Part six..........

The last days on the road - We leave Lake Powell and head to Zion National Park - it's on our route home so we stop for a couple of days now that we have discovered how special the parks in this area are.

Zion is another beautiful area, more unique scenery all so amazing..... driving into this park the oversize vehicles must have a special permit and wait for the road to be clear before travelling thru the tunnel! yes, we are oversize and wait our turn to enter the tunnel, we must keep to the center be careful not to hit the low curved ceiling.  Another little adventure on its own.

We find a camp spot and get settled in this beautiful area, Watchman peak in the background 

is over 6500 feet.

More hiking and biking for us .........

 hiking under a waterfall on the way to the Emerald Pools

 This little fellow was busy drinking out of the creek until we came along...

 still in the high desert where we find cactus all around

Back to the west coast now - we stop at an Oregon State park near The Dalles, on the Columbia River

The rain has just stopped and left everything very shiny and clean, daffodils included.

The next day was the final leg of the trip home, I won't tell you about how we didn't make a reservation for the (super special rate) Anacortes ferry and couldn't get on for 3 days, so drive to the border crossing and sail BC Ferries at twice the price! 

Part five.........

What? there is still more?  ok we will pack up and move today - only about 5 miles north to another spot on Lake Powell - Lone Rock Camp, this is where we will launch the kayaks for one more slot canyon trip.  Norm and Jerri have already been there a day and made it sound way to good to pass up.  We decide to stay for 'one more day'  we've already been 3 days longer than planned........that's what it's all about right?  MANANA!

You can see two rigs on the beach here, this was taken as John and I left (finally)....beautiful place to camp.

 heading into another slot canyon - this one gets very narrow, no room to paddle, it's hand over hand along the canyon walls for a few hundred feet until we can go no further - ha ha ha - have to back out the same way

much laughing at this process and a lot of bumping walls and other boats........

 Norm and Steve get quite the scare as a coot (duck) flies out of one of the holes in the wall right beside them.....then a few minutes later it happens to John!  Time to get out of here.

 looking for another canyon to explore!

Part four..........

Ok, now we are supposed to get back on the road for home,  but wait...one more day.........ok, now we sign up for a raft trip down the Colorado, we pick the easy flat water one, nice and relaxing.  Once again the four of us, Steve Nan John Deb, head to town, register, listen to the orientation, hop on the bus and ride to the bottom of the Glen Canyon Dam through a 2 mile tunnel (yikes its dark) where we load into the rafts - our group fills three rafts (this is the slow season).

looking up from the bottom of the Glen Canyon Dam

with our river guide Paul

 a nice easy relaxing 4 hour trip down the river

The canyon walls get higher and higher as we wind our way 15 miles down to Lees Ferry, 

where we end our trip

 Cold and Clear

we manage a quick step into the Colorado River

the end of the day we return home - for Chips and Beer of course!

Part three......

That was supposed to be all, and we were to head home.  Nope, tomorrow we will hike 'Upper Antelope Canyon' - we sign up for the 2 hour photo tour with Steve and Nan.

A quick dusty bumpy ride in this open truck to the entrance of the canyon...

 WoW!  here we go!

 the slot canyon is wide at the bottom - very narrow at the top, most places you cannot see the sky 

 Our guide, Leon, has our hike timed so we catch the light rays beaming down into the canyon as the sun passes by an opening

 what a sight!

Nan, Steve, John 

coming out of the canyon at

the far end where it opens up into a wash.

Seasonal flash floods keep eroding and 

changing the walls of the canyon.

Part two....

Our prearranged rendezvous at Page, Arizona....Forrest, Sharon, Norm, Jerri, Steve, Nan, John, Deb meet for appy hour to plan tomorrow's adventure - Antelope Canyon Kayak trip on Lake Powell

After about a mile paddle, we start looking for the entrance to the canyon, just up ahead we turn into a slot canyon, hope it is the right one.....

 a photo stop along the 2 mile paddle up the canyon

 Getting narrower! 

at the end of the waterway we beach the kayaks and find a lunch spot in the canyon.

Hiking just a little further - one more corner, each time the path gets narrower, twisting along leading to a dry water fall that will be the end of the hiking, no way up to the top.

The last bit of the trip home!

We are getting settled, unpacked, cleaned up, starting yard work, and getting back on the golf course for Deb...this is the busy time before cruising season starts!

Here are a few pictures to tell the story of our trip home - we had so much fun!

 Somewhere along the way home, Steve, Nan, John, Deb celebrated one last Margarita!  I think this was the last night in the Baja, the day after the trailer fix.....yes we needed to celebrate.

Just to prove we had snow and cold! Minus 8.3'C in Flagstaff Arizona.  Being an innovative Islander I used the only snow shovel available....of course my little plastic "dustpan" broke while I was clearing a walk way out of the trailer.

 These are one of my favourite - Mexican Poppies, aka, Desert Poppy, Prickly Poppy

 Barrel Cactus

Ocotillo

On the way to our arranged meet up with Coyote friends in Page, Arizona we were lucky to spend a few days in The Grand Canyon!  yes it is Grand!  The pictures don't really give the true impression, believe me, it is amazing.

I have always wanted to do this!!!  

Look close to see the Colorado river way way down at the bottom.

 We biked the south rim.

 John standing just a bit too close the the edge, of course, what did you expect.

 the must do! early morning Sunrise over the Grand Canyon....

 Spectacular! don't you think..

another view from the south rim, hard to get perspective with my little camera, it's a long, long way down to the river