July 28th - Day 46
We have now driven nearly 9,000 miles and through much of the country. The diversity of landscape and beauty that is found in our country is something that most of us don’t truly appreciate. We have found beauty in every state that we have been in and and driving into southern Utah today was just another reminder of that.
A few highlights from the day:
Prior to leaving the Grand Canyon this morning, we had to go take one more look. This time, we visited Desert View Watchtower, which was near our campground. I’ve been told that it is rude to stare, but we did it anyway. Just like with the Grand Tetons, I could sit there all day with a cup of coffee in my hand and just stare at the vastness of God’s creation.
We drove through Page, AZ on our way between the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park, and used the opportunity to catch up on laundry and groceries. I dropped Becca off at the laundromat, my mom took the kids to lunch, and I conquered our grocery list. Hopefully were caught up for at least a few days now.
When we left Page, AZ we drove across the Colorado River, adjacent to the Glen Canyon Dam. The Glen Canyon Dam creates Lake Powell, which is one of the largest reservoirs in the country and a primary water source for places in AZ, NV, and CA. Lake Powell is currently at an all time low. With seeing the lake today, I instantly was contrasting it and the people who use the water from the lake, with the Ancestral Puebloans who lived in the cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde that we saw a few days ago. The difference in how water is/was used is astonishing. The Ancestral Puebloans living in the cliff dwellings did not have a water source within miles of their dwellings, yet they were masters in water conservation and being frugal with what they had. Whereas people today, pipe water for hundreds of miles to water their lawns at the determent of many other environmental factors. It is hard to reconcile these two.
Driving into Zion today, we drove the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway and Tunnel into the park. Upon entering the park, the park ranger described the road as obstacle course for RVers. He was not wrong. The road was very skinny, with a number of hairpin turns. And, the tunnel, which was built in the late 1920’s and is over one mile long, can not accommodate two way traffic when an RV like ours is in the tunnel. Park rangers had to stop traffic on one side of the tunnel so we could drive down the center of it. Certainly an experience.
After we set up camp, Becca and the kids went to the campground bathroom, only to be greeted by a tarantula. Hopefully this is the last one we see while we’re here…
A few pictures from the day:
