At Lees Ferry
The Colorado River starts as a tiny stream on the west side of the Rocky Mountains, high in Colorado. With snow melt, rainfall, and tributaries feeding it, it becomes the massive river that carved the Grand Canyon and many of the lesser-known canyons in Utah’s Canyonlands.
Once a free-flowing river, the Colorado has been dammed several times. The Hoover Dam not far from Las Vegas in the 1930s and the Glen Canyon Dam not far from Page in the 1960s created two of the world’s largest man-made lakes: Lake Mead and Lake Powell (my personal favorite). Other smaller dams downstream from Hoover created numerous smaller lakes for water storage and recreation. Sadly, very little (if any) water from the Colorado makes it to the Sea of Cortez in Mexico these days. The southwest’s need for water has seen to that.
This photo was taken at Lees Ferry, which was once the site of a ferry service to cross the Colorado River. Before Navajo Bridge was built to cross the river at Marble Canyon nearby, this was the only river crossing for hundreds of miles in either direction. (The new Navajo Bridge is one of only two crossings for hundreds of miles; to the southwest, the next crossing is at the Hoover Dam, hundreds of miles downstream, on the other side of the Grand Canyon.) Situated several miles downstream from the Glen Canyon Dam, the site is a popular starting point for river runners on trips down the Colorado.
The water here, although fast moving, is relatively calm. The dam regulates water flow, changing the depth of the water on a daily cycle. The water is icy cold — I know, having taken a dip it in more than once — since it comes from the bottom of the dam. The area is also popular for fly fishing and for smooth-water boat trips between the dam and Lees Ferry.
The red cliffs you see in the photo are the Vermillion Cliffs north of Marble Canyon. Their beauty in early morning light cannot be understated. If you’re a pilot in the southwest, consider flying into its narrow strip. There’s a restaurant and lodge there. I wrote about it in my blog article, “Breakfast in Winslow — No, Page — No, Marble Canyon.”
On the second day of the trip, I left Page and headed out toward Marble Canyon on the Colorado River, just downstream from the Glen Canyon Dam. It was early morning and the sun was casting a golden light over the landscape. I saw this abandoned Navajo homestead on the west side of the road with the Vermilion Cliffs in the background. It was a really beautiful sight, one certainly worth a photograph.
Elizabeth arrived at 7 AM and I was ready to go. We started off with a little tour of Howard Mesa. Elizabeth used my camera to take a photo of her house (see photo). I pointed out all the little cabins and sheds and trailers that you can’t see from the road. Then we went up to Valle and followed 180 east. She showed me where some friends of hers had just bought some land and I showed her Red Mountain. From there, we headed north. It had rained the day before and I was interested in seeing if there was water in the Little Colorado River. There wasn’t. I took her to the Little Colorado Gorge lookout, just outside the Grand Canyon SUA, and was disappointed to see the canyon bottom just as dry as it had been the last time I flew over.
As we flew along the cliffs near The Gap, she admitted that she’d never been to Page. I told her a little about it. I figured we’d land at the airport, then take the free shuttle to the marina where there was a restaurant. But when I pointed out the Vermillion Cliffs in the distance ahead of us, I got a better idea. Marble Canyon. The runway is right across the street from the lodge and restaurant. Elizabeth was game. Actually, I don’t think she cared where we went. I didn’t really care either, for that matter. Elizabeth took a few photos of the landscape we flew over, including this shot in the Cedar Ridge area. She was fascinated by the geology of the land, especially the tilted layers of multi-colored rock. I explained how some of the more obvious formations were made and told her I had a book about Grand Canyon geology that probably explained a lot more. We were flying over the Navajo Reservation and, when we were away from the main road, we saw lots of ruins of old hogans and animal pens. That’s the kind of stuff that interests me. I especially liked the animal pens that had been built into natural rock formations — like a box canyon with its open side fenced off or animal pens built entirely of stone.
We crossed the Colorado River at Marble Canyon and landed at Marble Canyon’s airstrip. I set down on the dirt ramp area and shut down. It was about 8 AM and the morning sun was still low enough to make the Vermillion Cliffs behind us…well, vermillion. In my opinion this is the most scenic spot anyone can use as a backdrop for a photo of their aircraft. In fact, it’s enough of an excuse to fly in to Marble Canyon. Just be advised: the runway is very narrow.
We had breakfast at the lodge restaurant. It wasn’t anything special. I think our waitress may have been more interested in listening to her MP3 player than serving us. Afterwards, we climbed back on board and took off to the north. A plane had just taken off from Marble Canyon’s runway, so I had to stay a bit low until it passed over us. (I didn’t use the runway.) Our flight path gave us great views of Navajo Bridge and the river at Lees Ferry, as well as Horseshoe Bend further upstream. Elizabeth kept snapping photos, like this one, which kind of gives you an idea of the visibility in a helicopter. Don’t mind the reflections in the bubble; I was wearing my loud white pants again. And yes, that’s my hand on the cyclic.