One more thing!

In the last two days of the tour, we covered a lot of ground and water.  Are arrival at Lake Powell which is actually a flooded part of the Grand Canyon, I found out, occurred in the late afternoon.  The quality of the lodging arrangements was a vast improvement over some of the previous stop-overs.  Luxurious, one might almost say!  Meals were served in a large, lovely dining room which over looked the lake, and the food was first rate, finally.

The next morning we were off on a cruise of the lake, which is now several dozen feet lower than it once was, and continues to drop from year to year due to reduced inflows from the Colorado River and less rainfall in the area.  Nevertheless, there is still plenty of water for a very large in interesting lake, filled with scenic canyons and bluffs, cropping up around every turn.  We weren't just on a lake idle, however, we were on our way to one of the natural wonders of the area, and a spot of sacred significance to the indigenous people, The Rainbow Bridge.  To say that it is located in a very remote and hard to reach location, hardly does it justice.  After a lengthy boat trip, we were still required to hike an additional mile (or two) to this natural wonder.  It was worth the effort!

On Lake Powell, in search of the Rainbow Bridge

Here I am at the Rainbow Bridge

The return trip took as long as the trip there, but there was one memorable stop-over at a floating marina which served ice cream.  Second to the Rainbow Bridge, it was the hit of the day.

In the evening we had an opportunity to learn more about Navajo culture and history.  An elder of the nation challenged many scientific conclusions about the origins of the Navajo people, and we toured a Hogan and observed some traditional weaving and carving.  The highlight of the evening, however, was the dancing exhibition offered by three of the tribe's boys, one of whom is a national champion hoop dancer.  In a truly amazing demonstration of skill and artistry, we were all mesmerized for over an hour by the agility and grace of these boys.

The next day, we were off the the North Rim viewing area at the Grand Canyon.  In many ways, this was what I thought would be the high point of the tour, and it was certainly impressive.  However, as has been so often noted, air quality is often a deterrent to a truly spectacular sighting, and that was the case at the time or our visit.  Forrest fires in California were blamed for a definitely haze perspective on the day of our visit.  Even if the air were crystal clear, pictures would not do justice to the scope or majesty of this wonder.  I will simply add a couple of my own, as a closing to this blog, and this adventure.

There was on final and memorable surprise awaiting us as we departed the North Rim heading for St. George, Utah and the return home.  A local snow storm added a final exclamation point to what had been a most enjoyable and educational adventure.