Day 9: Grand Canyon (second day) and first evening in Lake Powell

Miles driven to-date: 3,102
States visited to-date: 13

We arose today at 4:00am to watch the sunrise over the Grand Canyon. It was an unforgettable experience – much less crowded than last night’s sunset, and the views were amazing.

We then did a 2-mile hike down into the Canyon which was unlike hiking anywhere else because the hard part comes during the second half, when you have to get back up! The hike took us to appropriately-named “Ooh Ahh” point. Here’s a photo of us when we reached Ooh Ahh:

The hike took about an hour and a half and was the perfect way to see the Canyon from a different perspective. It was also nice and cool since we began the trek at about 6:20am!

Sadly, it was time to take our tent down and get on the road again as our next stop was Lake Powell. Steve said the 140-mile drive to Page, AZ was one of the most interesting yet and he commented that the landscape in Arizona looked as though it belonged on a different planet. We were also amazed that from the highway we could see huge plumes of smoke formed by the raging wildfires here in northern Arizona:

We arrived at Lake Powell in the late afternoon and checked into our room at the lodge. I know my Dad will be jealous when he sees that this was the view from our balcony:

The marina was filled with houseboats, complete with propane grills and waterslides leading from the upper deck into the water. We heard they cost about $10,000 for a week’s rental, but can fit up to 14 people so many families and friends share a boat and can then explore all of the Lake’s canals and hidden coves.

The evening was fairly uneventful as we needed to do some laundry and take quick naps after getting up so early for sunrise, but we wanted to be rested before the next day’s adventures began. More soon . . . thanks for checking in!