Rolling Along Country Roads: Lees Ferry, Condor Egg, and The Colorado River

April 23 - 26
Lees Ferry near Page, AZ

After leaving Desert View Watchtower at the Grand Canyon we proceeded on Hwy 64 east. We were mildly concerned that this road might not be appropriate for RVs, but it turned out well with great views and decent road conditions. We drove for about three hours, which is typical for us. We came to the crossroads of Hwy 89 and 89A and I waited with the RV while Ellen took the car and went ahead to check out our next possible camping spot. On the map, my waiting point was the town of Bitter Springs. It consisted of about a dozen houses and an LDS church. Ellen called with the campground confirmation and I started the last eighteen miles of our drive to Lee's Ferry Campground.

The reason for the long prelude is to set up the last eighteen mile drive. I entered the canyons bordering the Colorado River…

Lee's Ferry setup. There were neighbors, but not real close.

Rising majestically on either side were red hills, you realize you are not paying proper attention to the road as you traverse this path. You come to two side by side bridges spanning the river. An old one used for pedestrians and a newer one for vehicles. There was no one following me so I stopped on the bridge to look down on the river. Then took a right and headed the last few miles to the campground. It was on a hill overlooking the river with tiered sites. Still boondocking, but it did have garbage, and restrooms. After vulch-ing a site, our term for waiting like a vulture for someone to leave a site, we set up in a great site overlooking the river.

Our View

It was a beautiful day and we decided to take a bike ride to see the extent of the campground and the beach. Ellen had seen that high winds were coming and we wanted to enjoy the ride before the wind arrived. At the end of the road we found a parking lot for rafters of the section of the Colorado set up. Sounded like great fun, but I think you bought your tickets elsewhere, and met your guides here… Oh well, another time. Rode back to the beach below the campground, but deep sand and the winds arrival kept my feet out of the water. I did help rescue a pop up canopy that was rolling down the beach. Did I say wind???

Navajo Bridge Visitor Center

The next day we returned to the bridges. There was a visitor center there. The older of the two was called Navajo Bridge and was one of the first bridges spanning the Colorado river in Arizona. Before that you had to take Lee's Ferry across. A little over half way across the bridge there was a table, a spotting scope, a camera on a tripod, and two of the nicest folks you will ever meet. They volunteer with the naturalists who keep track of the wildlife in the area. They had spotted a Condor nest in the cliff above the river. They were explaining to excited children and adults alike the significance of this find. Everyone had a look through the scope and momma condor sitting on her egg. If we waited long enough papa would return too. This was a find of a lifetime as the condor usually nested in the cliffs much farther into the wilderness.

The Volunteer Table (Insert smile here)

Old and new bridge. Left for walking only.

View from Navajo Bridge

View of the river downstream of the dam.

The next day we took a drive to Page and stopped to view the dam that created Lake Powell. Spectacular view! We drove north to look at Wahweap RV Campground, where we might have stayed if they hadn't been full. It was OK, but where we landed was better. Also we wanted to drive up to Lone Rock, a place on the beach where an Instgramer we follow was staying. We considered it, but were concerned about sand and wind. Nice place! We spotted the lone dark RV (all others were white) belonging to the folks we follow. They were not home so we left a post it note on their door, smiled and left. Walmart for Grocery shopping and back home.

Lone Rock. Lake Powell. No wind... yet.

Got up early the next morning and headed to Horseshoe Bend to beat the heat and crowds. It was a wonderful hike and the view was everything we hoped for. The morning sun made it interesting to get a good picture, but the lack of afternoon heat made up for this deficit. Oh, and they were working on the trail, so we had to trek through the deep sand to reach the canyon view. People kept ignoring the workers as they were told to stay off the regular trail and walk through the sand. Like herding cats… But the regular trail was much easier to traverse. Just dodge the equipment doing the repairs. From there we took a drive to Antelope point and lunched in the car while enjoying the view.