Pictures of the Week 2008-25
Hello All,
Our final venture out of Page, AZ was a 100-mile boat trip on beautiful Lake Powell. The target destination was Rainbow Bridge National Monument. We departed from Wahweap Marina on a tour boat under contract to the National Park Service. The 3 ½ hour one way trip to the National Monument went through some amazingly beautiful scenery. There were twisting canyons, multicolored cliffs, towering buttes, interspersed with sandy beaches. All types of watercraft are popular on the lake, but the houseboat is king. Wahweap Marina alone has over 1,000 houseboats in slips. Some have over a million dollar price tags!!
Our final venture out of Page, AZ was a 100-mile boat trip on beautiful Lake Powell. The target destination was Rainbow Bridge National Monument. We departed from Wahweap Marina on a tour boat under contract to the National Park Service. The 3 ½ hour one way trip to the National Monument went through some amazingly beautiful scenery. There were twisting canyons, multicolored cliffs, towering buttes, interspersed with sandy beaches. All types of watercraft are popular on the lake, but the houseboat is king. Wahweap Marina alone has over 1,000 houseboats in slips. Some have over a million dollar price tags!!
Glen Canyon Dam was completed in 1966 following
ten years of construction. Waters of the
Colorado River and tributaries are backed up for about 185 miles forming Lake
Powell. In 1972 Glen Canyon National
Recreation Area was established, encompassing the lake and more than a million
acres of desert and canyon country. The
lake reached full pool level in 1980. In
1984 excess floodwater went over the spillways and through the diversion
tunnels on each side of the dam. The
lake has been drawn down ever since. It
is easy to see the full pool marks on the rocks, as it shows up in white.
Fishing and water sports are
dominant activities on the lake. The
primary game species are largemouth and striped bass, black crappie, catfish,
bluegill, trout, and walleye. We were
told by one of the locals that striped bass have become so prevalent that there
is no limit on them.
One of the hardest things we have to do in writing our little blurb is figuring out what photos to include in the write up that are representative of the area. This boat trip alone we snapped over 1400 photos!
Our tour boat was a 57-footer powered by twin Cat diesels. She held sixty passengers--twenty eight on the open top deck and thirty two below. We sat on top to take advantage of the many photo ops. Once again, the vast majority of the folks onboard the boat were from abroad!!
It was a bit windy on the top deck under cruise speed. And our melons were sunburned after seven hours of sitting out in the open!! But it was worth every minute of it.
One of the hardest things we have to do in writing our little blurb is figuring out what photos to include in the write up that are representative of the area. This boat trip alone we snapped over 1400 photos!
Our tour boat was a 57-footer powered by twin Cat diesels. She held sixty passengers--twenty eight on the open top deck and thirty two below. We sat on top to take advantage of the many photo ops. Once again, the vast majority of the folks onboard the boat were from abroad!!
It was a bit windy on the top deck under cruise speed. And our melons were sunburned after seven hours of sitting out in the open!! But it was worth every minute of it.
Once we reached Forbidding Canyon the captain
slowed the boat and sounded a long blast of the horn. It was easy to see why; there is a lot of
boat traffic and the canyon is extremely narrow and winds back and forth. Rainbow Bridge National Monument is about
three miles into the canyon.
However, with the low water of
the lake the last mile into the monument is by foot. Rainbow Bridge is the largest natural bridge
in the world. The red sandstone bridge reaches a height of 290
feet, spans 275 feet, with a thickness at the top of 42 feet. We learned the difference between
arches and bridges. A bridge is created
by water and an arch is created by wind and gravity.
After tying up at the Park Service dock we started our hike into the monument. The mile and a half walk was fairly easy although it was very hot in the canyon.
After tying up at the Park Service dock we started our hike into the monument. The mile and a half walk was fairly easy although it was very hot in the canyon.
To help with the perspective notice the people
on the left side of Rainbow Bridge in the following photo. It was awesome!!
The geological significance of
Rainbow Bridge led to its designation as a national monument in 1910, but long
before its discovery by white explorers, American Indians considered Rainbow
Bridge a sacred religious site. To this
day the bridge has deep religious and spiritual significance to our Native
American tribes. Special prayers are
offered before one passes beneath the bridge, and failure to do so is believed
to bring misfortune. In 1995 the Park
Service began requesting that visitors refrain from passing under the monument
in an effort to respect the longstanding beliefs of the Native American people.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns