Mail..Mail everywhere but none to be delivered!

There is so much natural beauty in this part of the country. The scenery, rock formations & foliage is so different than what you find in the midwest that we are awed at every turn. The Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument was our destination last Friday. There are 3 distinct areas that encompass over 1.9 million acres. Most of the area is not accessible by car and the 45-50 mile drive that is, consists of dirt & gravel roads. They are paved, kind of, but still dirt, best maneuvered with a 4 wheel drive vehicle. We actually had to get our manual out to see how to put it into 4WD low, but never needed to use it.

We drove about 1/2 way then back, planning to come in on the north side when we are in Panguitch Utah and see the other half.

We were surprised to learn that this area is a prolific region for dinosaur archaeological digs and has been for many decades. The ranger at the Big Water Visitor Center showed fossils of huge dinosaurs and discussed a recent finding of an alligator fossil approximately 70' long. Alligators are one of the only remaining creatures that date back to the dinosaur era.


"Paved" road through Grand Staircase Escalante.



Unusual rock formations.









We also were able to see the Vermillion Cliffs and hike to Horseshoe Bend -where the Colorado River circles around in a horseshoe format. I also tried a hike to the Hanging Gardens, but I was the only one out there and 3/4 of the way lost the trail. Should have paid more attention when I was a Girl Scout. I could see the trail at the top but couldn't find the trail without scaling a 10 foot rock.


Vermillion Cliffs


Horseshoe Bend. This was the best view I could shoot without
getting too close to the edge...chicken!




Rugged trail of Navajo sandstone.


We had a nice dinner at Antelope Point Marina , the only floating restaurant on Lake Powell for Ron's birthday.


Ron at his birthday dinner.


Another afternoon was spent at Lee's Ferry. A 45 mile drive from Page and the only spot in Glen Canyon you can drive to the Colorado River in over 700 miles of Canyon Country. Here you can view the first rapid in the Grand Canyon. This was an operating ferry from 1872 until 1928 and the area holds a lot of history. Today the launch ramp for the ferry, is used as a gathering spot for all of the river runners to begin their rafting trips down the river. It is also a popular area for world-class trout fishing. The original homestead of the family that ran the ferry is still intact. We took a short walk to view the historic buildings and stopped to have our lunch overlooking the orchards.


Paria Riffle


Original site of Ferry


Rock formations at Lees Ferry


We have delayed our departure for a couple of days, waiting for our mail to catch up.

There are no mail trucks or delivery's in Page Arizona. Everyone has to go to the post office to pick up their mail. There is no pick up from Friday afternoon till Monday morning. We have lived in small, rural towns but never this isolated. We also found out that the mail really doesn't come to the campground, it is picked up by the lodge and then delivered to the campground office. Of course no one bothered to advise us of this unusual arrangement. After 3 trips to the campground office, an hour at the post office and waiting at the lodge for 1.5 hours we got our packages! I love my country and wouldn't want to live anywhere else...however...since the post office is run by the government and the campground is in a national park...run by the government ...I shouldn't have been so surprised by the SNAFU. At one point we thought the Pony Express was still alive and well in this area.

We'll hit the road tomorrow. We were going to make a short trip and stay in Kanab, UT to view Zion National Park, but, since we lost a couple of days, we will go on through to Panguitch, UT and take a day trip back to Zion.

Hope all is well!