Page/Lake Powell AZ

Waiting in Page AZ

It's so darned frustrating... just waiting on something you have no control over! Our Doctor  in NM is on vacation and apparently left nobody in charge for authorizing refills for prescriptions!  We started trying to get Chuck's prescription refilled while we were still in Hurricane Utah and nothing before we left. WalMart pharmacy told us they would forward it to Page as soon as the approval came through.  We stayed here in Page an extra day, called the clinic and made the request again, and still no prescription for Chuck!    :-(

Usually, when we come to the Page/Lake Powell area we camp at Wahweap Campground .  Their prices have gone sky high but it is a beautiful campground and worth every penny! 
http://phunnyfarm.blogspot.com/2011/07/lake-powell-at-wahweap-campground.html
So we decided to try the more affordable Page-Lake Powell Campground on 849 Coppermine Road.


It's is $23 here for water and electric and it is a very nice campground close to the WalMart Pharmacy (should we need to run over there!)

 Page is a small town created when Glen Canyon dam was built. Much like how our hometown of Truth or Consequences NM emerged from the Elephant Butte dam!  See DoogieBowser grabbing his leash? He likes to walk himself!

 This campground is huge! As you can tell from the sign on the laundry, the main campers here are Europeans! They come in the RV rentals, Cruise America's etc.  There are at least 3 huge groups of teen tenters here also from Europe. Perfect time for the Europeans to come, the dollar is so devalued that  they can travel far on their euros and our gas is about $2 cheaper per gallon than their gas is back home. 

We are very happy where they put us in the campground. Off in a corner by ourselves. We had no close neighbors here, nice!

The east side of the campground is a huge red rock, and they have created an interesting hiking trail there.  Page-Lake Powell Campground offers an indoor pool, hot tub, exercise room, laundry and is dog friendly.

Chuck and I have the best luck in finding amazing restaurants!  In Page we found "Fiesta Mexicana" and OMG!!!!  It is amazing! (Gaelyn, they have one in Kanab!) The campground folks highly recommended this restaurant to us and we were glad they did! 

 The salsa that comes with the chips is good, but you haven't tasted good guacamole until you have tried it here!  YUM!

 Our server was Fernando, funny, friendly and delightful! He gave good service and we asked for him the next 2 nights we visited! Hey, good Mexican food is hard to find in Utah... we were making up for lost time now that we were in Arizona!

 Chuck got a chimichunga and I got chicken enchiladas with verde sauce. The servings were HUGE and very moderately priced!

The patio outside is colorful and it really feels like a happy place inside and out to enjoy your meal!
I do want to put in a word here about the folks who come from other countries and rent the motorhome RV's.  I just wish you would figure out the speed limit signs and stay on the right side of the road and not drive down the middle! Yesterday we followed a Cruise America RV for 44 miles from Mexican Hat to Bluff UT. The speed limit was posted at 65... They drove most of it over the middle line at 45mph except when going downhill! And there are several long downhill 7%-9% grades where I was wondering if they had found where the brake pedal was yet! EeeeeeK! Because of their erratic driving we opted NOT to pass them with the MotherShip but to follow with flashers on. Only 2 cars attempted to pass them and one nearly got sideswiped as the rental RV drifted over in the left lane, I don't think they ever used the rear view or side mirrors to see if anyone else was sharing the road with them! Of course I agree, the scenery from Mexican Hat to Bluff is awesome and amazing, BUT !!! Please... PAY ATTENTION!
Last night we landed in one of our favorite campgrounds, Cadillac Ranch in Bluff Utah!
Bluff is a perfect place to spend a few days or weeks just exploring the Southwest! Great location! Less than an hour to Monument Valley, http://phunnyfarm.blogspot.com/2011/07/monument-valley-tour.html

or Hovenweep or Canyonlands National Parks, Moab, The Goosenecks State Park, Valley of the Gods and some of the most amazingly beautiful country America has to offer! Less than 3 hours from here is four corners and Mesa Verde National Park. Usually we just plunk ourselves down right here at the Cadillac Ranch for several days and go exploring! This part of Utah is one that will keep your jaw dragging on the ground, it is just so beautiful.... it screams "THIS is the SouthWest!" to me! It defines the American southwest better than any other place we have visited.  More later in the next blog! 
Love ya'll!
Geri, Chuck and our HoundHerd Scotty, DoogieBowser and Radar!



Road Tripping from Hanksville to Bluff Utah!

This is where we left off on the last blog. At this intersection in Hanksville 24 turns left and heads up to Goblin Valley State Park and Interstate 70. Bearing right puts you on Highway 95 headed to Bluff and more amazing scenery.  Glen Canyon Recreation area to name one.

The scenery along Highway 95 is as diverse as it is interesting and beautiful!

Shortly after turning on 95, the earth on the left side turned orange and had bright green small shrubs growing all over the hillside, looking like polka dots from a distance!

Once again, we find ourselves on the 

road less traveled!

 The real beauty starts showing after you pass Highway 276 on the right, that road takes you down to Bullfrog Landing on Lake Powell. We have never been there, but hear it is beautiful!

The red rock walls show up,

towering over the highway!

There are green trees against the red rocks.

There are a few steep hills,

both up and down...

But the view around the next curve is worth it!

Hog Springs is a great pace for a picnic break!

Clean pit toilets too!

I never get tired of red rocks!

Or balancing rocks...

         Or the views that surprise you at each turn!

Yep! That's what I'm talking about!

Click on the picture and realize that

those little black dots at the base of that 

rock pillar are cars!

Lake Powell is beautiful!  

See the arched bridge in the center?

Click on the photo to enlarge it!

There is another view of it!

And a closer view...

Crossing the Colorado River!

Suggested reading:

Edward Abbey - The Monkey Wrench Gang

You will truly appreciate this area more!

More of the roads less travelled.

I don't think we passed more than 50

vehicles all that time on 95!

Yep, just what it looks like! That is the road headed straight up  and through that little cut in the rock!

Finally near Blanding, Highway 95 ends and you must turn right on Highway 191 to Bluff.  This is where Bluff begins, through the red rock walls!

Bluff Utah, established 650 AD, not too many American towns can make that claim, 

not even St. Augustine!

You gotta turn right at this old truck and go to

Twin Rocks Cafe and try their Navajo Tacos! 

YUM! 

Right next to the cafe is a wonderful 

(Museum Quality) Native American Art Gallery! 

Better than most of the museums and 

art galleries we have visited! Pricey, but quality!

      This is where we camp in Bluff! Cadillac Ranch!

The MotherShip is behind that white truck!

The time to drive from Torrey via Hanksville and Highway 95 was about 4 hours, 

but we stopped along the way to 

walk the pooches!

Now I will have to get busy and show you all the neat places we have visited since being here in Bluff. 

Last year we stayed 2 days, not enough!

This year we stayed 4 days... Still not enough!

Bluff is right at the center of Native American Culture!

We have visited great panels of rock art/petroglyphs!

Visited the south end of Canyonlands National Park and driven down some pretty amazing dirt roads!

We will tell ya all about it in the next blog!

Sunset from our campground!

Happy Trails! Reporting from The MotherShip,

Geri, Chuck and The Hound Herd

Lake Powell and Around Page AZ

Lake Powell AZ

and surrounding area

Oct 2010

While camped at Lake Powell we

camped at Wahweap Campground

The view out the front door of the

MotherShip was gorgeous! That rock

is the same one seen in the previous

blog at sunset! It changes colors all day!

This was taken early morning after

a night of rock 'em sock 'em

thunderstorms!

By noon, color had returned to the rock

and to the skies.

Sunset reflected off the rock!

Road tripping around Page AZ

beauty all around!

The rock formations are huge

and curiously shaped

That dark blue stripe at the top of the

photo is the Colorado River. It forms

Lake Powell behind the dam.

More beauty. The night rains just

intensified all the colors!

Horses wandering on the Navajo Rez.

They have right of way on all highways!

Seeing this semi-truck beneath the

towering rocks give you and idea

of how large the rocks really are!

That small yellow sign behind the truck

informs of a runaway ramp ahead

because we are about to go down a very

steep hill! That little white stripe across

the top is the lower 1/2 of the highway

we are on! eeeeek!

A very long way down!

Once safely down, we encounter more

horses open range!

Another tourist enjoying the sights!

More horses

Back at Lake Powell

The landscape is other worldly!

In fact, the movie "Planet of the Apes"

was filmed around here!

The water is a very dark blue because

it is so deep! These were once

beautiful canyon lands!

If you get a chance read "The Monkey

Wrench Gang" by Edward Abbey.

Interesting story about the making of

Lake Powell.

Wahweap Marina at Lake Powell is

packed! You can rent everything here

from personal water craft to house boats

with helipads!

As I mentioned in the previous blog,

we are currently at our home in

Truth or Consequences NM.

I have one more blog to finish all

photos taken around Lee's Ferry AZ.

We head for FL in 2 more days so

Lee's Ferry will be the last blog for

this amazing journey that we have been

travelling this summer.

Happy Trails!

We love you all!

Geri, Chuck and our furkids

Scotty and DoogieBowser