Jeff and I woke at around 7:30 and got ready for church before going to breakfast. The dining room was larger than in Las Vegas, but was still crowded because there had been a marathon there the day before. We were able to find a table and had sausage and eggs. We left in time to get pictures at the Mormon temple in St. George. It is a massive pure white building situated high enough that it is visible from miles away. It is closed for renovation, but we wouldn’t have been allowed inside anyway because we aren’t Mormons.

We worshiped with the St. George church of Christ. It’s a very small congregation, and we got the impression that it was made up of people from back East who were already members rather than many native converts. We think this was the only church of Christ for 50 miles, because one of the friendly people we talked to drove all the way from Mesquite, about an hour away. Thus, they were going to have a lunch together, and then have their “evening” service at 1:00. Jeff and I had to leave immediately after service, though, because we had a reservation to tour Lake Powell by boat. So we ate from the drive thru at In-N-Out Burgers, which we had never had. I get that it’s comfort food to some people out west, but it was just a regular burger and fries to me. I ordered iced tea, and found that there was no sugar whatsoever in it. Some missionary from the South needs to come out here and teach these westerners how to make tea the right way! The chocolate milkshake I got made up for the flavorless tea, though.

The drive from St. George to Page was barren, but also beautiful. I can’t get over how vast the desert is. We got some good pictures, but they still don’t do justice to how endless the desert seems.

We arrived at Lake Powell with plenty of time to spare, mostly because Arizona doesn’t use daylight savings time, which put us an hour ahead of schedule. We sat around waiting and people watching, and noticed that there were a lot of Japanese and French people going on the tour as well. At the appropriate time, we were herded onto the boat. The last time I got on a boat, I got monstrously sunburned, so this time I not only had on my big floppy hat, but we also chose to ride below deck. It was not crowed at all there, and I think we got good views anyway. The commentary was interesting, and I learned why the mesas and buttes around here are so multicolored. The iron from the top of the formation runs down when it rains and stains the quartz further down. The black streaks are manganese and possibly microscopic organisms. We chose a great time to go on the tour, because the sunset really brought out the colors of this beautiful place.

When we got back to the marina, the path leading back up to the parking lot was very steep, so we waited until most of the passengers had gone ahead before we started up. I labored as I knew I would, so that we were not able to leave in time to attend evening church services at the Page congregation. I know Jeff had particularly wanted to do that.

We got supper at Big John’s Texas BBQ, where we both ate some delicious beef brisket. We knew it would be good because the place was so busy. I think it’s the kind of place Guy Fieri would visit for Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives, with good food, funky decor, and a live band.

Finally, we went to our hotel at Sleep Inn of Page, where Jeff again soaked in the hot tub while I worked on the blog. We will need to get up early tomorrow because we have a tour of Antelope Canyon at 8:00 AM.