\ˈan-təl-ˌō-pee\ Canyon. Page, Arizona

When Ale asked if we could go see the “smooth caverns” I knew she was talking about Antelope Canyon. I was so excited to go back to Page after Yosef and I went there last summer. Last year, we camped on the beach at Lake Powell and went jet skiing, and it was just the most incredible experience.  Although Ale and I weren’t about to drop big money on some silly water toys (especially considering our past experiences with jet skis in the Bahamas), we were definitely going to do some beach camping and visit Antelope Canyon.

We stocked up on beers and more hot dogs and set up camp right on the beach at Lone Rock. The weather was beautiful and the water was warm enough for us to wade up to our knees. We stayed up late huddled around our mini bon fire which was by far one of our best nights camping… But then the blustery winds came that started late that evening and carried on through the next day.

Lone Rock, Lake Powell

The next morning we got up early for our 9:30 Antelope Canyon tour and hurried over to the meeting point just in time to learn that we were an hour early… We had officially made it to PST time, but not our cell phones. They were totally confused. So we had brunch at Ranch House Grill to kill the time and had the most bomb green chili Huevos Rancheros. NOM!

Later, we boarded these funky open air trucks to drive to the canyon since it’s on an Indian reservation. I had done the same tour last year, so I was ready and prepared with the right camera settings to get some awesome shots. The canyon is basically created by flash floods and the cool formations were made by swirling water. It was super narrow inside and really tall, and surprisingly dark considering all the photos come out really bright. It was fun listening to the tour guide point out all these bizarre shapes in the rock formations, like the Liberty Bell, an eagle, a heart, etc. among other imaginative forms. But of course our favorite part was when all the red sand started pouring down the slots due to the high winds that just caked our head in dust. That sand will stay with us forever…

At the end of the tour, the guide offered to take a picture of us. He had us stand in a specific spot and hold his flashlight (not on) upwards. We were both totally confused until we saw the picture and you could see how he made it look like we were holding a torch. Amazing! That one is getting framed.  Check out more pictures here!

Holding the Torch in Antelope Canyon

On our way to the Grand Canyon, we also stopped at Horse Shoe Bend. This is a really unique part of the Colorado River just a few miles from Glen Dam, and the perspective makes it look like the river does a 360 around a little island, but it's really just a horse shoe bend... Hence the name. Beautiful!

Horse Shoe Bend