May 29, 2021: Lee's Ferry - Marble Canyon, AZ

I try not to blog but once a week, but so much has happened in the last couple of days, and I want to record it.  I don't want to forget anything.  We left New Mexico on Wednesday, May 26th.  We had a flat tire that morning in Farmington, so it took us a while to get started.  We had just left Bisti Badlands, which I thought was so spectacular.  I am from west Texas - flat country.  Even rock formations fascinate me.  But as we left the badlands, the landscape changed.  Out of nowhere massive rock formations loomed in front of us.  It was incredible.  It was Bisti Badlands, but on a grand scale.  Then we drove across all of northern Arizona.  We did not know where we were going to stop, we just knew we were heading west.

I have to backtrack a little here.  I have a friend, Annabeth Martin, who thinks that our trip is prophetic.  She sees things in a way that I do not.  When we stopped at Dolores, Colorado on the Dolores River, she said, "Dolores means sorrow."  Later my son told me that Dolores means "pain."  So Annabeth wanted me to anoint the Dolores River.  She said that the LORD has come to anoint us with the oil of joy and the oil of gladness.  It is true, He has, and He has already anointed me.  In Isaiah 53, I understand that on the cross, Jesus bore our pain, and He carried our sorrows.  So that river that is over 250 miles long, is a river of pain and sorrow.  If flows straight through Indian territory.  I started to pray and prophecy over Indian nations.  So when I told Annabeth that we had stopped at the county line of Dolores and Montezuma at that bridge to anoint the river from that point - close to Rico, she said, "When you enter the badlands, call them good."  Say what?  We had already left the badlands, and I didn't do that.  I messaged Annabeth, "Girl, you see in a way that I don't see.  You have to teach me."   She then said, "I keep hearing, 'Take your shoes off, you are standing on holy ground."  OH MY!  So I started to pay attention.

All of northern Arizona is beautiful.  Massive rock formations.  But it is also desolate.  Not much can grow on this land - it is all Indian land - Apache and Navajo.  I can tell that because it is colored purple on my map.  Then I looked at where we were going - toward Page, AZ.  The town before Page is called Bitter Springs.  The Indian reservations stop just short of the Colorado River.  Did they get a raw deal.  Probably.  I told my husband, "I want to stop at Bitter Springs," and we did.  I took off my shoes, and I cried, "Holy!"  "Dry bones, hear the Word of the LORD."  "Breathe O four winds on these slain that they may live."  "Graves open up."  "Live!" "Bitter water, become sweet."  "LORD, send light into a dark and desolate land.  Heal the land.  Set the captives free.  Heal the broken hearts.  Set at liberty those who are bound.  Beauty for ashes!  The oil of joy for mourning!  A garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they may be plantings of the LORD for His glory."  "O send out Your light and Your truth.  Let them lead them.  Let them bring them to Your holy hill and to your tabernacle."  HOLY!  In Jesus' name.  HOLY.  HEALED.  WHOLE.

So I want to include the pictures of me standing barefoot prophesying.  I also want the pictures that I took from our truck as we were traveling northern New Mexico and northern Arizona.  After leaving Bitter Springs, we passed Marble Canyon before we even realized we were there.  All we really saw was a Motel, but it had a large parking lot and a couple of campers in the back.  When we saw that it was another 44 miles to Jacob Lake, we decided to turn back.  The man at the motel pointed to a road right beside us that led to a campground.  OH MY GOODNESS!

OH THE PLACES WE GO!

LEE'S FERRY:  Lee's Ferry is in Glen Canyon National Park, so with our AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL pass, we pay half price -  $10 per night.   We have no hookups, but there is a dump station right here,  There is also water at the dump station, so it is very convenient for us.  There are 50? campsites with covered tables and fire pits here.  There is also a bathroom.  Right now there are only about ten campsites taken, and it is Memorial weekend.  The park ranger said that this is the best kept secret around.  No one knew about this place until a couple of years ago when they opened the upper part of the Colorado River to kayaks. 

Lee's Ferry is the point where all of the rafts that float down the river through the Grand Canyon enter.  That trip is 270 miles long and will end up at Lake Meade near Las Vegas, Nevada.  Cool, huh!  We happened to be down on the river when a couple of groups were starting the trip, so we asked a lot of questions.  They say that there is a two year waiting list to take that trip.  I don't know how much it costs.  This is also the only? place you can enter the Colorado River around here.  Everything is regulated, so you can't even enter the river up at Page.  

Most people think that you have to have a permit to get on the river, but you don't if you go upriver.  We talked to the Park Ranger, and he gave us the scoop.  This river is a grade A fishing place - brown and rainbow trout, and until two years ago, it was a fisherman's paradise.  We talked to one man who had been fishing this river for 25 years.  He was not happy with the kayaks.  So you can paddle upstream, like we were doing, or you can hire some outfitters to take you the fifteen miles upstream to the dam, then float the river down.  Many people camp along the banks, so you can take as long as you want.  From what I understand, if you don't have a kayak, you can rent one for $100 per person, and they will take you upstream and let you out.  If you have your own boat, they say it costs anywhere from $65-$75 to have them take you.  Is that per person?   I don't know, but it would be worth it.  But from what I understand, you have to have a reservation.  One of the guys at the dock gave me a list of people who do this:

Backhaul outfitters:
Dave Trimble (928) 380-4504
Rae Lynn (435) 899-9717
Mike Haws (928) 587-3682
Mike Roth ((28) 719-1048

Then just down from the campground, there is a place called, The Beach.  It is a beach.  A sandy beach.  Cold water! Hot weather, and cold water. So cool!  This place is also 130 miles from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  We are going to go there tomorrow, I think.  But it is so much colder there.  We rode our motorcycle to Jacob Lake, and it was 60 degrees.  It was 95 when we left Lee's Ferry.  We have to have our coats, and we have to leave early.  Then it is only 110 miles to Zion National Park.  When we go there, we may just take the motorcycle and a tent.  We want this to be our home base for a while, but I want to do some hikes in Zion.

OH THE PEOPLE WE SEE!

PAT & DENNIS:  I don't know their last names, but Pat and Dennis are brothers.  Pat Lives in Minneapolis, and Dennis lives in Houston.  Pat flew into Houston over five weeks ago, and they took a train to El Paso.  They then got on their bicycles and went from El Paso to Tempi, AZ (426 miles).  Then from Tempi, AZ to Cedar City Utah (479 miles).  Then they were going to fly home from there.  They ride from 40-50 miles per day.  We fixed breakfast for them Thursday morning, then we passed them on the motorcycle as we rode to Jacob Lake.  We gave them some of our water.  Then we brought them cookies on the way back.  These are two neat people.  I wish we would have had more time to get to know them.  And we don't even know their last name.  Lyndyl is on the phone right now asking Randy if he wants to ride bicycles.  Randy laughed.

MICK AND GINA SWAPP:  Yesterday we decided to put our canoe into the river and paddle upstream.  Our last experience left me a little concerned.  So we thought that we would see if we could do it.  We probably paddled upstream about a mile when I could feel my legs burning, so we pulled over to the sandy beach so that I could put on my pants.  That was when Mick and Gina pulled up around the bend from us.  Their dog, Denali, a Great Pyrenees, met us first.  So sweet!  Then we just hit it off.  Mick knows so much!  He use to be a river guide.  He designed and built the boat they were driving.  It is made for long trips.  They have taken it down the Colorado several times.  He was a wealth of information, but most of the time he was speaking a foreign language to me.  He said names and terms I had never heard before.  I could not take it all in.  He also use to work as the manager? of the power plant that was here.  He knew all about the river and how it provided electricity for much of California and Arizona, but they have been in a drought for a long time, and he thinks that unless they get rain, Lake Powell will be too low to provide the electricity.  He thinks there will be blackouts by the end of summer.  He also sings.  He gave us a CD.  Fascinating.  Then Gina!  Wow!  She is a marvel.  She cans.  Shoots elk.  Processes.  She works hard and is prepared for anything.  She and Mick work as a team.  We loved them.  So then they just said, "Do you want us to take you upstream a few miles?  Heck yes!  - Although I was still a little nervous after our last canoe trip.  They took us al the way to Horseshoe Bend and showed us all the people up there who were taking pictures.  When we get to Page, I am going to take a picture from the top.  So cool!  I am hoping we connect again.

RV LIFE:

It has been averaging 95 degrees here at Lee's Ferry.  It is hot, like Texas, but there is nearly always a breeze.  We don't want to run the generator more than we have to, but we are just fine.  Lyndyl starts out sleeping on the couch because it is cooler, then he comes to bed.  We will see what happens when it gets hotter.

MOMENTS THAT TAKE MY BREATH AWAY:

The ride up to Mesa Verde again. 
The ride up and down the Colorado River.  Oh my goodness!