Road Trip

[Chris]

Barb and I spent a week in our popup in the Lake Powell area by Page, AZ with a day in Mesa Verde on our way home. Last Summer we passed through the area but due to time constraints couldn't spend any time there so we decided to go early this year. We did some tourist stuff like the boat ride in some canyons, visited the dam and Antelope Canyon (stunning!) etc but had the best time running some trails in Utah which was all of 18 miles away. We probably did a dozen trails and only got lost once when we followed tire tracks up a wash and ended up far from where we intended to be. :erm:

Wheeling in sand was much more fun than I expected probably because my truck did so well in it which is not what I experienced with my old truck. The sand and sagebrush mixed with some relatively mild obstacles also earned a re-naming of the 4Runner from "The Princess" to "Emily II" after proving over and over than she's a damned capable truck in the vein of our old FJ62. :thumb:

Pics to come I hope. My camera seems to have taken all the abuse it can and was unpredictable at best. I hope some photos came out but know most won't since the electronics were balky at best. :frown:

[Chris]

Some Pics - A couple of the trails, lots of sand and sagebrush. These are in the south end of Escalante and the Vermillion Cliffs area.

[Chris]

Barb watching the solar eclipse with the "solar glasses" allowing us to look right at the sun.

[Chris]

Lake Powell Canyon from boat…

[Chris]

Antelope Canyon, for some better shots of this search for pics Andrew posted last year.

[Chris]

I should add that we had a great time despite heavy winds the last couple days. The campground (Waweap) on the lake was virtually empty since kids are still in school. The temps got as high as 101 one day we were running trails but always cooled down nicely at night. I never heard any wind info but it rocked the popup and ripped off out canopy which was nothing compared to the tents that were blown down. I suppose that contributed to the minimal people there.

None of my Mesa Verde photos came out, I guess my camera died during the Antelope Canyon visit since the quality of those deteriorated as they progressed. The visibility was poor when we were there due to the dust blowing and the huge fires in New Mexico.

[Heather]

Amazing photos!!! Looks like a gorgeous blast.

[96blkbeauty]

Sweet pictures

[Java]

wow. antelope canyon is amazing, and the boat shots are too. the wheeling trails look like they could be the lake shots except for the dry ground. very very cool. :thumb:

[migli]

jealous looks like a really nice time

[Brad]

Amazing photos, I was looking for a good stopping point on our way to the north rim of the GC and that is what made sense. I did read they get a lot of wind. Thanks for sharing! :thumb:

[Michael4rnr]

Awesome pictures. I love the hiking in utah, the slot canyons are awesome.

[Brody]

Glad that you guys had a good time!

Thanks for all the great photos!

[glacierpaul]

Truly awesome pic's Chris!! Glad you and Barb had a good time! More of these kind of trips should help you quit smoking :)!

[Mr6dwg]

I would like to visit that area. I have seen some great pictures and it seems like a fun place to explore.

[Biojeepr]

Antelope Canyon, for some better shots of this search for pics Andrew posted last year.

Awesome pics! I have seen this place on calendars before and always wondered where it was.

[Chris]

Thanks everyone, Antelope Canyon was a big reason for going, the canyon boat ride was interesting but wheeling in the sand and sagebrush was the best in both of our opinions. Very different than wheeling on good old Colorado rocks but fun to do for something different.

[MelloYello]

Wow, that looks like a great trip. Thanks for the report and pics!!

[4Runninfun]

thanks for the pic's I really want to get down to antelope canyon.

[Pathrat]

What great pictures!!! I can't wait to go down there. Escalante is near the top of my list of places to explore. I am jealous but glad you had such a pleasant trip. I love sand wheeling, isn't it just a blast?!

[Dirt Claude]

Looks like a great trip Chris, thanks for sharing!