DAY SIX: SEDONA AZ TO PAGE, AZ. via GRAND CANYON

After breaking down camp, we loaded up and struck out west towards the town of Williams and then north to the Grand Canyon National Park.

We spotted an elk grazing just as soon as we entered the park. This was a large female, ans she was right by the road, which seemed very odd especially in broad daylight. I guess the elk feel very safe out here.
We got to the south rim visitor's center and headed out to the viewpoint. The whole area was under construction, so there were detours, construction equipment all over, and of course tons of people. The south rim is very commercialized; I wished I had gone to the north rim instead.

You still can't argue that the view is amazing. No one really has any clue how massive the canyon is until they stand right up on the edge of it...it truly is an amazing sight. Charmaine was in awe, she had never been to the Grand Canyon before.

We proceeded up the road to the Desert Watchtower which, you guessed it, was also under repair. An unsightly crane took away from the photo, as did the fact the view platform area was closed too. We climbed to the top of the tower, took in the sights, then scrambled back down.
As crowded as ever, we waited for two groups to take pictures overlooking the canyon, then figured it was time to head toward Page.
I had not yet made any arrangements in Page, but I was planning on camping at the Lees Ferry campground.
As we drove, the weather became increasingly hot and dry...a far cry from Flag and Sedona. Once we hit the Navajo Bridge over the Colorado, we realized that camping at Lees Ferry would not only be brutally hot, but it was also very far away from the town of Page, making our exploring there more of a task.

Navajo Bridge is really cool, and it's really neat to just walk along the old bridge and check out the view.

Not as high as the Glen Canyon Dam bridge, but still pretty stomach churning. After checking out the bridge, we drove into Page in order to grab a couple nights at the Page Boy motel. Wahweap campground was filled, so we were fresh out of camping locations. Besides, we both could use a nice comfy bed and air conditioning for a few.
We drove along the lake and snapped some pictures, then headed out to Lone Rock beach where we walked along the beach (TONS of ATV'ers and campers out there...looked like a major holiday weekend!). We saw a coyote run across the road, but I didn't have my good camera handy and missed the photo opportunity.

We also checked out some model homes in Lake Powell view estates... seems the realtors left the doors unlocked after having an open house today...hahaha...

That evening, we decided to head out to Horseshoe Bend and take some sunset pictures. Well, I waited til the last minute and realized the sun was on its way down...and FAST. We drove up to the trailhead parking lot, and we literally sprinted the whole way...and I mean at some spots I was in a dead RUN...and this is not an easy hike...soft sand and slippery rock make it tough going on the way to the viewpoint, and the initial hill climb is a cardio challenge. We made it, and I tried my hand at some pictures, which (and I can be honest) came out like crap. Either way, it was a nice view, and we did get some nice pictures.

The sun was pretty much down when we headed back into town. Here is the city of Page from the trail: