Day 21 (Swimming in Lake Powell)
Day 21
July 12, 2006
Lake Powell
We slept soundly in the air-conditioned condominiums. Frank and Sessy knew from past experience that camping without A/C at this elevation can be horrible, hence the hotel room. Good call! It was 100 degrees in the shade today. 
Sylvia took a picture of the thermometer in the afternoon pegged out at 125. Wow!
Swimming sounded like the only good option. We drove a short distance to the Lone Rock Beach section of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area where we found a sandy beach on the shore of Lake Powell. The lake is an oasis in the truest sense of the word. The Colorado River, held back by Glen Canyon Dam offers parched visitors millions of gallons of fresh water in the MIDDLE of one of the most extreme deserts in America. The climate is so harsh that nothing grows on the lake’s shoreline. The scene is other-worldly—and beautiful in a rustic way.
The sky was nearly devoid of clouds and the relative humidity was, without a doubt, in the single digits. The water temperature was about 78 degrees, perfect given the heat of the day.
After the swim we spent the middle part of the day indoors. At 4 PM we drove to a coffee shop in Page that had a hot spot. Page was smaller than we thought it would be. It’s little more than a hamlet that fits on one large hilltop, and lacks some of the basic retail and services that we take for granted in Howard County. For instance, we were all a bit surprised that the town’s only movie theater had only had one screen and two evening showings (of the same flick) per day. How barbaric!
We cooked a great spaghetti dinner and watched an excellent DVD documentary on the Kolb Brothers of Grand Canyon fame before going to bed. www.grandcanyontreks.org/kolbs.htm
July 12, 2006
Lake Powell
We slept soundly in the air-conditioned condominiums. Frank and Sessy knew from past experience that camping without A/C at this elevation can be horrible, hence the hotel room. Good call! It was 100 degrees in the shade today. 
Sylvia took a picture of the thermometer in the afternoon pegged out at 125. Wow!Swimming sounded like the only good option. We drove a short distance to the Lone Rock Beach section of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area where we found a sandy beach on the shore of Lake Powell. The lake is an oasis in the truest sense of the word. The Colorado River, held back by Glen Canyon Dam offers parched visitors millions of gallons of fresh water in the MIDDLE of one of the most extreme deserts in America. The climate is so harsh that nothing grows on the lake’s shoreline. The scene is other-worldly—and beautiful in a rustic way.
The sky was nearly devoid of clouds and the relative humidity was, without a doubt, in the single digits. The water temperature was about 78 degrees, perfect given the heat of the day.
After the swim we spent the middle part of the day indoors. At 4 PM we drove to a coffee shop in Page that had a hot spot. Page was smaller than we thought it would be. It’s little more than a hamlet that fits on one large hilltop, and lacks some of the basic retail and services that we take for granted in Howard County. For instance, we were all a bit surprised that the town’s only movie theater had only had one screen and two evening showings (of the same flick) per day. How barbaric!
We cooked a great spaghetti dinner and watched an excellent DVD documentary on the Kolb Brothers of Grand Canyon fame before going to bed. www.grandcanyontreks.org/kolbs.htm
posted by Hazzard Family | 16:23
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