Thursday 19/5/05

Beast day alert! Grabbed supplies and headed into the vast Utah canyonlands. The first thing we had heard on the radio that morning was the warning of record high temperatures for this time of year, rising to an expected 95 degrees. Rode through canyons for 83 miles to Lake Powell (a 5 year drought had reduced the lake to a mere puddle). On the way there was supposed to be a motel and cafe, it turned out it had closed 2 years earlier and would probably never reopen. This was the only building we saw all day, it really is vast and empty out here. Although the scenery is something else, you feel very insignificant and alone. Upon arriving at The recreation area at Lake Powell the shop had just shut for the night and Alex had no food left. Fortunatley he managed to rouse the owners and we got beans and meatballs for dinner - whoopie! Set up camp and met a lone traveller in an old VW camper van called Henry Ellis. He was real good to us and offered us lots of tea and water. He had a real old hippy vibe and he sat there all night listening to Japanese Pan Pipe music. We thank him profusely for the new can of propane he gave in exchange for our empty can. Got in the tent and it was so hot it took hours to get to sleep.

Its scary out here its just so desilate