Lots wife as a pillar of salt

I left Organ Pipe National Monument and took the Route 303 bypass system around Phoenix. I tried not to look east and get depressed again by urban sprawl, but a few times I sneaked a peek. I could barely see the Superstition Mountains from all the pollution. My effort to not look back reminded me of Lot’s wife who looked back as they fled and was turned into a pillar of salt. I escaped such a fate when I took a quick peek towards Phoenix and was relieved to finally intersect with I-17 and head north, up and over the Mogollon Rim. That put me on the Colorado Plateau, which at that point looks a great deal like the welcoming and soothing segment of this same plateau that juts into New Mexico: pinyon, juniper, grasslands. Tango had been hot and uncomfortable for two days and that progression north and up in elevation brought lower temps and some relief for him.

After 400 miles of travel – fast and easy in Alice – I arrived in Page, AZ, the southern access point to Lake Powell. I like the little town of Page but am disappointed about the colorless terrain at the beach where I camped. I did not expect much plant life here but I was looking forward to the stark, deep red rock formations like those in the Hite, UT access area. Still, I am loving the beach where we are camped for two nights, and today is cooler with some cloud cover. We are not roasting, although I covered my head and neck with a giant babushka to avoid all the UV exposure.

We are camped at Lone Rock, just northwest of the Carl Hayden Visitor Center

Lone Rock dispersed camping area

The first morning, Tango and I took the 1.5-mile walk to Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River. The view from the cliff is breathtaking, but I was dizzy so I stepped back and let others lean over! So many people already in early April. I realized, for the second time in a year, that the shoulder seasons (April/May and October/November) in the National Parks and Recreation Areas are increasingly popular. The secret about traveling before the hordes arrive, once known only to older folks, is getting out to everyone. I saw young people and early tourists from Japan already. However, it is far better still than the peak season when the bigger attractions, like Lake Powell, are jammed. Literally jammed with cars and people.

Back at the beach, craving pizza.  I do not eat pizza anymore because the high sodium levels give me an unquenchable thirst. The carbs in the crust turn me into a listless blob. The spicy meats give me indigestion. So, I find it odd that I have been craving pizza for two days. Comfort food? Panic about being away from “civilization” and all its amenities? What the heck. Pizza? I could see panic around lack of dried seaweed snacks, coconut almond milk, and baked tofu. Pizza?

In Page, AZ, I stopped at a Maverick to gas up and noticed they had breakfast pizza available in the deli. I almost grabbed it but changed my mind after seeing the price and imagining the fat and general malaise content. Instead, I drove to the Wal-Mart down the street and bought homemade mozzarella, pizza sauce, fresh red/yellow peppers, a box of mushrooms and whole wheat bread. Back at my beach camp along Lake Powell, I made an open-faced grilled mozzarella sandwich and topped the two sides with the sautéed mushrooms and peppers. I dipped the pieces in pizza sauce as I ate. Perfect. Healthy. Craving satisfied. Enough ingredients for more (in fact, I ate variations on that for days).

Before the Wal-Mart stop, I had been parked in front of the Page Public Library, using their free Wi-Fi to upload my earlier blog post. Most public library Wi-Fi signals extend outside, at least for a short distance. I arrived early before the library opened, so I would not bother anyone, and for an hour, I enjoyed the access. I will increasingly find Internet at small-town libraries, coffee shops and even McDonald’s as I venture further north. Normally I use my hotspot Internet access (from my phone) but I dropped from unlimited to the basic plan since the Verizon network won’t be available where I will be in Alaska.

Page, AZ Public Library

So, the blogging plan: write my blog posts offline and wait until I have Internet access to post them. I can upload several at a time and then schedule their release.

Other technical notes: I am having a great time charging my computer using my car battery! I am sitting right now on the beach, typing while the computer charges.This is an awesome set-up.  I have an inverter hooked up to the car battery. It has a 110 outlet and I run an extension cord from that to my computer. Easy. Easy. Easy. I just need to remember to turn the computer all the way off when I am finished or it will discharge slowly. No more snapping the lid shut and walking off. Click on the Power Button, click on Shut Down. Save the precious charge!

I feel like an advertisement for those “Life is Good” t-shirts: a belly full of faux pizza, glass of wine, watching the computer charge off the car battery, getting ready to walk the beach with Tango. I won’t remember these moments of bliss, however, when I get miles up the road and realize how much sand sifted into my computer as I sat in the breeze oblivious to reality.

We have a few more nights to play around in Southern Utah, but I have not decided where to pull over next.That decision will come tomorrow. I could hit Zion or Bryce Canyon again but I am inclined to a smaller locale where dogs are welcome on the trails. After that,  I will travel about 800 miles in a straight shot up through Utah, Idaho, and Montana on I-15 and then I-90. I will be headed next to Spokane to visit Kerry, Meghan, and my sweet grandbaby Silas.

Soon, I will be north, north, north, not just heading north. The weather will change back to early, unpredictable spring. I am hoping that my snow boots can stay packed away under all the other gear.

Note to self: find that bag of grapes that are lost in the car before they begin to rot. 

Note from Tango: Even with my summer haircut, the southwest is hot for me. Jane has done everything to provide shade, even putting an umbrella over my bed, but sometimes it is too much. Then, she pours water over my head and massages more water into my coat. Evaporative cooler! 

Note about photos: If you see a good photo in these posts, it is something I found online. I try to get photos from the public lands websites or other public domain sources (cities, states, other government agencies, etc). Some have Creative Commons permissions. Others are from all over the web and I wish I could figure out how to give credit where it is due in this case. I confess to being a bit lazy in this regard which is no excuse. 

Note about Lake Powell: John Wesley Powell, who explored the Colorado River is one of the west’s heroes. However, the creation of Lake Powell via the Glen Canyon Dam was and remains controversial. It has silted in the river below and reduced the flow into the Gulf of Mexico to nothing, most years. Due to increasing drought cycles, the levels are extremely low and many scientists are calling for the dam to be permanently breached. I am among those who believe that both Hoover Dam, also on the Colorado River, and Glen Canyon Dam are ancient artifacts that need to go. It is extremely complicated because of all the affected states legal agreements, however, but probably inevitable. Maybe in my lifetime? Great, grumpy reading: anything by Edward Abbey.