Zum Horsehoe-Bend in Arizona

The evening and the morning in the Lodge on the edge of Monument Valley were one of the highlights. The view from our terrace to Monument Valley was simply magnificent and it was not easy to say goodbye, unlike the previous goodbyes from the motels. They were rather unspectacular and painless. But here it was different. The Gouldings Lodge can really be recommended. And the price was only a little over budget...

But the travel plan did not allow for longer stays. So we packed everything up again and hit the road again. After all, the Horseshoe Bend in Page was waiting for us. Here the Colorado River has carved a loop around the rocks over thousands of years. It is amazing how powerful the water is. We had already experienced something similar the day before with the Gooseneck in Mexican Hat.

We had already been here in 2015. Back then it was a simple meadow where you parked your car and made your way to the viewpoint. Everything was kept very simple. Today, however, everything was different. Of course, it had also been recognized here by now that you could also charge admission for a visit to the Colorado. Ticket booths with two lanes guided us to the money storage of modern Dagobert Duck. The annual pass for the National Parks did not apply here either. We paid 10 bucks per car.

We walked the path to the viewpoint with many tourists. Once we arrived, the Instagram followers were eagerly photographing themselves in all possible positions. And in my estimation, even at truly dangerous rock outcrops close to the edge. After all, it goes about 300 meters down here...

Children also ran freely over the rocks, whose surfaces did not necessarily provide a firm grip with the flying sand. But maybe I'm overly anxious, sometimes I had to look away when I saw how people moved there completely fearlessly.

In principle, Americans are always concerned with (sometimes exaggerated) safety. Everywhere you are reminded to have enough water with you and to let someone know when going for a hike, etc. But there was no indication here of any specific dangers that could occur... The pictures illustrate what I mean. But, as with other "monuments," the "Insta-people" here are only interested in taking the best pictures. We would be interested to know how many people have already fallen here. Nobody can explain to us that this has not happened so far. But maybe it's like with mass shootings in the USA. It's only reported if there are four or more deaths. Below that, it seems insignificant...

Nevertheless, the Horseshoe Bend once again thrilled us and beautiful pictures were possible away from all the "Insta-hype."

After the "horseshoe," we went to the Glen Canyon Dam, a reservoir of the Colorado River, and then to Walmart to buy groceries. Our attempt to check into the hotel failed because they strictly adhered to the 3 pm check-in time. And we arrived at the hotel before 2 pm. The idea of ​​visiting the town of Page also did not work because there is no worthwhile city center. Page was only founded in 1957...

So all we had left was the cool room in a McDonald's, where on the advice of a fellow traveler, Günther ordered a hazelnut iced coffee that Günther didn't like at all... So everything went perfectly...