September 29.

Hiking back from ‘The Wave’ in the heat of the day was exhausting. My legs and my feet cramped up from salt cramps when I tried to get my boots off. From there we headed straight off to Lake Powell Resort.

The drive to the resort was through an intense sand storm where we realized why all the vehicles of this region looked sandblasted.  There was only a minor glimpse of Lake Powell, which was astounding despite the continued sand storm – the deepest inky blue water surrounded by pale red sandstone formations. When we exited the storm I could finally open the window and take this photo, the dark waters of the lake scudding from the wind.A little further into the park and the skies cleared completely. I have only a few shots of the water and then a few plants, another rarity in this desert region. Fortunately they see a lot of wiped-out hikers at the Lake Powell restaurant, and brought us two large glasses of ice water each the instant we walked in!

After knocking back a ton of water, beer, salt and artichoke dip we had just energy left to go to nearby Horseshoe Bend.Another plant!The snaky Horseshoe Bend. Earlier on this trip we camped at Goosenecks State Park, with crazy bends like this going on as far as the eye could see.Nine years later, on a flight to Mexico City, I took this shot over what I’m pretty sure is the snaky river leading to Lake Powell and Horseshoe Bend. There is the same blue-black water and complete lack of vegetation in the red rocks of the surrounding region. If it is, then this is an aerial of the Colorado River, although I can’t find anything similar on Google images.The next day was another highlight: Lower Antelope Canyon!