Lake Powell was created in 1963 when the
Glen Canyon Dam held back the waters of
the Colorado River, forming
a vast blue lake surrounded by beautiful
sandstone walls. Remarkably, it took 17 years
for the lake to fill the canyon
to the high water mark (3700' above sea level),
giving America its second largest man-made lake
- and a playground like no place else on earth
(www.lakepowell.com).
Encompassing over 1.2 million acres, Glen Canyon
National Recreation Area offers unparalleled
opportunities for water-based and backcountry
recreation. The recreation area stretches for
hundreds of miles from Lees Ferry in Arizona
to the Orange Cliffs of southern Utah, encompassing
scenic vistas, geologic wonders, and a vast
panorama of human history
(http://www.nps.gov/glca).
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| I caught you a delicious bass... |
Glen Canyon was carved by differential erosion
from the Colorado River over an estimated
5 million years. The Colorado Plateau,
through which the canyon cuts,
arose some 11 million years ago.
Within that plateau lie layers of rock from
over 300 million years ago to the
relatively recent volcanic activity
(http://www.nps.gov/glca).
The lake's main body stretches up Glen Canyon,
but has also filled many (over 90) side canyons.
The lake also stretches up the Escalante River
and San Juan River where they merge into the
main Colorado River. This provides access to many
natural geographic points of interest as well as
some remnants of the Anasazi culture
(http://www.nps.gov/glca).
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| Eric - jumping from the boat |
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| Kyle - jumping from the boat |
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| Eric - fishing |
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| Some of the fish he caught |
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| I caught a fish! |
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| More fish |
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| One of the fish Brian caught |
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| Kyle's fish |
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| Tomorrow night's dinner... |
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| The moon was so pretty! |
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| Kyle and Eric - fishing |
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| These little lizard guys were everywhere |
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| More fish |
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| I got to drive the boat... |
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| Me and my wonderful husband |
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| Eric, Ronda, Kyle and Grandpa Dennis |
Rainbow Bridge, the world's largest natural
stone bridge, was "discovered" on August 14, 1909
by the Douglas-Cummings expedition.
Many Native American Tribes already knew
of the bridge's existence and had passed stories
down about its creation for centuries.
On May 30, 1910, Rainbow Bridge was designated
as a National Monument by
President William H. Taft.
At 278' wide and standing 290' above
the streambed, Rainbow Bridge remains a
favorite Lake Powell destination today
(http://www.lakepowell.com/vacation-attractions.aspx).
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| Me and Eric at the Rainbow Bridge |
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| All of us at the Rainbow Bridge (From left: Grandpa Dennis, Ronda, Brian, Eric, Me, and Kyle) |
Stay tuned for the final post in the
Lake Powell series...
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