By Rod Kunkel
Our first weekend getaway of 2023 is behind us! Seventeen of us spent a few days in Page. The weather was beautiful with sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s each day!
Everyone arrived at Classic Aviation Friday morning. After a quick lunch at the Gone West restaurant we headed off for a tour of Lower Antelope Canyon. We all stared at spectacular and endless red rock formations in the slot canyon, with changing views every few steps as we gazed skyward at the changing shadows. Friday night we had BBQ at Big John’s Texas BBQ, seated outside on their patio with a live band playing for the crowd.
Most of Saturday was spent enjoying a rafting trip down the Colorado River. We were transported by bus to the base of Glen Canyon Dam through a tunnel that was originally built when the dam was constructed in the 1960s. We boarded a pontoon boat for a 4-hour / 15-mile ride down the river, including a stop to view petroglyphs just before entering Horseshoe Bend. This stretch of river is very calm. We got off the boat at Lees Ferry for the bus ride back to town. Later in the afternoon we drove to the Horseshoe Bend overlook to view the section of the river we had just traversed a couple hours earlier.
Saturday night was a great Tex-Mex meal at El Tapatio. Some enjoyable conversation and joke telling was fueled by tasty and generous-sized margaritas. Everyone departed for home Sunday morning.
As a side note, my friend Steve and I used this weekend in Page as an opportunity to complete our “around the border of AZ” trip we started a few weeks back but had to cut short due to poor weather in the northern part of the state. Steve and I flew to Page a day early, covering most of the eastern border of AZ, including a stop at Window Rock to capture credit for the Passport program. We then did a right 270 over the Four Corners monument and headed west to Page. When leaving Page on Sunday, we continued westbound to the NV border, then southbound, following Lake Mead and the Colorado River to Lake Havasu City where we had originally started a few weeks back.
Upcoming Weekend Getaways
We have another getaway coming up for Willcox over Memorial Day weekend (Friday 5/26 - Monday 5/29). We are planning to visit Inde Motorsports and also do a fair amount of hiking and wine tasting. The deadline for Willcox has passed, but I am in the early planning stages for a few more getaways later in the year. Tentative destinations:
Bullhead City / Laughlin (river boat cruise, Oatman, casino show)
Douglas (Gadsden Hotel, speakeasy experience, Slaughter Ranch, wine tasting)
Sprucedale Guest Ranch (dude ranch experience)
If you have any questions or suggestions for future getaways, please contact me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..