Alstrom Point - wow! This was one of my favorite experiences of the trip. Alstrom Point is located on the Romana Mesa on the north shore of Lake Powell. It provides an amazing view of the lake and surrounding buttes and canyon walls rising out of the water. We arrived in late afternoon when the light was terrific and watched the lake and canyon walls change colors as the sun set. Thanks to an early sunset and late moonrise, we enjoyed star gazing before falling asleep in our tent. The stars were just as spectacular as the views. I woke later in the night after moonrise and seeing Lake Powell lit by moonlight was just incredible. Sunrise wasn't bad either!

We were again thankful to have Rick's jeep, although we didn't need it until the last mile or so (it took us maybe 1.5 hours of driving from the highway to reach Alstrom point). On the way there we passed through Nipple Bench, a worthwhile destination in itself. This section, while on a BLM road, is easily accessible. The only possible hiccup is fording Wahweap Creek outside of Big Water (this was not a problem at all for us - little water and the crossing was fine). One reason we liked Nipple Bench was that it was a contrast to the landscapes we had seen up to this point. There were huge red colored boulders sitting at the base of white/gray colored cliffs. The boulders look big, but you don't realize just how large they are until you walk by them or see a person standing next to them. There were badland sections dominated by black and yellow colors (a switch from the typical orange/red) that felt otherworldly. All in all, Alstrom Point and Nipple Bench were a fantastic excursion!