I'm Back! (A Day Trip to Lee's Ferry, AZ)

Paige, AZ
Paige Lake Powell Campground

I'm Back!!

 

It's good to be back!  First, thank you to all my kind followers who wondered what happened to me these past months.  Your calls and e-mails were so appreciated.  Nothing bad happened, I just got so busy with visits to family and friends both in Arizona and back in California for the holidays, I just found it impossible to catch up.  So I'll be doing my best to get caught up over the next couple of weeks while we are in Quartzite with fellow RVers during the month of January.

 

Ok, where did I leave off?  Oh yes, after our wonderful time in Antelope Canyon (see previous post) we took a day trip to visit Lee's Ferry.  It was a nice drive and the colors along the way were beautiful after a mornings rain. 

 

Driving across Route 89A, the Navajo Bridge crosses the Colorado River's Marble Canyon.  It will take you to Lee's Ferry or the North Rim of Grand Canyon.  Before the bridge was built, the only way to cross the river from Arizona to Utah was at nearby Lee's Ferry, where the canyon walls are lower.

 

A few facts about the Bridge:  

 

The original bridge was opened in 1929 and is the one on the left in the above picture.  It was decided after several years that a larger bridge was needed.  Instead of widening the original it was designated as a pedestrian and equestrian bridge.  There is a nice interpretive center too.  The new bridge (on the right) is for automobiles and was finished in 1995.

 

A beautiful view from the middle of the bridge.  Bungee jumpers are sometimes seen here.

A lock attached to the bridge.  If you haven't noticed these before, they are locks attached to bridges and other items by sweethearts to symbolize their love.  This was a pretty fancy one.  They usually have names or dates on them.  While the idea is cute, it has caused problems in many countries and the practice is illegal in some due to the damage they can cause.

After driving across the bridge over to Lee's Ferry the landscape opened up and there were some nice pull outs for pictures.

 

 

 Strange boulders appeared in one section.

This is called Balanced Rock.  Thousands of years ago huge boulders made of conglomerate broke off from the cliffs above and rolled down.  During that time several feet of the slope had eroded away from underneath creating these pedestals.

 

Due to its unique geography the only place for hundreds of miles where you can easily access the Colorado River from both sides was here at Lee's Ferry.  It served as an important river crossing and starting in the mid-19th century was the site of a ferry operated by John Doyle Lee, for whom it is named. Boat service at Lees Ferry continued for over 60 years before the Navajo bridge was built.
Lees Ferry also served as a military outpost and gold seekers.  It is also the principal point at which the river flow is measured to determine water allocations in the 246,000-square-mile Colorado River basin. Lees Ferry is the boundary between the Upper and Lower Basins of the Colorado River.

There are some old buildings left and some rusted equipment scattered around.  This is a popular place to put-in kayaks, rafts and boats.

We were here just before sunset and perhaps another time of day would have provided better lighting to capture some definition between the building and the cliffs behind it which were almost the same color.

I fell in love with the remains of these windows and the views through them.

 

 

 

Lee's Ferry grew over time and included a post office and trading post.  Because of conflicts with the Navajo Indians and the settlers a fort was built.  In 1911 gold was attempted to be mined, but was unsuccessful.

 

While the lighting wasn't the best for some pictures, it lit up the area by the river and made for some gorgeous reflections.

 

A slightly different look with the sun setting.

 

The drive back was on a what seemed like a newly paved road which cut through the bluffs.  It was a very nice day trip.

 

 "If you don't know where you are going... any road will get you there."

 

            -- Cheshire Cat, Alice in Wonderland