As we were driving towards Kanab, our home for the month of November, we drove right past the entrance to Horseshoe Bend. One of the most iconic tourist sites in the area, and we just drove right past it! We were already amped to spend time in southern Utah, and that definitely added to the excitement.

I had a massive agenda for our day in Page, AZ. I knew we couldn’t accomplish it all. The trick is to start with the things you want to see the most, and then as daylight dwindles, start to pick and choose priorities. That’s why we started at Horseshoe Bend!

It was about 10am when we hiked out to see the bend, and it was COLD. We were not alone in our trek, the path was full of tourists, most of whom seemed to be from overseas. It’s nearly impossible to see in this photo, but the whole cliff is lined with people overlooking Horseshoe Bend.

We got our requisite shot of the river. Again, this is impossible to see, but it does add a sense of scale: at the very bottom of the horseshoe, in the middle of the river, that tiny little speck is a kayak.

Some kind strangers offered to take a family photo for us, and we never say no to that!

After Horseshoe Bend, we headed to the Glen Canyon Dam overlook.

The kid absolutely needed to run for a bit, and this was a terrible place to let him do that. There are no barriers on the cliff, but it was easy to keep him away from the cliff edge. He still needed constant supervision because the terrain was so rough. He’s just lately learned to hold our hands when he needs extra stability, which is really cute.

We were about ready for lunch, so we drove over to Lake Powell. We had to stop at a couple overlooks for photos on the way.

We stopped at the picnic area and Atlas could not be contained. He barely stopped running long enough to grab a bite of sandwich, Kyle ended up chasing him with the sandwich for the duration of lunch. This gave Kyle the opportunity to chat up one of the locals. She recommended we drive out to the “beach” parking lot in order to really understand how low the level of Lake Powell has gotten. In the foreground of the photo below, the water used to come up to where the sidewalk ends. In the background, you can see the white line of the high water level along the middle of the rocks (she called it the “bathtub line”). Lake Powell is currently about 24% full, which is so low that the dam is in danger of not having enough water to generate electricity.

After lunch it was time for errands. Kanab is very remote, and Page is the closest location for a big restock. Kyle ran in to Walmart with a huge list while I sat in the truck as Atlas napped in his car seat. High on the list? A second space heater, and a humidifier. It’s been so cold, but running the heater makes the camper air so dry. And you thought camper travels were all fun and glamor.

By the time we left Walmart it was almost mid-afternoon. That sounds like we have lots of time left, but the sun sets SO early here that we really only had time for one more thing before we lost our daylight. We chose a short hike out to see the toadstool hoodoos. The landscape of the entire hike was incredibly scenic.

The toadstool hoodoos were formed as sandstone eroded underneath large rocks. Eventually, these rocks will fall and the hoodoo will continue to erode.

The most picturesque of the toadstools had groups of people exploring it almost constantly. I was really concerned that by the time I got my chance to photograph it, the sun would have set behind the far hill. Fortunately, I got my shot – the cover shot of today’s blog! This was taken at 3:50pm, and the sun was below the horizon by 4. Kyle also got a fun photo of me framing my shot.

We had a shady hike back to the truck, then a quiet drive home. On the way, I called in a pizza order. After such a huge day, neither of us felt like cooking. The pizza was amazing, and the perfect way to cap off a giant day of exploring!