Tuesday, May 14, 2019 Hanging Gardens Hike, Page, AZ

We decided to take a quick walk down to the water (Lake Powell) this morning. Probably a quarter mile from our Wahweap campsite in loop C (Glen Canyon National Recreation Area) we got to this sign telling us the beach was still three-quarters of a mile further. It looked like it was just at the end of the sidewalk. That's where the walk headed downhill and I think it might have been even further than the sign indicated since the water level was so low.

Fairie Dusters were in full bloom all around the park.

I think Joani will forever be looking for interesting rocks underfoot. Of course, we would never think of picking up rocks in a National Park! All Sam cared about was sampling the water as the waves lapped at his feet. 

There were narrow passages in the lake but there were also wide open spaces where people could open up the throttle. We found out the lake is more than 100 feet below full so there was a lot less surface for boating than they could have. In the marina, it seemed nearly every houseboat included a few jet skis at the stern but it was still too cold to see any of them out and about.

On the five mile drive between the park entrance and our campsite, we were treated to beautiful vistas that changed constantly with the variation in clouds and lighting. Tower Butte reminded us so much of Devils Tower in Wyoming and was one of our favorite landmarks - it made its way into a lot of our pictures.

Near the dam, a short hike took us out to the Hanging Gardens.  Water seeping from above kept the grotto cool and damp - ideal for the Maidenhair ferns that grew there in abundance.

The Hanging Gardens trail is an easy one-mile roundtrip that takes you past some beautiful Navajo sandstone formations.

Who wouldn't want to hike to the top of an ancient sand dune to get a better view!

A side trail led to the top of a fossilized sand dune that gave us a nice view in every direction. Make no mistake, that was really steep but the sandstone gave us excellent traction. Of course, Joani spotted these strange formations we later learned were Moqui Marbles. One of the rangers said it is not known how or why they form.

"The Navajo Sandstone was once the biggest expanse of dunes on Earth. Its color comes from flakes of iron-rich minerals blown in and buried with the quartz sand." livescience.com

It's not "known" how they form, but there are many theories. Most Moqui Marbles are iron coated with goethite (younger) or hematite (older) - These are not, but the Carl Hayden Visitor Center still called them Moqui Marbles.

"Moqui" is a Hopi word that means "dear departed ones."

 As the sandstone wears down, the marbles are released and roll down to form puddles of marble debris.

 I've been seeing these circles all over the sandstone.  They have ranged from one inch to five or six inches. A ranger had no idea, so I've hit the internet and the best thing I've found that matches are "reduction spheroids."

A large Moqui Marble with a cool spiral in it and a mystery spot all in one shot. 

We could not resist taking a few more of Tower Butte on the way home. That's Navajo Mountain far of on the horizon. The butte is 10.85 miles away while Navajo Mountain, in Utah, is 17.6 miles as the crow flies. Actually, part of the Lake Powell National Recreation Area is in Utah. We are just over a quarter mile from the border if we hiked straight north.

The sun was still high but clouds would leave vast areas in the dark.

The light from the lowering sun mixed with the mesa behind Tower Butte in the shade of a cloud made a surreal combination.

Sunset was pretty colorful but we were not well positioned to see it as it was over the hill from our site. We also noticed rain falling from some of the clouds that never made it to the ground. The arid desert climate evaporated the raindrops as they fell.

Monday, May 13, 2019 Move to Page, AZ

After a comfortable night at the Home Depot, we got an early start and headed north on Arizona highway 89 to complete our journey to Page, AZ. The road was pretty good and mostly level so it was a pleasant drive. We drove a total of 135.8 miles (92,794.5 total) to the Wahweap campground on Lake Powell in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. 

Along the way, we saw some spectacular scenery as you can see below.

I said highway 89 was mostly level, but there was one 3-mile uphill grade we had to take pretty slowly. You probably can't tell by the picture below but we would have had to climb another 300 feet if not for this excavation effort.

After the climb, it was all downhill for the last 12 miles into Page, AZ

When we finally saw Lake Powell we were very much impressed with the color and the gorgeous panoramas. It took some time to adjust to the scale of things. The clear air and distant horizons made us think things were much closer than they actually were.

We were early enough that there was no wait for check-in and our site was already vacated so we were set up before noon. Just look at that view!

We had plenty of daylight to do a little exploring. First up was an overlook where we could view the Glen Canyon Dam. It was built in the '60s and had the advantage of the lessons learned from the Hoover Dam downstream built in the '30s. Everything seemed to have been completed a little bit more efficiently. They even built the bridge at the same time so there was never any significant traffic across the dam. 

I was surprised at just how clear the river was. Apparently, all of the sediment was left behind the dam and the river reflected the bright blue sky with a passion.

Later in the afternoon, we headed to the Wahweap overlook off of highway 89 for the sunset color. 

We ran around so much it was difficult to believe this was actually a moving day - can't wait to see what the coming week has in store for us!

Sunday, May 12, 2019, Move to Flagstaff, AZ

It felt good to get back on the road again, but we will certainly miss the people we met and the amenities we've grown accustomed to at Val Vista Villages in Mesa. Our exit from the Phoenix area meant the now familiar and rugged uphill climb north on I-17 to Flagstaff, AZ. Joani planned an easy day to get me back in the swing of driving - 169.7 miles (92,658.7 total).

The saguaros are abundant along I-17 until you reach about 3500 feet at the Bumble Bee exit and then they disappear.

I managed the engine RPM by downshifting to keep the engine temperature in check as we climbed nearly 6,000 feet for the day. We could not have asked for better weather! Mostly sunny and a bit cool - at least it was cool when we started. By the time we pulled into a rest stop near Sedona I was ready to concede it was downright cold and put on a jacket.

The San Francisco peaks overlooking Flagstaff were nicely frosted with snow.

Snowcapped Mount Humphreys

Our plan was to overnight in the Cracker Barrel parking lot. That plan fell apart when 1) their idea of RV parking was a few narrow slots that were no more than 30 feet long and 2) being Mother's Day, the parking lot was packed. We continued a bit further down the road to the WalMart but their lot was probably the most cramped of any I had ever seen. Narrow aisles and curbs and "no overnight parking" signs everywhere forced us a bit further down the road to a small mall parking lot. It appeared to work for us until a security guard told us we would not be allowed to park overnight.

Joani called our campground in Page but they said there was no room for us to arrive a day early. Finally, Joani tried the Home Depot and we were elated to find they had no problem with our overnight stay. More importantly, it was level and had easy access, it was right along our route and it had "Joani approved" stores within walking distance (no need to unhook the car). It gave her a place to spend a few hours shopping (while I read my book) before we turned in for the night.

Thursday, May 2, 2019, Japanese Friendship Garden and the McClelland Library - Irish Cultural Center

Another opportunity to use our American Horticultural Society Membership was a visit to the Japanese Friendship Gardens in Phoenix. On Google maps, the site seemed to be surrounded by the freeway so it was difficult to imagine it being a peaceful setting. We found the freeway was underground - I am still curious to know what prompted the construction of such a massive freeway tunnel project - so the gardens and the surrounding neighborhood were truly peaceful.

At the far end of the pond, I spotted a pair of swans posing for me. When we walked around I saw they were just decorations floating near the waterfall. Maybe I should not have spoiled the tranquil illusion.

I believe the purple flowering trees (found throughout Pheonix and Mesa) were Jacaranda Trees.

The mallards were very real and colorful and not bothered in the least by passing patrons.

The Koi were well fed and eagerly swam towards anyone near the water just in case there might be another handout.

The garden was indeed very peaceful - I could understand how one might sip tea for hours on end and watch the day slide by. We were impressed with some high rise condominium towers overlooking the gardens, but a quick check online told us the smallest unit started at $965,000. With a mortgage payment, taxes and association fees that would be some very expensive calm.

Next door to the garden was the very impressive McClelland Irish Library and Cultural Center. The stonework made you think it was built hundreds of years ago but it was just opened in 2012.

There was an extensive exhibit highlighting the Book of Kells. The book was hand illustrated by monks in the ninth century including portions of the Bible's New Testament. It also included important records of the time such as land deeds and family trees. This, of course, was only a reproduction of the original Book of Kells (housed at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland). The reproduction process was documented in a short film we watched. There was a tremendous effort to make the copies as authentic as possible.

The entire neighborhood was quite impressive and we will have to spend more time exploring another time but today the temperatures were headed into the 90's so we decided to head home to Sam and some relaxing at our resort.