Do you have a Reservation?

Leaving Bryce Canyon, we headed further into the wilderness of the "Four Corners" area, the majority of which is Navajo reservation territory and very little developed. Here's the route: Bryce to Page

We gained an hour on the journey; although Utah sits north of Arizona and both are in the Mountain Time Zone, Arizona does not keep daylight saving time, so in the summer, it is an hour ahead of the rest of the time zone, the same time as California and Nevada. except for a small part of the State that is covered by the Navajo Reservation and that *does* keep daylight saving time. Confused? You are not alone!  In the small town of Kanab, we have a choice of route 89 or 89A. Both are US highways and therefore well maintained, or at least as well maintained as any of the roads around these parts! I'd looked at various travel guides for suggestions and the best advice was that both are scenic, but 89A is usually less busy. They both form part of the direst Federal Highway network between Salt Lake City and Phoenix, two large cities that currently have no Interstate connection.

Along the way, we stopped for a "photo overlook" and got chatting to a Canadian couple who had travelled from Alberta. Lots of chat about the differences between the UK, Canada and the US - particularly how friendly the locals are. Having stopped, we thought we'd better take a picture:

a panorama looking over Dixie Forest and the "Grand Staircase" rock formations

There had been some controlled burning through the forested parts and along the way, what little traffic there had been turned off towards the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. We discovered a fail-proof method of finding a picnic area - you pull off the road into any form of track that looks level and with easy access to get back onto the highway, have lunch and sure enough, a mile or two along the road you'll come across a proper picnic area...

The forest ends as abruptly as it started and we were back in scrubby desert again. Marble Canyon sounded interesting (it wasn't) and the bridge across the Colorado looked good from Google Maps. There is a small visitor centre, but all the parking was taken, so we passed on by.

Our next stop was Horseshoe Bend, a landmark on the river where it makes a 180 degree bend in a deep canyon. It's signposted clearly with a large parking area and a trail up the hill to the viewpoint. Be warned...  Where the signs say to wear proper shoes (and absolutely not sandals) and carry plenty of water, they are not to be taken lightly. The sand is so hot that you will burn your toes and there is nowhere to get a drink or refill water bottles. There is a pavilion at the top of a hill in the right direction, so we head off thinking this is the viewpoint. It's about half a mile and about 400 feet up.

When we reach the pavilion, we discover that it isn't the viewpoint. That is now downhill, about half a mile further on. We've come this far... I should mention that the temperature is around 105 F approx 41 C and there is no shade!

When we get there, the view is worth the hike

Then there is the hike back to the parking. Like the Haynes car manuals say, it is simply a reverse of the outward procedure. You can just about see the half way pavilion in this next picture on top of the hill:

Time to find Wal-Mart to stock up on essentials and head to our RV Park. It's the only place in town and though it looks a little rough as you arrive, it is actually rather nice. Tomorrow, we are heading to Antelope Canyon.

Antelope Canyon

Page is a strange little town, originally a work camp for the building of the dam across the Colorado that created Lake Powell upstream of the Grand Canyon and the more famous Hoover Dam. It's the nearest town to Antelope Canyon and the reason we stayed there. Antelope Canyon is a "slot canyon", just wide enough for two people to pass - mostly - and between 20 and 40 feet deep. Being formed in soft rock, its claim to fame is in the light effects and patterns on the rocks. It is very popular for visits. Being in the Reservation, only accredited Navajo guides are able to provide tours. we splashed out on the more expensive and much longer "Photographer's Tour". words can't really describe this place, so the pictures will have to do:

Leaving Page, we headed to Monument Valley using this route. If you imagine the sort of scenery that you might see in a Western movie, that is exactly what you will find here. Miles and miles of nothing! Not a good place to break down...

First view of Monument Valley

In the next instalment, we'll look at Monument Valley. And we gave back the hour we'd gained.