Recently, three friends took a girl’s weekend in Arizona to explore one of the most beautiful places in the world, Antelope Canyon. The three are extraordinary women. Aside from maintaining friendships worldwide for more than 40 years, all three are veterans or military contractors, and cancer survivors who kept their love for adventuring.
Lifelong Mermaids
How they met is a story in itself. Two were active-duty Air Force, and one was an Air Force spouse and military healthcare contractor in Germany in the early 1980’s. They loved scuba diving and found each other through the Mantis Divers Club. The three became fast friends through the group and dove across Germany and the Mediterranean. They called themselves the Mantis Mermaids.
Eventually, the friends were re-stationed to different parts of the world but stayed in touch over the years. Two of the Mermaids ended up living close enough together to support each other through their cancer journeys and celebrated life often with yearly hikes in the Cascades, occasional diving trips, wine and seafood fest weekends, and a few noteworthy parachute jumps.
Reunions and New Adventures
When the three Mermaids decided to have a long-overdue reunion of the Mantis Divers Club Mermaids, they picked a weekend in Sedona but were unsure what adventure they could add to their comfy Air BnB stay.
They looked at hikes and parks close to Sedona. There were plenty, but none seemed to rise to the top of the list. Then, they found Antelope Canyon. It was a bucket list location for one of the three and when she put it out there, they decided to do it even though it was a three-hour road trip there and three back.
Awe-Inspiring Scenic Beauty
Antelope Canyon is one of Arizona’s premier outdoor destinations and one of the most picturesque places in the world. Multicolored sands have been frozen by time and carved into intricate canyons by eons of rain and winds. Antelope Canyon comprises two magnificent slot canyons on land belonging to the Navajo Nation. It is a sacred site of the Navajo People and a Navajo Tribal Park that can be accessed by permit only. Antelope symbolizes Mother Nature’s gifts and powers, and entering is a spiritual experience akin to entering a cathedral. It is considered a solemn event deserving of respect.
Guide Access Only
The canyon is on private land on the Navajo Nation reservation and can only be accessed by guided tours. To reach the canyons, tour guides bring you to them on covered four-wheel-drive vehicles. The regulations are strict on what you can and cannot bring into the canyon to help preserve its wild and amazing nature.
Another World
Entering Antelope Canyon is like venturing into another world. Multicolored walls twist and turn with narrow ceiling openings that let in light in ethereal windows. Gazing upward, it’s easy to see why this place is sacred to the Navajo people. You can’t visit and go away unchanged.
The Three Mermaids’ tour guide explained the different legends surrounding the canyon and the Navajo people’s heritage, such as using ground mesquite pod seeds for flour [one of the three came back and made mesquite flour pancakes, which were unusual and delicious]. He spoke about some of the creatures that found themselves in the canyons, such as snakes and lizards that slipped down from the surface.
The different canyons had ideal light at different times of the day and the guide helped them line up a beautiful photograph with light that gave them angel wings.
Getting There
Antelope Canyon is located in northern Arizona off Highway 89, a few miles south of the Utah border near Page, AZ. It is within long day trip distance of Sedona and Flagstaff or any destinations surrounding the Grand Canyon. Page offers the easiest access.
Places to Stay
The three Mermaids ventured to Antelope Canyon from Sedona, about three hours away. The closest town to Antelope Canyon is Page, Arizona. Located on the south shore of Lake Powell, Page has many options for stays and dining and serves as a great base camp for adventures all over the area.
https://www.visitpageaz.com/
Tour Guides
Reservations are mandatory for visiting Antelope Canyon and it can only be visited under the supervision of a licensed tour guide. The guide service the Mermaids used is Antelope Canyon Navajo Tours.
https://navajotours.com/
They were very impressed with the guide service as stewards of the land and for amazing courtesy.
Memories to Last a Lifetime
The Mermaids were luck enough to find their inner bears early in life and have these inspiring adventures. What’s your inner bear? Maybe you will find it in Antelope Canyon.
Bear Farm Outdoors, peace out!