Preview of Andyfreshwater's blog at TravelPod. Read the full blog here: www.travelpod.com This blog preview was made by TravelPod using the TripAdvisor™ TripWow slideshow creator. Entry from: Williams, United States Entry Title: "USA Desert Lands" Entry: "USA's Southwest Desert Lands Today we drove 300 miles across the desert from the Mojave to Hurricane, near to Zion National Park. The heat was relentless sitting at or around 100F. Generally the landscape is very barren; however with mountains and rocks formations of all shapes and colours, this land has its own rugged beauty. Every now and then we would come across an oasis of greenery surrounded by a sprawling township or a City in the case of Las Vegas. It is amazing how these places have sprung up in such arid areas. We crossed four state lines, leaving California; we drove through Nevada and Arizona, before finally entering the Mormon state of Utah. During the next week our journey will then take us in a grand circle of some 1500 miles, taking in five of the National Parks, finally returning to Las Vegas to win our fortunes! A thrifty tip! If you plan on visiting more then four national parks it is best to purchase an annual park pass at , otherwise the entrance fees are per car load, excellent value either way. Zion National Park, Utah Zion National Park encompasses some of the most scenic canyon country in the United States. The park is characterized by high plateaus, a maze of narrow, deep sandstone ...
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Grand Canyon Arizona Gateway Hotels (12 of 23)
www.grandcanyon.com During the peak of season, the Grand Canyon Hotels can book up rapidly. You will need to choose a hotel in one of Grand Canyon's gateway cities like Williams, Arizona, Flagstaff, Arizona, Cameron, Arizona, Page/Lake Powell, Arizona. This video will help you decide which...
Monday, November 28, 2011
Page, Arizona
It's a small town perched on top of a desert mesa near the Arizona/Utah border, and if it were not for the 3 million visitors that stream through Page every year, the phrase "middle of nowhere" might come to mind. It may be remote from any big metropolis, but Page is also the "gateway" to the wonders of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Lake Powell, the hottest destination for water recreation in the state. (Click the link for the full story on Lake Powell.) If you're on your way to either of these places, Page is the place to stay, load up on supplies, and spend a day or two orienting yourself to the fascinating natural and cultural history of this desert locale.
The town was created in 1957 to house the 2,500 workers on the Glen Canyon Dam construction project, plus their families. They were installed atop Manson Mesa in trailers, working for seven years to construct the dam. Today this small community with amazing views of the Colorado River has a population of about 9,000, and is adjacent to a 27,000 square-mile Navajo reservation. It is the only community within a reasonable distance that provides full services to any of the nearby recreation areas, and as such has enjoyed steadily growing vitality since the completion of the dam.
What to do in Page? Those who take an interest in engineering and the history of the West will love Glen Canyon Dam, a monument not only to man's engineering prowess, but a landmark in the history of water management in the West. The dam is one of the largest power producing facilities in the Western U.S., and is a vital water collection site for the entire Southwest. All of this comes at a price, of course. The dam's placement and construction was hotly protested because of the impact it would, and did, have on the riparian environment along the Colorado, and all the life it supported. Even today proponents of the dam's demolition are an active and vocal force in discussions about future water and land management. The dam offers daily tours and interpretive programs.
Page is also the spot to book your tours of Lake Powell and the surrounding attractions in the Glen Canyon Natural Recreation Area. Lake Powell offers countless options for boating, houseboating, fishing, swimming, kayaking, hiking and camping, all in the beautiful, if somewhat strange, landscape created by flooding a deep desert canyon.
No one fails to be amazed by the geologic beauty of Rainbow Bridge National Monument or Antelope Canyon. A graceful arch of sandstone, carved by millennia of wind and water, Rainbow Bridge is the world's largest natural bridge. Antelope Canyon is a stunning example of a "slot canyon," an intricate, winding matrix of narrow passageways eroded into the sandstone mesas. Both are fantastic photography subjects, and trips to Antelope Canyon, which is on the Navajo reservation, must be booked through a licensed tour operator. You can make those arrangements at a number of places in Page.
Be sure to make time to stop by Page's John Wesley Powell Memorial Museum to get a full appreciation of the amazing accomplishments of Lake Powell's namesake. Outside the museum sits a replica of the wooden boat that Powell and a handful of intrepid explorers used to investigate the mysterious interior of the Grand Canyon more than 100 years ago. One look at this little boat, and one glimpse of the Colorado's powerful water explains why there's a museum built in honor of Powell's efforts. The museum also operates a Visitor Information Center which serves as a referral and booking service for local tour operators, including houseboat rentals, airplane tours, and outfitters for Antelope Canyon, and local lodging facilities.
Here's the coolest thing you didn't know about Page. It was the location for the filming of the 1965 film "The Greatest Story Ever Told," with Max von Sydow as Jesus and the Colorado portraying the biblical River Jordan. Once the dam was fully operational, the waters of Lake Powell slowly covered the movie set, but rumor has it that you can boat over the site and see the set below the crystal clear waters.
Buying Ikea Room Dividers Black And Decker Battery Replacement Best Quality !8!# Shop Stippling Brush Makeup
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |