April 6, 2010 – Flagstaff to Lake Powell

We woke to 28 degree temperatures and ice on our motor home and car.  However, the wind was gone.  Our first stop was a gas station where we set a trip record of $177 [OUCH!] for a fill-up; although the good news is our gas mileage has been steadily increasing.  As we drove north, Mt. Humphreys snow-capped peak remained in our rear view mirror of some 75 miles. 

Most of the drive was through generally flat land with colorful and increasingly higher cliffs to both the east and west.  

Along the route, we passed through half dozen towns.  Three of them were little more than a few RVs and beat-up mobile homes, a gas station and small store. 

By comparison, Cameron and Bitter Springs were “big cities”.  In between were an endless number of abandoned roadside shacks used for selling locally-made jewelry and other crafts; although none as “breathtaking” as Chief Yellow Horse’s operation.

And, occasionally, in the middle of nowhere …

The climb out of Bitter Springs was nothing short of spectacular, rising sharply along the edge of Echo Cliff’s rust-colored red rock.  

Close to its 6,000′ top, there is a pull-off where we pulled over 

and could look out on Bitter Springs below and across Marble Canyon to the Kaibab Plateau which forms the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Having been to the Grand Canyon before, we opted for Lake Powell and were not disappointed. 

Crossing Glen Canyon Dam, you get your first real look at the deep blue color of the lake.  As you descend into Wahwear National Park the lake and its surrounding cliffs leave you speechless.  

Parenthetically, to try to avoid repetition, I keep struggling for superlatives to describe the scenery we’ve had the opportunity to see these past few weeks.

We took a bike ride and can now claim that we biked to

Shortly after the sun set, we looked out the door of our rig and the scene was beautiful, with the sunlight still painting the cliffs on the east side of the last with a red hue.