We spent the whole day in Tusayan resting and we really needed it. We planned on going down into the canyon for a day hike but it began to rain, so things changed. It felt like Shabbat and all three of us were happy to take a day off from riding. The next campsite was in a National Forest and was free of charge. We carry all our gear and enough water for the night, so why should we pay money for a piece of gravel.
Right before we built our tents we saw two large elk roaming the fields and hoped they wouldn't bother us. They were actually scared of us and ran off as we got closer. The weather was perfect, not too hot and just right to eat by the small camp fire we made for eat dinner. Another advantage of staying away from designated camp grounds is the fact that we are all alone. No one else making noise and interrupting the sounds of nature. Dinner was the usual, pasta and sauce, and tasted really good.
In the morning we woke up early and set off to Lake Powell. Lately we have been riding a lot less and enjoying the places and sites we see on the way. We stopped on the way at a Navajo market on the side of the highway and looked at all the hand-made jewelry they had to offer. The tribe is so big, the women there told me, that their land is as large as West Virginia. We continued down the windy road and enjoyed the gorgeous view of the Grand Canyon on the West.
The ride to Page, Arizona was around 150 miles which gave us plenty of time to spend at the visitor center at Glen Canyon dam. The dam is the second largest in the United States, after Hoover dam (in Nevada), and looked very big from the scenic view at the visitor center. Lake Powell is the result from building the dam and is quite a beautiful scene, due to the combination of desert and marine blue water trapped between the brown mountains. Dovid read in his traveler's book that it's legal and free to camp anywhere along the lake, so we decided to find a good spot for the night. We found out further on that it is free of charge to camp on the shore, however only if you come by boat. Well that got us a a little pissed, but we found a road after the entrance to Utah that claimed it led down to the lake. We started our way down and a few miles in it became too rough to continue. Our Motorcycles aren't designed for off-road use so the unpaved 11 mile ride sure was a mistake. Uri's trunk snapped of it's hinge and to fix it we needed time, so we set camp ride beside the dirt road.
Even though our spirits were down and we hadn't gotten to see the lake from up close, we still enjoyed the food Uri made, which for a change was delicious rice. We sat in the dark under the bright sky lit by the stars, and tried to relax from our eventful day. The fact that there was no cell coverage gave us the feeling we were all alone and made the experience more unique.
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