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All of the images below are thumbnails and can be clicked on for a larger image.
SATURDAY, JUNE 5, 2010:
On this bright, sunny and HOT Saturday morning I took a smooth water float down the Colorado River.
Our adventure began with a ride down the two-mile long Glen Canyon Dam access tunnel.
We boarded a comfortable motorized pontoon raft at the river level, with the dam soaring 583 feet above us.
We then started our fifteen mile journey downstream on one of the most spectacular stretches of river in the U.S.
Located just above the northwestern boundary of Grand Canyon National Park, this remaining portion of the
original Glen Canyon is one of the river's true treasures and one of the few places along the river's
length that the stunning scenery is accessible for day trips.
We had the opportunity to view the famous �Horseshoe Bend� from the water, lower middle picture.
In tomorrows pictures you'll see what it looks like from the top of the cliff looking down.
At one point, we rounded a bend, pulled into a sandy beach and enjoyed a brief walk to view ancient petroglyphs.
Our river journey ended at historic Lee's Ferry where we saw rafters beginning there trip through the Grand Canyon.
You can also see the beautiful Vermillion Cliffs towering above Lee's Ferry.
It was about an hours drive back to Page from Lee's Ferry.
After a lunch break I headed over to the Glen Canyon Dam.
Glen Canyon Dam is the second largest dam on the Colorado River. The dam is 710 feet high and 1,560 feet long.
It is one of the world's largest concrete dams (larger in bulk, though not in height, than Hoover Dam).
The dam, completed in 1963 and dedicated in 1966 after completion of its power-generation facilities,
regulates the flow of the upper Colorado and its tributaries and produces hydroelectricity (since 1964).
The dam sharply reduced the seasonal flow of the Colorado downstream, dramatically altering the ecology of
the river in the Grand Canyon. Lake Powell, formed by the dam, extends 186 miles upstream into South Utah.
The Glen Canyon Bridge, 1271 feet long and 700 feet high is one of the world's longest and highest steel-arch bridges.
I took a 45 minute guided tour of the dam. We took an elevator down to the top of the dam.
We walked the the dam tunnels which are a refreshing 50 degrees year round.
We walked out on to the top of the dam and visited the hydroelectric powerplant, at the toe of the dam,
consisting of eight 155,500 horsepower Francis turbines.
If you look at the picture on the lower right you can see the blue rafts where my morning rafting trip began.
Back on December 26, 2006 I flew over the Glen Canyon Dam. Below are some photos from the air.
Lake Powell is the reservoir on the Colorado River, straddling the border between Utah and Arizona (most of it is in Utah).
It is the second largest man-made reservoir in the United States behind Lake Mead.
Lake Powell was created by the flooding of Glen Canyon by the controversial Glen Canyon Dam, which also led to the creation
of Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The reservoir is named for explorer John Wesley Powell, a one-armed
American Civil War veteran who explored the river via three wooden boats in 1869.
I took a ninty minute boat cruise on Lake Powell from the Wahweap Marina.
The highlight of the cruise was cruising through Antelope Canyon.
This high-walled Navajo Sandstone side-arm of Lake Powell is famous not only for its coloration,
but also for the slot canyons found at its head to the east.
We ended our 90 minute cruise by sailing past the top of the Glen Canyon Dam.
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Hello Everyone, Had a busy day in the Arizona heat today. Got up to 100 today, supposed to be 104 tomorrow. But I spent most of the day on the water, so it was only bad when I had to get back in the HOT car. There is no shade out here. Started the day by going through a two mile tunnel to the base of the Glen Canyon Dam. There I boarded a raft for a smooth water float down the Colorado River. The picture below is of the Dam and bridge as we began our trip.  It was a beautiful trip down the river. The walls of the canyon as high as 1400 feet above us on both sides.  We were on the river for about three hours.  Below is a picture of the Vermillion Cliffs at Lees Ferry where we ended our trip.  It was a 23 mile trip down the river. But a 50 mile ride by bus to get back to Page. Next I took a tour of the Glen Canyon Dam.  We walked out onto the Dam. The picture below is of the Colorado River and the bridge from the top of the dam.  If you look in the picture above, the blue specks on the left canyon wall are the rafts where we began our river trip. On the other side of the dam is Lake Powell.  This is where I began my boat trip on Lake Powell. Below are pictures of Antelope Canyon, the highlight of the Lake Powell Cruise.    Below is a picture of Lake Powell itself from the cruise.  And the cruise ended as we sailed by the Glen Canyon Dam. This time you can see it from the Lake Powell side where the water is 540 feet deep.  That's the last dam picture. It was a fun day. It's back to the Grand Canyon tomorrow. This time the South Rim. Until tomorrow, Tim |
Click on the arrow above to see tomorrow's adventures!
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