Hi, All
I don't know how many of you would be interested, but I know that many of my friends have never seen the stark beauty of our western deserts. As my husband and I just returned from a 10-day visit to southern Utah/northern Arizona, I thought you may like to see some of the pictures we took there.
We visited Lake Powell, which is mostly in Utah, though the dam that created it is just over the border in Arizona. This was land that had been set aside for the Navajo tribe of Native American peoples previously. They traded the land for other acreage near the small town in southern Utah where many of my husband's family live (Blanding). My husband and I both grew up with a few Navajo friends, but learned little of the culture until later in life.
Lake Powell, as I mentioned, was created behind a feat of engineering marvel called Glen Canyon Dam. The canyon was named by Major John Wesley Powell, who was among the first non-native people to explore the Colorado River from headwaters to at least this area. The dam was started in the late 1950s, and filled to capacity for the first time in 1983.
It was created to stablize water flow in the western region, most of which is drained by the Colorado River and its tributaries. In a pact among seven states, it was agreed that the states surrounding the upper Colorado Basin would deliver to those surrounding the lower Basin several hundred million acre-feet of water per year. Later, an agreement was made with Mexico to deliver a guaranteed amount of water there.
In order to do that and still have sufficient water to meet our own needs, a reservoir was conceived. Lake Powell serves that purpose, and provides in addition a recreational wonderland. Its creation was not without controversy, as archeological sites were lost to its waters and there are always those who disapprove of interfering with Nature.
While visiting there, we spent a few days on the lake in my brother-in-law's boat, sightseeing, fishing and just visiting. Unfortunately, the weather was quite windy and the extremes of temperature (about 98 degrees F during the day to about 65 at night) took their toll on my sister-in-law. They left early, and we were left to find our own entertainment after that.
We spent the next few days taking advantage of tours that were available for the dam, and also visited the famous Antelope Canyon. Antelope Canyon is what is known as a 'slot' canyon, for its narrow walls. You may have seen photos of it before. It is famous because at midday, shafts of light enter the very narrow top of the canyon and pierce to the bottom like the finger of God in a majestic cathedral.
We were unfortunately not there at the right time for the shafts of light, but the colors, shapes and textures of this most magnificent work of Nature were breathtaking. We also hiked out to a bend in the Colorado River below the dam that is named Horseshoe Bend for its shape.
Finally, on the way home, we skirted the more famous Cedar Breaks and Zion National Parks and, driving through a spectacular area called Red Canyon, took time to visit Kodachrome Basin. There we viewed some curious features called 'sand pipes'. Geologists believe they were formed by liquified sand being injected into softer surrounding strata. When the surrounding rock was eroded away by wind and water, which carved all of this amazing landscape, it left spires of tall, narrow rock that seem impossible to stand alone.
While there, we hiked about a mile to see an off-the-road feature, an arch of sandstone named Shakespeare Arch for its discoverer. While not as spectacular as those in Arches National Park near where we grew up, it is still a marvel.
I've posted a few pictures of each of these areas for your enjoyment if you care to look at them. You can find them on Yahoo with
this link.. I'm not familiar enough with the tools there to know how to change the names of pictures, so if you want to ask me about one, just refer to the file name and I'll answer as best I can.
Thanks for letting me share with everyone all at once!
Cheri