Aug 28, 2011 Horseshoe Bend & Lee's Ferry

When we drove to Page yesterday we noticed a sign for the Horseshoe Bend overlook so first thing this morning we headed that way to do the hike before it gets to be 100 degree's. The hike itself isn't much, but the view of Horseshoe Bend is well worth it.

You can see from the picture how the Colorado River makes an almost 360 degree bend. From there we headed back down Hwy 89 to Bitter Springs where we could pick up 89A which took us thru Marble Canyon which is the beginning of the Grand Canyon and then on to Lee's Ferry. To me Lee's Ferry is somewhat like the Cumberland Gap--one of those points that allowed us to go ever westward. The ferry was completed in 1872 by John Lee at the instruction of the Mormon Church and it continued to act as the only ferry over the Colorado River between Moab, UT to Needles, CA until 1928. Today it serves as the launch point of the raft's going through the Grand Canyon. I almost had to lock Betsy in the car to prevent her from jumping on one of the rafts beginning their journey. She's always wanted to raft the Colorado. We'll have to check it out for a future trip. We hiked around the old buildings and then drove downriver to the first set of rapids. There we found a family fishing and they allowed us to take a picture of the trout they'd caught.