After about six hours of driving through Monument Valley in the Navajo Reservation (please note the main photo for site is Monument Valley three years ago) we arrived in Page at the border of Utah and Arizona. I like to take US 163 and US 160 rather than US 191 because you go right through the Valley of the Gods and Monument Valley, which are spectacular and unlike any other place on earth. We stopped in Mexican Hat at the San Juan River and bought some jewelry from a Navajo family on the side of the road before checking in and dropping the dogs off. It was still early so we decided to take a tour of Upper Antelope Canyon which was beyond words. It is a narrow canyon that was carved out by water, which actually still runs through every fall and you can see trees stuck twenty feet above your head (however, the nearest forest is over twenty miles away- crazy). Anyways it is made up of sandstone and quartz so the sunlight reflects off the rocks in many different ways and natural light just washes out, which makes it very hard to photograph well. As you bob through the canyon the sides curve out every which way as the sun beams down through a tight crack above. We entered the park off US 98 and paid a lot less than most other tours that require reservations. Our tour guide Lanny, who family has been in the area for nine generations, was informational and entertaining. He was knowledgeable but also told us of his own childhood playing in the canyon and sledding in the sand. He knew exactly where to take the best photos and even showed me a bear silhouette in one of the bends in the canyon - see if you can see it too (photo #5).
Again, I always ask locals where to eat and Lanny suggested the Point at Antelope Marina on Lake Powell (http://antelopepointlakepowell.com). Make sure you take the free shuttle down or you will regret it. Not only did we have a great dinner and amazing service but the atmosphere was perfect. It is the largest floating restaurant in America and the building is made of stones making it blend into the natural environment (photo #6). It was one of the best marinas I have been to with all the amenities from a wake boarding park to gas docks to a coffee and ice cream shop. For dinner we split the Ja’di’ Tooh pasta in a pesto alfredo sauce with artichokes and it was light and tasty. Holly, our server, was local and so enjoyable and attentive. If you come to Lake Powell you must go to the Point. Tomorrow Ill be returning to go wake boarding after we white water raft down the Colorado River so tune in for tomorrow's post...