Painted lands to Lake Powell - magical colors - Day 10

We left the town of Flagstaff, Arizona, bright and early this morning. Only 130 miles ahead of us today. Our destination: Page, a little town founded in 1957 (!) near Lake Powell.

Little did we know the scenery was going to change so dramatically. In Flagstaff, the mountains were overgrown with trees. Then, only 30 miles farther, there were no trees in sight. All that was left were shrubs and grass. Horses and cows were running through the fields and we saw enormous ranches. We were driving through the prairie !

Again, about 30 miles farther, the prairie changed into a vast desert. The Navajo plains, home of the Navajo Indian tribes. This is the beginning of the Painted Desert. It's called like this because this part of the desert has so many colors. Red, gray, pink, deep brown and white.. all mixed together. In one direction you can see big gray rocks, accompanied by huge reddish rocks. The sun breaking through the clouds makes the desert even more beautiful.

Also, the weather changes continuously here. We can start the day with sunshine, and it will be raining 1 hour later, to be sunny again only 10 minutes after. Nice.

At one point, on our right hand side, we reach what seems to be a steep ridge of red rocks. And it goes on for miles and miles. Incredible. Until the road finally climbs this ridge and we cross it into the valley of Lake Powell.

Here are some pictures of today's drive:



Lake Powell is a man made lake that is proof of a tamed Colorado River. Up North, the Hoover Dam (the biggest dam in the world) obstructs tens of thousands of gallons of water to gain electric power. From there, the Colorado streams south through Glen Canyon. The Glen Canyon Dam is the Southern border of this long canyon. This is where we are now. This is also the beginning point of the Grand Canyon. It deepens from here and ends 300 miles farther in the West. Speaking of Grandeur.

To me, this part of the country represents the typical Far West. You can easily imagine Woody Woodpecker and the coyote running through this rocky area. The Red rocks, eroded over millions of years by the force of the Colorado River and the wind, is absolutely magnificent. N0 - Mind blowing. NO - indescribable.

See for yourself :



A moment to recapitulate : we drove from Flagstaff, AZ through the Painted Desert to Page, AZ and visited Lake Powell and the entrance point of the Glen Canyon.

Tomorrow is a huge driving day. About 7 hours of driving, through the famous Monument Valley and the Arches national park. Finally something I haven't seen before !