October 31, 2016
Page, Arizona
Another fun day trip we made from Kanab was slightly more out of necessity – Stumbo needed a repair.
We hoped that the “patch job” would be all that was needed to avoid a full replacement – spoiler alert – the patch job didn’t do the trick, so we’ll be in Albuquerque for at least 10 days having an expensive repair in November…but not to get ahead of myself.
We took the homeless-day opportunity to drive about an hour away to Page, AZ to check out the dramatic bend in the Colorado River just south of the Glen Canyon Dam known as Horseshoe Bend. It was an amazing, breathtaking view.
One of the main reasons it took your breath away was because the viewpoint was on the edge of a 1000 ft cliff with no railings, fences, or any other type of structure to offer the illusion of safety. There were just lots of warning signs as you approached. Some very daring people walked right up to the edge to take selfies, and others sat with feet dangling off the edge. I took more of the “kneel down & crawl from about 20 feet away, and then lay on your belly to enjoy the view” approach.
We took turns grasping the girls hands with a sweaty nervousness, and scolded them every time they wiggled. It was definitely beautiful, but I would categorize it as the most dangerous tourist attraction we’ve enjoyed so far. I was surprised when I googled it later that only 1 person has fallen to their death there in about 20 years.
We had to get back to Kanab in time to pick up Stumbo before the repair shop closed, but in our brief excursion to Page we also enjoyed a picnic lunch at a large, grassy park, some Starbucks coffee, replenishment of some supplies, a bathroom stop at a BLM Dinosaur Museum, and a quick hike/run to check out some hoodoos.
The funny rocks that erode on the lower, softer rock layer faster than the top, hard layer to create stone mushrooms are called “Hoodoos”. We didn’t have much time, but Sunny and I ran about 3/4 of a mile to check out the hoodoos on this popular trail.
We made it back to the repair shop to get Stumbo with 5 minutes to spare (this is living life to its fullest, you know) did a quick change into Halloween costumes in the car, and went to enjoy the downtown Trunk-or-Treat & Carnival. Another very full but wonderful day of adventure.