Spring 2012: Monday (4/23) & Tuesday (4/24) – Waterholes Canyon and Horseshoe Bend

Monday was a very full work day for Vaughan – 5:30AM til 10:00PM.  He’s trying to get things done so we can take off this Thursday and Friday.  Our plans are to start out Thursday morning and drive to Vegas to spend the night at the Luxor for my birthday (Fri).  Friday morning we will leave for Tajunga Canyon (outside Los Angeles) to spend my birthday weekend with close friends Chick and Leslie.

Today (Tues) the internet was not working as well so Vaughan had to work at MacDonalds for a little while (see picture below).  We then drove over to the Navajo Lechee Chapter House to obtain a permit to hike Waterholes Canyon.  This is another amazing slot canyon that you have to climb down into at one end and then out at the other – not an easy feat.  Seeing this is not a tourist type hike there was only 2 other people on the trail.  As you’re walking through there are hundreds of lizards scattering along the sides of the canyon beside you.  It’s like the walls are moving.  Once you climb back out of the canyon there is a sacred place the Navajo call “The Fence” – another Navajo Sandstone formation.

Later in the day we hiked up to see Horseshoe Bend - a beautiful place, but way out of my comfort zone.  It was all I could do to take these pictures. There is a sheer cliff with a 1000 foot drop to the Colorado river below.

At least Vaughan found a little shade to work under. 

This was a very narrow canyon in parts.

The Navajo Sandstone seems to flow around you.

Can you spot 2 lizards? They would run all around us.

This is what it looked like climbing down in - a little difficult in some spots - had to get on my butt.

There were some interesting places along the way.

The path was mostly flat but there were some spots we had to climb up through. 

A little tight ...

and a little twisty ...

and then there was the no-water water slide sections. 

 I am standing about 6 feet above him and am about to slide down on my bottom again.

Once we climbed back up out at the other end there was the sacred place Navajo call "The Fence".

Here I am looking up at "The Fence".

Another section of "The Fence".

This is on top of the canyon walls.

I couldn't resist this beautiful cactus - one large stalk with 6 little ones around it's base - all blooming.

Another view from the top - very rugged looking country.

This is Horseshoe Bend - now you can see why I was so nervous.

This is the only way  I would get close to the edge.

Vaughan is always more daring.