Colorado River

We woke up in a Wahweap campground, on the shores of Lake Powell, on Saturday morning, September 13, 2014.
GPS-coordinates: 36°59'55.4"N, 111°29'52.4"W
*Wahweap campground*

The sun has not risen yet, the morning was cool and quiet.

The night was cool and the coyotes howled in the dark.
This was our first night in a tent in the US and we were not fully prepared, because we had only one sleeping bag for two persons.

For simplicity, I divide all the campgrounds in the United States into two types: with an office and without an office.
The first type - you can reserve a site via the website or by phone.
The second type - first-come, first-served campgrounds.
The facilities: place for tent, parking for car, place for campfire and a table with benches.
There are restrooms and a water.

Tourists can relax at the campground, but they should not change the nature around.
Therefore, there is an office at the campground, but there is no light on the territory of the campground.

During the breakfast, we remembered with a laugh as we had arrived to the campground in the evening in the dark

The office was closed, there was no the light anywhere.
Sometimes the "fireflies" were between the trees - the tourists went to the restroom with flashlights on the forehead.
Thanks, they are helped to find our tent site.
We turned on the car headlights and studied how to put up a tent.
Then, we used the sell phone in the restroom instead of a flashlight.

"Well, why do you need such a heavy vacation"? - you will say...
Doubts have disappeared in the morning, when we saw this beauty.

We really wanted to spend the day on the shores of beautiful Lake Powell.
But it was impossible...
An hour later, we should be in the town of Page, at the office of the travel agency "Colorado River Discovery".
Today, my wife's birthday and I have prepared a great surprise.

So, we left the campground and drove to the town of Page.
My wife was sad, she did not know what to expect from me in the day of birth.
But when the sun rose, views of the lake raised spirits.

Lake Powell - is an artificial reservoir, which was created in 1956.
The dam was built on the Colorado River and Glen Canyon was flooded.
Reservoir is the second largest in the US.
*Lake Powell*

When I planned our route, I thought about a gift for wife on her birthday.
I found a website...
The half day rafting tour on the Colorado River, near Horseshoe Bend!
Excellent!
*Colorado River*
*Colorado River Discovery*
GPS-coordinates: 36°54'52.7"N, 111°27'33.7"W

I did not make a reservation and was afraid that all the seats can be occupied.
But everything was OK and at 7 am we were near the office of the agency "Colorado River Discovery".
Tourists were a lot of.
We paid for the tour, boarded the tourist bus and drove to the Colorado River.

The bus passes through a very long tunnel and stops at a small platform, at the cliff above the river, near the dam.
And downstairs to the river, to the raft.

The high walls of the cliffs rise above the river.
The rays of the morning sun illuminate the cliffs on one side, so it was quite fresh and cool in the shade.

Our group was placed on a raft and we floated down the river.
The guy, which controls the raft, not only plays the role of the captain and the navigator, but also very interesting talks about these places.

The strong current of the river quickly carries the raft from pier.
The bridge and the dam look very nice from the raft.

Our captain had not started the engine and we drifted along the river, in complete silence.

We are amazed at the beauty, and the guide begins the story...
The guy from Seattle and as a tourist came here a few years ago.
He likes these places and he works here as a guide with tourists for 5 years.

There are a lot of tourists here.
The campground of those who love the river and canoe.

I do not know, is there a fish in the river?
But there are a lot of fishermen.

The cliffs protect the river from sun and the water is very cold and has a greenish tint.

Well, the Colorado River gives life to the plants, to the animals and birds on its shores.

Our raft sailed across the solar section of the river...
Our guide stopped the story and we enjoyed the beauty in silence...

Time passed quickly...
We sailed near the cliffs, tourists welcomed us from the shore.

The Colorado River flows thousands of years here.
The river has carried away the softer rocks between the cliffs, the bad of the river became deeper.
Look, the rocks polished by water, because the bed of the river was higher by several tens of meters, a few thousand years ago.

The river makes a turn, and that's the cliff - Horseshoe Bend!
The rock is not like the famous photos from the raft.

Our captain starts the engine, and we turn to the shore to rest.

You can walk around here, visit WC and just to relax.

Flowers as a gift to the birthday.

Ancient Indians lived here thousands of years ago.
They left for us on the rocks of their petroglyphs.

We leave the wonderful beach and we sail on a raft to the pier.
Our tour ends at the Colorado River.
The river continues to bear its greenish water as it did thousands of years ago, yesterday, today, and will do tomorrow.

The bus was waiting for us and we were back in town Page, to the office of the travel company.

We thought about the tour and we shared views.
We have seen a lot of interesting and amazing in the US already...
But a trip on a raft on the Colorado River has become for us the best...
The Colorado River has remained in our hearts and we will not forget this trip.