New Spot

After leaving the Grand Canyon, we continued north on US 89.  Although I've been on this road a few times, I really didn't remember how much it looks like the Painted Desert.

Instead of heading to Page like we usually do, we veered off on Alt 89 which follows along the base of the Vermilion Cliffs in northern Arizona.  Diana had told us about the boondocking places along this road and we picked the same spot she had, about two miles south of Marble Canyon.

Marble Canyon is the site of the only bridge over the Colorado River between the Glen Canyon Dam on Lake Powell and the Hoover Dam on Lake Mead.

And a very popular place to see the rare California Condor.  This is the best I could do with the only one we saw.

But when Diana was there a few years ago, she captured some amazing shots.  Check them out here.

A short scenic drive north is historic Lees Ferry.  Various ferries operated at this remote site from 1872 to 1928 when the Marble Canyon bridge was completed.

The travelers came down the Paria Canyon and, once across, had to climb out using Lees Backbone which you can see in this picture.  (I guess they didn't believe in apostrophes.)

(It doesn't look too scary in the picture, but I wouldn't want to climb it.)

This is also the starting point for many rafting trips down the Grand Canyon.  The boat in the previous picture was preparing for an eight day trip.

Moving on, we continued on Alt 89 and enjoyed the colorful Vermilion Cliffs, which were named by John Wesley Powell on one of his expeditions down the Colorado.

Sometimes the road might have been a little too close to the cliffs.

It's always a thrill to see wildlife and, like the elk in my previous post, this pronghorn looks very pregnant.