Breathtaking scenery from Page, Arizona to Provo, Utah!
Glen Canyon Dam
Glen Canyon Dam is a concrete arch-gravity dam on the Colorado River. An arch-gravity dam or arched dam is a dam with the characteristics of both an arch dam and a gravity dam. It is a dam that curves upstream in a narrowing curve that directs most of the water pressure against the canyon rock walls, providing the force to compress the dam. It combines the strengths of two common dam forms and is considered a compromise between the two.
Glen Canyon Dam, rising 710 feet (220 m) above bedrock within the steep, rust-colored sand-stone walls of Glen Canyon, was constructed to harness the power of the Colorado River in order to provide for the water and power needs of millions of people in the West.
The high dam was built by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) from 1956 to 1966 and forms Lake Powell, one of the largest man-made reservoirs in the U.S. with a capacity of 27 million acre feet (33 km3). The dam is named for Glen Canyon, a series of deep sandstone gorges now flooded by the reservoir.
Glen Canyon Dam is the second highest concrete-arch dam in the United States, second only to Hoover Dam which stands at 726 feet (221 m) . The 26.2 million acre-feet of water storage capacity in Lake Powell, created by Glen Canyon Dam, serves as a ‘bank account’ of water that is drawn on in times of drought. This stored water has made it possible to successfully weather extended dry periods by sustaining the needs of cities, industries, and agriculture throughout the West.
Hydroelectric power produced by the dam’s eight generators helps meet the electrical needs of the West’s rapidly growing population. With a total capacity of 1,320 megawatts, Glen Canyon Power plant produces around five billion kilowatt-hours of hydroelectric power annually which is distributed by the Western Area Power Administration to Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and Nebraska. In addition, revenues from production of hydro-power help fund many important environmental programs associated with Glen and Grand canyons.
At Glen Canyon Dam, the Carl B. Hayden Visitor Center is located 700 feet above the Colorado River overlooking Glen Canyon Dam and Bridge. The visitor center provides many interesting exhibits, audio-visual programs, and ranger presentations as well as a gift shop and an educational bookstore. Guided tours of Glen Canyon Dam and Power plant are provided by the Glen Canyon Conservancy, and begin at the visitor center. Unfortunately, due to Covid restrictions, the visitor center is closed but they have a mobile gift shop. One of these times the visitor center will be open so we can take the tour of the dam.
Some of the rock formations at the Grand Staircase- Escalante National Monument along route 89.
This area boasts a mixture of colorful sandstone cliffs above narrow slot canyons; picturesque washes and seemingly endless slickrock.
Kanab, Utah is classic American West, surrounded by towering Navajo sandstone cliffs and vistas of sagebrush. This scenery has lured filmmakers to Kanab for nearly 80 years. Abandoned film sets near town have become tourist attractions. The buildings all over town have plenty of movie posters and autographed photos to support Kanab's self-proclaimed title, "Little Hollywood."
Mt. Carmel and Mt. Carmel Junction are unincorporated communities located 12 miles east of Zion National Park and 17 miles north of Kanab. They lie in close proximity to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park.
Glendale: population 381
Glendale was originally called "Berryville", and under the latter name permanent settlement was first made in 1864. Sources differ whether the town was named for glens and dales near the town site, or after Glendale, Scotland, the native home of a share of the early settlers.
They love their flowers in this tiny town. The spring flowers are tulips.
Hatch, Utah has a population of 127 people, 41 households, and 33 families residing in the town.
We connected onto Interstate 15 about 5 miles from this section of Cedar City.
We stopped and charged the car in Beaver.
How much do Tesla charging stations cost? Tesla models that do not qualify for free charging have to pay to use Superchargers. The question of how much do Tesla charging stations cost varies, depending on your location. We have free charging for the life of our car. Otherwise the cost for a full charge in Utah is $7.52. We can go 320 miles on a full charge. Gas in Provo is selling for $3.15 a gallon. Depending on your car's mileage and whether you use regular or premium gas, you would be paying anywhere from 40 to 60 dollars.
They are installing 24 new stations at this location. Michael was so excited to see this!
"Tesla has recently increased the charging speed of its luxury vehicles the Model S and X. With the new update, the two vehicles can now charge at 250KW peak supercharging rate, making them finally on par with their smaller brethren Model 3 and Y.
However, rumors of an upcoming faster supercharging speed (greater than 250KW) have been going around the Tesla community since the Cybertruck unveil. Elon Musk at the time when talking about the charging rate for the truck just said it will be more than 250KW and the final number will be announced at a later date.
And now Tesla’s President of Automotive, Jerome Guillen, let slip that Tesla is looking at 350 kW charging for its cars. This was shared in the Q&A segment of the company’s recently held Q3 earnings call."
Why is it that for the last couple times we have come to Utah we see a forest fire? This one was off Fillmore's exit 163 on Interstate 15.
Do you have a vivid imagination? How good are you at spotting different figures? I spy a person. Do you?
Do you see an animal?
Aren't the brown and white colors beautiful?
What does the dark brown smoke remind you of?
Even Michael can see the lion charging out of the smoke. Can you?
More snow in the mountains the closer we got to Provo.
