INVITING LAKE POWELL (GLEN CANYON NATIONAL RECREATION AREA)
Words of advice: Don't even try to figure out if you are in Arizona or Utah, leave alone what the real time is. Just enjoy!
Leaving the magnificent geologic beauty of Zion, Cedar Breaks and Bryce, we arrived at Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, an area we call "Lake Powell." Here a new dominant color made its debut: blue! All around us arches, buttes, mesas and a wide variety of shapes and forms are anchored in water.
The Campground at Wahweap Marina is beautiful, each site privileged with a great view.
The lake, of course, was not in nature's grand plan, but the result of the flooding of the valley after the construction of Glen Canyon Dam which was completed in 1966. There was a fair amount of controversy with conservation of water, the production of power and control of the river pitted against the destruction of Native American sites and geologic wonders which now lie at the bottom of the Lake.
Whether you rent a houseboat or small boat on your own, or book a tour on a commercial boat, getting out on the lake is the point! We chose a 5 hour boat excursion to Rainbow Bridge.
The lake level is low, but higher than it was a few years ago when it was at such a low level the closure of the power plant was being considered. Because the lake is not at its highest, our boat tied up about a quarter mile from Rainbow Bridge and we walked to the bridge.
The short jaunt was well worth it.
They say Rainbow Bridge is sacred to at least five different American Indian tribes so we had to refrain from hiking too close or climbing on it.
Of course, renting a houseboat for a week would be a better way. We put that on our agenda!
The Wahweap Marina 
Campground guests are invited to use the hotel pool. There we kept one eye on the lake, one eye on the cocktails and appetizers, and turned a blind eye to the male German tourists wearing speedos. Alan refused to take their photo.
Anxious to get back out on the lake in a different light, we enjoyed a dinner cruise. It was a lovely boat, the food was great (fresh trout!) and the scenery spectacular!
To learn about how and why this lake was formed, we made a stop at the Carl Hayden Visitor Center at the dam. There you can view the dam and bridge.
Concrete for the arch bridge and power plant was poured around the clock for three years.
The lake is named for John Wesley Powell who, with his party, mapped the area and recorded its natural history in 1869. There was, of course, no lake at that time and these brave men floated the rapids of the Colorado River. What would Powell think if he saw the area today?
There are two sites nearby that are a must for visitors: The Antelope Valley slot canyon and Horseshoe Bend. They are so picturesque they deserve their own chapter in this blog!.
Stunning. I want to take a trip like that with you! I don't even mind Germans in speedos.
Here in HC we are celebrating Chelsea's job offer from the Karuk Tribe as a PA. So excited to know she has a good job to support herself and pay off loans AND can stay here in HC. Life is good.