Thankfully, it was cool in more ways than one.  I was grateful to Bruce for reminding me to add my cooling scarf to the packing list for this trip, because it saved me from what could have been a heat intolerance disaster. 

Our tour leader had warned us about sitting in the front of the pontoon raft, because of the spray coming off the water and the possibility of getting wet.  I gladly volunteered.  I figured not only would the spray keep me cool; but, I would also have the best vantage point for photography.  I had my waterproof camera, just in case, but it stayed in my pack.  I used my usual Panasonic Lumix travel camera and had no problem keeping it spray-free.

While the air temperature on this hot, sunny day hovered around 90 degrees, the water temperature was refreshingly cold—perfect for dipping my scarf in to keep my neck and head cooled off.  Our sunscreen did a great job, too; I didn’t get a square-inch of pink skin during our three-hour, 15-mile raft float down the Colorado River.

We were actually in Arizona; we had arrived in Page the night before.  Located near our hotel, we had boarded the tour company’s bus for a ride to the boat launch through a two-mile long Glenn Canyon Dam access tunnel.  We then boarded a motorized pontoon raft. 

Soaring 700 feet above us was the dam and the Glenn Canyon Dam Bridge that we had just driven across.  It was quite a sight being dwarfed by such gigantic structures!

(For all pictures, click on the image to see full screen view.)

We were off to explore the Horseshoe Bend portion of the river, reputed to be one of the most dramatic stretches of river found in the western United States.  Our river guide told us about Major John Wesley Powell’s exploration of the river.  We also learned about the sandstone cliffs, former habitation by native cultures, wildlife; and, about the Southwest’s water and power delivery system.

Halfway through our enjoyable journey, we beached the raft for a “comfort stop” and to take a short hike to see these petroglyphs:

We disembarked at Lees Ferry, returned to our hotel for a break, and then went to the Red Heritage Indigenous Entertainment Hall for an evening of Native American history, culture, music, dance, and a dinner of Navajo Tacos.  The cultural history was excellently presented and very interesting; and, the entertainment was fun to watch.  To see a sampling, check out this video I shot during the performance.  (Yes, shooting videos was warmly welcomed!).

Coming up next: Amazing Antelope Slot Canyon