Monument Valley, Page & Grand Canyon
From Utah to Arizona: through Monument Valley, Antelope Canyon, and the Grand Canyon.
November 2, 22:45
The day started in Monument Valley. We booked a tour to go into the valley in a jeep, because RVs are not allowed (rightfully so cause we could have never navigated the sandy road). Our 1,5 hour tour started 45 minutes late cause our booking somehow didn’t get through. The waiting was pretty annoying since we had to rush to be on time, and then had to pay $5 for a simple, small black coffee to keep warm while waiting, which didn’t make it any better. The tour itself was fun tho! For once, it was nice not having to drive yourself, plus the area is really beautiful too. Making photos was a little tricky cause it had to be done from a moving and bouncing vehicle, but nevertheless a lot of fun!
After the tour, we drove to our next destination: Page. We only stopped at a small village for lunch, which might have been the best food I’ve had in these eight weeks. It was fry bread with pico de gallo, avocado, and shrimp. SO GOOD. So if you somehow ever end up in Kayenta, make sure you go to Amigo Cafe.
View of Monument Valley, USA.
November 3, 23:14
We had a “day off” today. Well, a day off from traveling because I actually had to get some work done. And since we had some time left, we also decided to do some laundry, fill up the propane tank, dump and refill the water tank, and do some groceries. It was a solid work and recharge day. Oh, and after all that was finished, we still had some time to kill, so we went to play a round of minigolf!
November 4, 21:46
What a beautiful day today! We started with a private boat tour on the Colorado River. It was only private cause it was low season, and no other crazy tourists would sit in the cold in November on a boat. But we did! And it was a great way to ease into the beauty of Antelope Canyon, because in the afternoon, we went to the Upper Canyon. The most photogenic place in the world, maybe. You just keep taking photos, and since every corner is slightly different, you just keep making more. Last time I went to the Lower Canyon, which was just as beautiful but a little lighter. The Upper is deeper, so not much light gets in. This makes it a little harder to make photos, but that didn’t stop us from trying! Later in the afternoon, we also went to Horseshoe Bend. I was really excited about it, cause last time I tried to go, it was closed. This time it wasn’t, so we spent a good two hours there, walking to different edges for different angles. We even brought tea and cookies to enjoy while watching the sunset. Talk about being prepared!
November 5, 21:57
We’re at the Grand Canyon! We left Page in the morning and arrived at the Desert View Watchtower around lunchtime. It was our first stop in the park, arriving from the east. We climbed the tower, had some food, and got coffee and a cookie to go. Next, we drove the Desert View Rd to the south rim and stopped at all the viewpoints. It was actually nice that it wasn’t too sunny, cause this way we could see all the different colors of the canyon very well. We parked the RV in the campground and took the shuttle to the rim. We walked along the rim for a bit, visited the art gallery at Kolb Studio, and decided to walk on the Bright Angels trail for maybe 350 meters. We went through the first tunnel, took some photos along the way, and turned back around. A good first taste of hiking down into the canyon cause tomorrow we plan to hike the South Kaibab trail. Honestly, a little scary cause it seems fairly difficult, but after all our hiking of the last two months, I’m pretty sure we can do it.
November 6, 19:56
It’s 19:56, and we’re in bed. Exhausted but satisfied. We woke up in our campground, Trailer Village, inside Grand Canyon National Park, with snow! The whole South Rim was covered in a thin layer of snow! Slightly terrified for your planned hike, but excited all the same. It was all just so beautiful. We walked along the rim for a little while and visited the Geology Museum to warm up. Then we took the shuttle to the South Kaibab Trailhead and started our hike down into the canyon. The way down was quite relaxing, to be honest. The views were insane, and with the sun shining (and our three layers of clothing), we warmed up pretty easily. The way back up was a lot more intense tho. In almost 5km, we descended about 600 meters, so much of the path was pretty steep. Many breaks, with coffee, tea, lemonade, sandwiches, and cookies, got us through it, and we made it back up safe and sound. It was so cool to go a layer closer into the canyon. You could really see the difference in textures and stones. And we could even see the Colorado River flow, including a couple of rafting boats that passed by. We were still far from close, but according to the advice from the park, it’s not safe to get any closer on a one-day hike. And after hiking back up, I see why. It’s intense!
