Today, we said goodbye to Las Vegas at 8:30am -- which felt more like 7:30am because of Daylight Savings. We drove through an eerily quiet Las Vegas strip and headed north on I-15. Almost immediately, the backdrop of casinos and billboards gave way to stunning mountain ranges and desert vegetation.
We drove for about 2 hours to St. George, Utah, where we enjoyed lunch at Gaia's Garden Cafe. The food was so aesthetically pleasing and tasted even better -- huge shoutout to our TFT guide Courtney for that restaurant recommendation! After some yummy eats, students took advantage of the sunny skies with a walk around the block and a casual game of frisbee.
Next, we headed to Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona. From St. George, we crossed into Arizona, then crossed back to Utah, and then back to Arizona again. Keep in mind that Utah observes Daylight Savings but Arizona does not-- and so each border crossing meant a change in the clock. All in all, we time travelled four times today! Toward the end of our drive, some ominous clouds loomed overhead and threatened our tour of Antelope Canyon, but fortunately the weather held out.
Here are Isabelle & Olivia to tell you more about what they learned on their tour:
"Today we went to the Antelope Canyon and learned about the geological history and structure of the rocks along with the general history of the canyon itself. This canyon sits on Navajo land, and the tour is exclusively operated by Navajo guides. Our guide told us that every little line marks 100 years of time, and every inch represents 1000 years. The jagged lines of the canyon were formed by wind, whereas the smooth curves were formed by flash floods. At one point in history, the whole canyon was underwater!
A highlight of the tour was viewing the naturally formed sculptures in the canyon walls, some of which included bears, rose petals and the infamous lion from the lion's den. Our knowledgeable tour guides led us through the mile long trek and pointed out the best places to take pictures which featured the classic backgrounds of Microsoft and Dell devices."
After the tour, we ate generous portions of Mexican food at a local restaurant, and we headed back to our hotel for some rest. While we have had some amazing adventures, it is time to prioritize rest, so that we have enough energy for all of the exciting activities ahead. And with that, good night!
