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  • Day 37

    Day 37 - A Blot on the Landscape

    May 28, 2019 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Still raining when we woke up. Popped into reception for our continental breakfast of coffee & cake!

    At 10am, we drove into the car park of Little Hollywood Movie Set Museum 🎥 in Kanab. It was free entry, but we put a couple of dollars in the donations box. Kanab was the location for numerous western movies & TV programmes. We started off watching 2 short videos that explained the history of movie making in the area & what was at the museum.

    The Museum had movie sets from The Outlaw Josey Wales & The Lone Ranger filmed locally. We had an enjoyable 45 minutes wandering around the the movie sets with Jackie happily (under duress) posing for lots of silly photos. Before leaving we tried on some genuine cowboy hats🤠, but as always hats don’t suit me, not at over $100 they don’t.

    We stopped outside Parry’s Lodge for a photo. This is where all the movie stars, including Ronald Reagan & Frank Sinatra & the rest of the Rat Pack stayed when they were filming Sergeants 3, the remake of Gunga Din.

    We then left Kanab & took Highway 89 eastbound, turning off to Lone Rock just before entering back into Arizona. As we drove down the road we were warned that Lone Rock was in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area & it was a fee paying area. When we got to the entrance hut we saw the entrance fee was $30. We weren’t paying that, but suddenly it occurred to me that my National Park Pass might just allow us entry.

    It did & I’m so glad it did. Lone Rock which sat in Lake Powell was lovely. We parked up & we walked the 400 metres or so down to the beach. The sun was out but it was pretty windy. People had parked up their RVs & the hardy had set up tents, where they were presumably staying the night.

    After a spot of lunch, cheese roll & crisps, we returned to Highway 89 & crossed into Arizona, where yet again we had to change our clocks. We didn’t know if we were coming or going! We then turned off again into Wahweap Boulevard & down to Lake Powell Resort & Marina. Basically it was the place where the ‘sailors’ set sail from & not a lot else to see.

    We followed Lake Shore Drive along Lake Powell enjoying the vista when suddenly to my horror there were large chimneys belting out smoke in the distance in the middle of nowhere. It was a hideous blot on the landscape. We probably weren’t the first to think this because at the next next Scenic Viewpoint there was a sign explaining why the Navajo Generating Station,that we could see, was where it was.

    We continued until we reached Glen Canyon Dam. There were Dam viewpoints all over the place & from the information available we established it is the 2nd largest concrete Arch Dam in the USA. We took numerous photos, but Jackie didn’t fancy the 45 minute tour, despite only being $5 fee.

    On we went to another scenic point of the Colorado River in Page, Arizona.This was a real little cracker. We parked up & walked down to the cliff edge overlooking the Colorado River & looking back at the Glen Canyon Dam. The views were impressive, but what made this so special was the rock formations that were layer upon layer in waves. Millions of years of geology forming the most incredible patterns.

    Next stop was Horseshoe Bend which required a $10 fee to park. I did enquire if my National Parks Pass counted, but it didn’t. We parked up & with the 100s of others trudged for 15 minutes along the trail over a sand dune to the spectacular Horseshoe Bend. It was an amazing view, despite all the idiots (mainly Chinese) getting in the way. Unfortunately the sun had gone in, but with the rainclouds in the distance made for a dramatic scene.

    Our last planned stop of the day was Waterholes Canyon just up the road, but when we saw payment was required we decided to call it a day. We then stopped at Walmart for provisions for tonight’s tea & ended up also coming out with 2 chairs & 2 towels!

    We then drove to our Red Rock Motel & checked in. Jackie thinks is the best accommodation we have stayed in yet. We have a full kitchen & patio & chairs outside. She might have changed her mind in the morning as we are sharing a normal sized double bed!!

    After a couple of beers we had a microwave lasagne with individually selected salads & coleslaw out on our patio. We both agree this has been the best meal we have yet had on our travels.

    As I type, we plan to have an early night, ready for a big driving day tomorrow .

    FITBIT = Has broken. I need a new strap!

    Song of the Day - Waves by Blancmange.
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