Lone Rock Beach & Page

Saturday, October 28
While trying to come up with a fun weekend adventure Tim mentioned kayaking in Lake Powell. I immediately jumped all over that. It’s been months since we put the kayaks in the water. And since we didn’t have boats that last time we visited Lake Powell, it would be a fun new place to explore.

Our destination was Lone Rock Beach. Located on the very western edge of one of Lake Powell’s many fingers, Lone Rock beach is part of the Glen Canyon Recreation area and offers primitive camping for $14/night. In addition to easy access to the lake, they also allow parking right on the beach. How cool is that?

Waterfront camping at Lone Rock Beach

When some people see RVs on the beach they immediately think, But what if you get stuck? I, on the other hand, think, What if we don’t get stuck and instead end up having a blast while parked right next to the water? I’ve been guilty in the past of letting the What If monster get the best of me. Not this time.

Not bad for $14/night

Of course, it helps that we’ve parked on this particular beach before. We also know tons of people who have done it with no issues. And, on the day we arrived there were at least a dozen RVs, most larger and heavier than us, parked on the sand. I even spotted what looked to be at least a 40’ motorhome parked about 10 feet from the water. If that beast is not afraid to get stuck neither are we!

RVs of all types and sizes gather on the beach

As we drove down to the water’s edge we immediately noticed that the water level was higher than during our previous visit. Way back in the spring of 2013 we spent three nights here. The sand must have been softer at that time because the blog post says, “we choose a hard packed spot a hundred or so feet up from the water and wouldn’t have even come this close without 4WD.”

A throwback photo to the first time we came here in 2013 with our sweet old man dog who LOVED it!

This time, the sand was very hard packed all the way to the water. In fact, more hard packed than the areas farther from shore. No 4WD needed. Tim looked up the historical lake level data and sure enough, it’s about 30 feet higher now than it was during our last visit.

Out-the-door view!

After a quick lunch, we unloaded the kayaks and set off to explore this tiny corner of the lake. As I walked my kayak into the shallow water, I braced for cold, but the water was actually quite pleasant. Not strip down and go swimming nice, but after all those cold mountain lakes we encountered this summer it was a welcome change.

All ready for some action

We paddled out and around Lone Rock. It looks big from shore, but up close it’s massive!

From there we continued around the rock and then paddled around the corner through a maze of rocks into a narrow inlet. It was strange to be paddling through the same desert landscape that we’ve spent the past few months hiking around.

It’s hard to shake the feeling that this water shouldn’t be here at all. I wonder what geologic treasures lie beneath?

Sunday, October 29

For a number of reasons we didn’t want to stay in the area for the whole week. The biggest reason is that most of the outdoor stuff we enjoy requires at least a short drive around here. With our afternoon adventures already cut short by the early setting sun, we would prefer to be somewhere with closer to hiking options.

Good morning!

With our next stop less than an hour away, we were in no hurry to move on though. And when Tim came across a fun sounding bike ride nearby we decided it would be the perfect way to get some Sunday morning exercise.

The Page Rim trail is a 10 mile dirt track that travels around the perimeter of the town of Page. Offering some really awesome views of the lake, a few moderate rocky sections, and a long stretch on the east side of town that travels high up on the mesa with views for miles, it was a great trail for either biking or walking. Also, apparently not very popular on Sunday mornings as we only saw three other people on the trail.

The Page Rim Trail

You can jump on the trail anywhere, but since we had the Airstream with us, we parked at one of the designated trailhead lots adjacent to a development on the north side of town.

Hard not to get distracted by the views on this trail

After the ride, we went over to the Safeway to stock up on groceries for the week and then had lunch in the parking lot. There really is nothing more convenient than having a house on wheels that you can bring along to the grocery store.

On our way out of town we stopped for gas and noticed an easily accessible car wash one building over. The last time we washed the truck and Airstream was sometime in June, and since then we have put on a pretty thick layer of dirt and grime.

One last look at the two-tone dirt look

The washing routine we follow involves one person spraying with soap while the other person follows behind with a sponge and ladder. It’s pretty handy that we always carry a bucket, two sponges, and a ladder with us. The truck came out beautiful, but the Airstream is another story altogether. I always get a little depressed when we wash it because it never comes out looking very good. We’re way past the point of needing to re-polish and it makes me cringe to see all the oxidation, water spots and scratches even after a fresh wash.

Be gone dirt!

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, a polished Airstream is a terrible idea for full-time living. Unless you’re committed to never, ever driving on dirt roads or when it’s wet outside, washing it often, and wiping off even the smallest amount debris on a daily basis, then it’s not going to look nice for very long. Since all of that totally goes against our lifestyle (and sounds very boring & uptight) we’re destined to have a scratched up, oxided mess of an Airstream. At least it looks good in photos.

Our freshly washed home – and a sneak peek at where we went after Page