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Bryce Canyon to Monument Valley
The Best Western Grand Hotel is a very comfortable hotel. After a complimentary buffet breakfast we set set off on day 4 heading for Lake Powell and Monument Valley. Joanne and I, having done our penance yesterday sitting in the back, took up a much more comfortable position. The van is a little cramped and today is a five hour drive.
Leaving Bryce Canyon we descend down a little on the Colorado Plateau and traverse flat country with mountains and large rock formations, sometimes close and sometimes in the distance. Zion, Bryce and The Grand Canyon are all on the Colorado Plateau. We arrive at a little town called Kamad for a rest stop still at 5540 feet.
We drive on, still on the Colorado Plateau, and in the distance we see the smoke stack of our first nuclear power plant. Lake Powell comes in to view, one of the largest man made lakes in the US with the prime purpose of gathering the melted snow from up north, and channelling the water through hydro electric plants, and cooling for the nuclear reactors. Lake Powell flows to the Glen Canyon dam. The dam, 1360 feet wide, about 450 metres, is of concrete construction, horseshoes shaped with the bend in the wall facing the river. This means that the force of the water is pushed in to the the canyon wall away from the dam - well that's what we were told.
There is a great visitors centre over looking the dam and the pedestrian/road bridge that crosses over the canyon to the other side. We elect to have our picnic lunch in the car park, but a man wearing a gun came and told us this was not allowed, so our guide showed great restraint and we moved to what turned out to be better place, under a shady tree.
Lunch over, and without an appearance again from the man with a gun, we walked across the bridge and met our guide on the other side. The Colorado River snakes it way downstream and we head for Horseshoe Bend and a magnificent view from the tops of the cliff overlooking the river as it bends its way downstream. It was hit and the trail once again gives my knees and calf muscles a working over, but it was worth it.
Today's photo is of Horseshoe Bend in the Colorado River.
From here the Colorado River flows into Lake Mead which dams up to the Hoover Dam ( we will see this on Sunday on our way back to Las Vegas), and eventually feeds Las Vegas' water supply. So there is a reason for all to water, dams and catchment areas.
- comments
Shane Swanepoel What a great tour!! Glad you both are having a great time. Looking forward to the Grand Canyon.