses for our yoga mats! 🤦🏻♀️Riggs got to ride along for this outing and Adler made sure he was buckled in nice and safe.The Colorado River flows through a maze of canyons making it impossible to cross due to towering walls and strong currents. Lees Ferry is the only place in over 700 miles where you can easily access the Colorado River from both sides.This site was used to help pioneers, miners, Native Americans, explorers and even outlaws cross the river. Adler was mostly interested in the brown trout that were swimming so close to him in the clear water!A little further down we could see where the Paria River mixes into the Colorado River.We watched the muddy Paria River deposit sediment into the clear Colorado River. The colors of the water as they mixed together was stunning.Paria BeachBalanced Rock was another interesting stop near Lees Ferry. It is “balancing” because a huge rock boulder broke from the cliff above and tumbled to a stop here and then compressed the softer dirt directly beneath, making it resistant to erosion. The boulder then acted as an umbrella, protecting the stone beneath from years of wind and rain. Over time, the loose ground around it was carried away, leaving a pedestal with a balanced rock perched on top!The huge rocks made for great jungle gyms. I was just hoping they would stay balanced until we were safely away from the area!Our last stop in this area was the Navajo Bridge. Before it was completed in 1929, people had to travel 800 miles around the canyon to reach the other side of the river.Or should I say, bridges? A second, wider bridge was completed in 1995 to accommodate increased traffic.The second bridge used the same techniques that were used to build the historic Navajo Bridge.There was one last place that we wanted to see before we left town and it was in…Utah! This free-standing sandstone rock is the namesake of (you guessed it) Lone Rock Beach.We caught the prettiest sunset while the kids played on the beach.See you again very soon, Utah! It’s back to Arizona for us tonight.
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