Population 607

May 1, 2026 — Day 38

Lone Rock Beach Campground, Glen Canyon Recreation Area, Big Water, UT

We wanted an easier day today, so we figured we’d drive around and see what we could see from the Jeep. Not randomly mind you, we did have destinations in mind. First up was to make it to Lee’s Ferry. This is the site where you can drive right up to the Colorado River. You can read about the history of Lee’s Ferry on the nps.gov site. Basically, the settlers wanted the unoccupied land, which actually had been occupied for millennia. We see that history repeat itself a lot.

But anyways, we got to drive through The Cut again, and what a view. There’s a storm coming in.

We descended from the cut and took the beautiful road to Lee’s Ferry.

So, so many stickers. We see stickers a lot out here. Another favorite target are stop and yield signs.

The views didn’t disappoint at the bottom. This view is from the “iron ranger” station where you pay your day use fee to enter Lee’s Ferry. Our America the Beautiful pass, aka the Geezer Pass, lets us in for free. At $80 for lifetime entry it’s a fabulous deal. We recommend getting one.

There is just so much to photograph. Even though it’s cloudy it’s also very bright. Paul is shading the camera viewfinder just so he can see it!

More Hoodoos! We planned on stopping and seeing these on the way out, but we did grab a photo or two.

We made it to Lee’s Ferry, parked and had lunch. We ate in the car because it was super windy and very hot. Plus, we couldn’t see any picnic benches. This bird was jonesing for a treat. It stood mostly motionless until we stopped eating then it flew on to find another person to mooch from.

There is so much federal land around here. Remember the iron ranger? That was for entering the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. We’re camping there back at Lone Rock. But after you leave the parking lot and head towards the Colorado River, you enter the Grand Canyon National Park.

After lunch we went for a short walk. It got hotter and Susan went back to the Jeep to cool off. Paul had heard a bird, it had yellow on it. He tramped around those bushes for at least 15, maybe 30 minutes, trying to spot it. Merlin called it a Northern Yellow Warbler. That’s not a rare bird, nor a life bird, so he logged it. Along with the common Grackle seen begging for snacks.

This is about to be boarded by some intrepid souls looking to camp along the Colorado River for about the next week. This boat has an engine. If was an human powered boat you could be 2 to 2 1/2 weeks on the river! Oh, you have to carry out your poo and trash.

This is not the hut that served as a base for Lee’s Ferry though Paul thought it was.

American Placer Corporation Office

Headquarters of Charles H. Spencer’s gold mining company

Failing to recover gold, Spencer abandoned his mining outpost around 1912. Cowboys, miners, and travelers occasionally camped in the empty building. It briefly functioned as a post office in 1922, though almost no mail was sent or delivered.

There was also a run down fort next to it.

We visited the Lee’s Ferry campground, we had hoped to move here from Lone Rock but it was really tiny and the sites were close. Our giant RV meant it wasn’t for us. Oh well, it happens. We’ll console ourselves somehow.

We passed by this spur on the way out. We were tempted to, but we were feeling a bit travel worn so we didn’t.

Besides, we had a destination in mind, the Navajo Bridge. Why? To see the Condors!

As you may know, California Condors are the largest bird in North America with a wingspan reaching almost 10′ across. Did you know they’re incredibly long lived? They can reach 60 years of age! They were also critically endangered. In 1987 there were just 27 birds left. In 2025 the population reached 607 individuals and are still one of the rarest birds on the planet. They have tags on both wings and yes, that’s a transmitter on each wing. It was pretty cool to see such a rare bird out in the wild.

The plan for the day was Lee’s Ferry, Condors, then drive for awhile along 89A to see the Vermillion Cliffs. We were at the start of them and they looked wonderful. But, we were travel weary and had about an hours drive home, so we headed back to the RV.

Life Birds: 1, California Condor