October 8, Friday, we woke up early to start our journey back home.
We took Hwy 191S till Bluff and then Hwy 163. Google likes to take Hwy 160 from here but I wanted to see the Mexican Hat and the Oljato-Monument Valley. This area seemed so familiar because the old westerns were frequently filmed here.
We stopped by the side of the road and took this picture, but one can drive closer to the area to get a better look.
I made a mistake here, I was so intent on completing the 4.5 hours from Moab to Page, Az in good time that I didn’t stop to take many breaks. By the time I realized this, we were already at our destination.
Lesson learnt: take some breaks to enjoy the vistas. Get out of the car and breathe in the sights.
We reached Page by noon. Had a quick lunch and went onto see the Horseshoe canyon. This is another part of the Colorado river forming a horseshoe shape. It’s a short walk to the canyon. There was a lot of crowd at this place. It was amazing seeing the Colorado river meandering so far down and seeing tiny, ant sized boats cruising lazily along. I would love to do that sometime in my life.
Think about the vastness of the Canyonlands National Park-from Moab, UT to Page, AZ, taking 5 hours just to drive one edge of it.
I liked Page. It seems they are building the town to cater to the tourists. The hotels are all on one side of the town interspersed with boat and kayak rentals and fast food joints. There was a Walmart super center which was better stocked than any I have seen recently.
The next day we went for the Antelope Canyon tour. I chose the lower canyon tour. It was a short drive from the hotel and very well organized.
Pictures cannot, absolutely cannot capture the beauty of this place.
If stone could sing, this is how it would look. Waves of sandstone, smoothened and shaped by millions of years of water and wind erosion.
The canyon, even though underground, was airy and filled with light. I did not feel claustrophobic at any point. Our guide, as all guides in this area, belonged to the Navajo Nation and pointed out some interesting shapes and the stories behind those shapes.
We were done with the tour in an hour and the started the 4.5 hour drive back to Vegas. The highway took us in and out of Utah and Arizona state-lines, it was funny to see the cell phone keep changing the time according to where we were at the time.
We completed a full circle of this trip when we reached the town on Hurricane, we had stayed here when we visited Zion. We had lunch at a lovely vegan place in St. George and then it was onto Las Vegas.
The drive back was very fast. Especially out of St. George, the highway is at least four lanes wide, maybe more, and all the lanes were full. This was surprising to me, I did not anticipate such traffic.
We reached Las Vegas in good time and decided to go to the Strip for a walk and dinner.
I have a mental block, once I check in at a hotel, I usually do not like going out again. But I am glad I made the effort this time. My daughter hadn’t been here before.
Our uber driver was a good help here. Even though we had decided to start our walk at the MGM, he suggested, and then took us to the Bellagio. I am so glad he recommended that. My daughter loved the Conservatory which was decorated for fall.
We got a gelato from the cafe and went outside and took in the fountains at Bellagio, Caesar’s Palace, Paris, and ended our walk at Mandalay Bay. My daughter had wanted to see the shark exhibit but sadly, it was closed.
I liked my time at the strip. There is enough to see and savor in the casinos even if one stays aways from the gambling areas.
It was a contrast, from the natural beauty of the parks to the man-made brightness of Vegas. Both were enjoyable in their own ways.
The next day, October 10, Sunday we ended our trip with a long drive back home. We were both tired out by this time, so the drive back seemed a bit boring. But we made it in good time, and had a good part of the evening to prepare for the work week ahead.