May 25 - United States: Page, Arizona
The campground was absolutely PACKED when we got up this morning. And it was loud, too. So we're really glad to be getting out of here and heading to a hotel for two nights. Then we'll go to the Grand Canyon for five more nights of camping.
We broke camp and packed up the car and then went to the Mean Bean for breakfast. Then we headed back into the park to take the scenic Route 9 to 89. This is the only part of the park that's open to vehicles.
Historic Tunnel
To drive along Route 9 we had to pass through the park's 3.9 mile tunnel, which was built in 1930. It's now a protected historic landmark because of how it was built. The laborers blasted away at either side of the mountain, and also in the middle of the mountain. The result is a long, winding tunnel with windows to the side. These windows look like lovely viewpoints, but they were really there so the blasting could be done from the middle of the tunnel as well. Because the tunnel was designed for cars in the 1930s, it's not really big enough for two lanes of cars in the year 2002. The rangers have set up a flagged stop to let each lane of traffic pass through the tunnel. It wasn't a long wait at all, and probably the best way to preserve this historic landmark.
We definitely had a scenic drive through the park, at one point we stopped for pictures of the "Checkerboard Mesa":
Checkerboard Mesa
The checkerboard design was caused by erosion and rock movement over the years. Jon took a little hike around the area and got some pictures of a cactus flower.
Cactus Flower
Bureau of Land Management Office (BLM)
Then we were on our way to Page, Arizona. The drive to Page was about 2 hours through arid, dry countryside. About 30 miles outside of Page, we found the BLM office we were looking for. The other nigh in the hot tub, the nice German couple told us about a unique and photogenic rock formation called "The Wave". They said it's difficult to get to and only a handful of people are allowed in each day. We followed their (slightly vague) directions to this office. It turns out that this is the place to be, and they have a lottery each day for 10 next-day permits. So Jon decided that we should have a go at this tomorrow AM.
Page and Lake Powell
Then we continued into Page. About 10 minutes before, we could see the blue of Lake Powell, which seems incredibly out of place in the middle of the desert. We crossed over the Glenn Canyon Dam and found the Motel 6 in Page. The place looked like it had been hit by a hurricane, which is understandable as this is Memorial Day Weekend. What wasn't understandable, however, was the surly woman who checked us in. Not only did she make us wait until she'd finished sweeping the floor, but she answered the phone and dealt with the caller in the middle of our check-in. A cardinal sin in my book, as I believe that people in person always take priority over people on the telephone. I don't care who's calling. So we had to wait again until she was done. But what are you gonna do? It is a cheap hotel, after all.
Because it was only 12:00 (Arizona doesn't do Daylight Savings Time, so it's an hour behind Utah time), and the room wouldn't be ready until 2:00, we passed the time at Burger King and Wal-Mart. Later, we followed the German couple's directions to another local site - Antelope Canyon.
Antelope Canyon
This is a gorgeous slot canyon on Navajo land, and the Navajo Nation is smart about making a profit from it. There are plenty of tour operators in town which charge $40 for an all-day excursion to the canyon. But - according to our German connections - if we go straight to the gate it's much cheaper. So that's what we did. We headed towards the power plant until we saw a sign which read "Northern Antelope Canyon". There, Jon go the scoop on permits, entrance fees, and best times to go, so we were good to go.
Next, we ran a bunch of errands that aren't worth mentioning, and then hung out in the room for a little while until dinner.
Zapatas
Zapatas was a local restaurant that was recommended to us by a girl in the photo shop. They asked us if we had reservations, which we thought was slightly absurd since this is Page, AZ - population of maybe 3000. But they had no problem getting us a seat. We each had the beef burritos, enchilada style. And afterwards, we went back to the room to get ready for a full day tomorrow.