One of my favourite parts of exploring Arizona, was the insane presence of red rock. It was literally everywhere, as far as the eye could see.
Our first stop of the day was Glen Canyon dam which holds back Lake Powell. I’d never seen a dam this big before in person, so it was pretty surreal seeing THAT much concrete holding back THAT much water. It was this huge manmade mass in the middle of so much natural rock.
We stopped off at the visitor’s centre to pick up our Junior Ranger packs (blog post on these babies coming soon), and also to fill up our water bottles, which is a definite must, before piling back in the van.
We drove down a little way, until we found an easily accessible spot for us to go and swim. It was already kinda busy and, to be honest, I could tell why. The weather was still around 40°C, and Lake Powell was this beautiful shade of aqua blue.
Our leader had some inflatable donuts in the van, so she blew them up whilst we all got into our swimming gear.
Getting changed beforehand wasn’t so tricky, it’s afterwards when you’re all wet and trying to keep your clothes dry at the same time .. but also trying to avoid any nip slips whilst holding up your towel, that it becomes a bit of a task.
The water was lovely and warm – very much needed after a hot, stuff day inside the van – so we spent a couple of hours chilling by the water’s edge.
And then it was onward towards Horseshoe Bend – which was, and still is one of the most incredible landforms I have ever seen. It’s a very close rival to the Grand Canyon.
It’s a little walk from the carpark, nothing too strenuous – if I can make it, anyone can. Plus, I totally forgot how sweaty I felt when the bend came into view. The whole landscape was warm with these orangey hues with a splash of bluey-green from the Colorado river below.
Which, of course, called for some arty shots.
Kept it short and sweet today, but thank you for reading.
