We are heading north to meet up with my two daughters and their families in Fruita Colorado Why Fruita you ask? The original plan was to meet up in Moab Arizona but the kids found out it was "Jeep Week" when we were planning on being there. Moab this time of year is crazy enough without adding thousands of jeeps driving all over the place. My kids were coming to mountain bike and really didn't want to deal with jeeps on the trails and campgrounds. Nearby was Fruita, another well known mountain biking area which none of us had been too. So, Fruita, here we come.
We had a few days to kill before Fruita and decided to spend them at Lone Rock Beach. We really like it there. We were in for quite the surprise when we drove in. The lake level had really dropped since we were there in November. We pretty much camped in the same spot except now, the beach instead of being just a short distance behind the trailer, was WAY down there! Before, no one could camp or drive by the waters edge. This time lots of folks were down there. No RV's though, the sandy beach was just way to soft.
Not far from the campground there is a trail to Skylight Arch. Not many people hike the trail or even know about the arch. That's because it is a 4 wheel drive road to the trailhead. Then it's about a 2 mile hike along this broad ridge to the arch. We are so used to Arches National Park and looking up to view the arches that we almost didn't find Skylight Arch. That's it, in front of us to the right. It's a big hole in the ground.
And there's the arch. Behind Mona in the distance is Lake Powell and the Lone Rock Beach Campground. As we were hiking back we could see storm clouds rolling in. About 100 yards from the truck it started hailing. Fortunately the hail was only pee size, but they still stung when hitting bare skin.
One of the reasons we wanted to camp at Lone Rock was to be able to kayak to Antelope Canyon again. We got up early and headed to the boat ramp to launch the kayaks. When we arrived there was a hundred or so people already there! Several outfitters were unloading kayaks. The lake level was so low, that the end of the ramp was many feet above the lake with a small cliff down to the lake. There was a narrow trail around the cliff down to the lake with 20 or so kayaks lined up winding down the trail. At the bottom there was just enough room to launch one kayak at a time. Which meant, that if we got right in line, it would still be over an hour before we were in the water. And, to make matters worse, while we were contemplating what to do, two rather large rental trucks pulled up, each full of kayaks. In talking to the young man who seemed to be coordinating all this, he said that almost all the activities in the area had been shut down, including all the tours into Antelope Canyon. Kayaking was the only way to see the canyon and about the only activity available in the Page area. He suggest we try Crosby Canyon, which we did.
It was another 15 mile or so 4 wheel drive to and thru Crosby Canyon to get to the lake. It was a great drive, but when we got to the end of the canyon, it was about a quarter mile of mud flat before the water. The man at Antelope Canyon clearly didn't realize with the lake so low, that there was so much mud before one got to the lake. Oh well. We enjoyed the drive anyway. Kayaking Lake Powell and Antelope Canyon will have to wait for another year.
One of the big attractions in the are is the walk to the overlook above, The Horseshoe Bend of the Colorado River. The tribe charges $10 to park and walk the path. The parking lot was nearly full but the overlook didn't feel crowded. Besides, if your in the area, it is a must see and a picture that needs to be taken.
On our last night at Lone Rock and in Arizona we were rewarded with a full moon and gorgeous sunset.
The next day we headed north towards Fruita with a stop in Moab for a short visit with Mona's old friends, Dave and Mechi. I really admire Dave. Mechi has severe Alzheimer's and Dave has been taking care of her so she can stay in the familiar surrounds of their home.
The next stop was to be Fruita, but we realized along the way that it would be nearly dark before we arrived, so we opted to stay along the way at the small Dewey Bridge Campground. It only has 9 campsites but is far enough from Moab that only 3 were being used.
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