1 Phil took this picture of a Condor. I am not sure where it was taken, but I suspect it was probably at the Navajo Bridge that carries 89A across the Colorado River.
2 We all arrive at our hotel/motel early enough on Monday to do a quick trip out to see Marble Canyon.
3 Anni's photo of the Jeeterra (contraction for Jeep/Xterror, get it?) caravan on the plateau on the top of Marble Canyon with the Vermillion cliffs in the background. On top of the Vermillion cliffs is the Paria Plateau where we will spend the next two days exploring. We're led by the famous Welsh explorer Francisco de Bob (or is it Shish-ka-Bob).
4 The Colorado River in Marble Canyon, just downstream from Lee's Ferry. Those are the Soap Creek Rapids in the distance.
5 The Colorado River looking toward Lee's Ferry
6 A blooming Prickly Pear cactus brings a soft beauty to the stark-looking Marble Canyon
7 Ed just couldn't get the spacing of the formation correct.
8 The Soap Creek rapids get their name from Soap Creek, whick drains into the canyon from the right.
9 Bob & Anni with Vince & Silke
10 Ron & Shirley
11 Phil & Kris
12 Ed & Jan
13 Gayle & Ruthann
14 Bob & Don: The X-men. I passed the Xterror off as just a rebadged Jeep, and they bought it.
15 Looking northwest at the Vermilion Cliffs.
16 The Vermilion Cliffs, north of US89A, in northern Arizona. But what does it look like up on top? We're about to find out, starting tomorrow morning.
17 The river here is only about a 1,000 feet below the rim, but reaches over 3,000 feet deep by the time you get downriver to the Grand Canyon.
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23 Monday night's dinner at Cliff Dwellers along 89A. Clockwise from the left: Phil, Kris, Silke, Ed, Jan, BobE & BobF. Don was the photographer.
24 Clockwise from the left, bottom: Ruthann, Gayle, Vince (empty chair),Shirley, Ron, Anni.
25 Anni's picture taken at the spectators' area for Condor release.
26 Our first overlook on our first tour of the western and southern edge of the plateau. It requires a little walking.
27 Looking southwest. What a vista. You can see Marble Canyon, that dark band off in the distance.
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34 Looking about due south along the western edge of the Paria Plateau.
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37 Our caravan travels across the Paria Plateau
38 Bob and Anni, heading back to the vehicles. Or is this the next overlook?
39 Yea, it's the next lookout. A longer walk.
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43 Now we're getting near.
44 There it is.
45 A composite panorama.
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47 There's Phil out there. What a mountain goat!
48 We were told that there were some Indian ruins out here some place. Never did spot them.
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50 Zooming in on the north side of the San Francisco peaks down by Flagstaff.
51 Bob finds some potsherds on the walk back to the vehicles. So we all start looking.
52 We found quite a collection, but we left them all in the vicinity where we found them.
53 A time-out for lunch. Some parked right in the middle of the road.
54 Yet another overlook, this time to the south, yields a better look out over the Kiabab Platueau where the north rim of the Grand Canyon is located (in the distance on the right side of this picture).
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57 Rugged, but beautiful, country.
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60 One of the last overlooks on Tuesday's outing. This one has lots of "brain rock."
61 Bob found a parking space available and parked the Xterror.
62 Bob took this picture of the Xterror he parked.
63 How do we get out of this parking place?
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65 It's a climb.
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67 This should make it clear why it's referred to "brain rock."
68 Some of the coloring in the rock.
69 Vince: the quintessential tough guy explorer.
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74 Phil found a delicate and fragile formation.
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77 We now complete the loop on the southwestern edge of the plateau and then head back to the hotel for the night.
78 Next day we begin a more northly loop and stop for this rock formation
79 A closer view
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83 We next find a well with a holding tank and a lake or reservoir
84 Not one of the Great Lakes, but some water there.
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87 That is Navajo mountain which is in Utah, east of Lake Powell.
88 The famous Navajo coal-fired power plant, with it's three smoke stacks.
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90 The caravan approaching the rock called the Powell Monument.
91 This composite panorama shows the Powell Monument along with a companion rock on the right.
92 The Powell Monument by itself.
93 A composite panorama taken looking south toward Marble Canyon, the Colorado River, the Navajo bridge (old and new).
94 BobF's picture of Navajo Bridge and 89A wrapping around a butte.
95 A composite panorama taken looking north showing Lake Powell (upper left corner), Navajo mountain (top middle), Colorado River, Lee's Ferry, the road into Lee's Ferry and the Paria river.
96 Anni's close-up of Lake Powell. I think this and the next two may have been taken on the drive home along US89 and not on one of our off-road outings
97 Anni's close-up of Lake Powell
98 Alli's close-up of Page, Glenn Canyon Dame and Glenn Canyon Bridge
99 Some of the Paria Plateau is like being on a roller coaster.
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101 To conclude the day, we diverted our planned route and drove to White Pocket..an area of fascinating colors and formations that is eerily beautiful.
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114 BobF caught me photographing some part of this wonderful place
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126 BobF's pic. After completing this loop, we headed back to our hotel.
