The Grand Canyon had always just been one of "those places" we thought we should visit someday. Living in the Rocky Mountains we have viewed many beautiful rock formations, deep canyons, and we live within driving distance of several 14,000 peaks, so it just kept getting put off.
Having traveled to Mexico and Canada the prior years, we decided we needed to devote as much time to the United States! We called Sis again to see if she would like to go with us and without hesitation she said yes. She immediately sent us a subscription to the "Arizona Highways" magazine. Upon receipt of the first issue, I knew that in order to really give the canyon its due attention, we would need to allow sufficient time. We researched the surrounding area, located nearby campgrounds, mapped out the things we could not miss in the area and laid out the route for our tour to the great southwest.
We left home with great excitement and spent the first night in Durango, Colorado
One of those silly "self portraits" with the camera balanced crooked on the back of the pickup
We drove on to Holbrook AZ the next day close to our first destination "The Petrified Forest". This piece of wood sets at the entrance to the campground.
At the beginning of the park you drive through the "Painted Dessert", the colors of the rock formations were awesome, and it's just like they say it changes by the minute. I would take a picture, turn around to look somewhere else, then by the time I looked back at the first place it had changed colors again.....
Eventually the road led us on to where the petrified forest starts and we begin to see logs laying around everywhere, it is absolutely amazing....... There are thousands strewn all over, you can see parts of them jutting out from mounds of dirt and rock with parts of the them still covered up. In other areas there lay complete, huge trunks. The information we learned was that some of the fallen trees had been as tall as 200 ft..... In looking out aross the hills you will see the landscape dotted with old logs. I encourage the viewer to click and enlarge the pictures of the rocks to better appreciate their beauty.
On Closer inspection as you walk closer the crystals become obvious covered by the petrified bark........
On touching it you are making contact with a rock log nearly 200 million years old. One cannot help but be impacted by the association with nature.
Before they started cracking down on people carrying the wood out of the park, some had removed just the crystals from the center. It was sad to see the results of the robbers who had stolen the hearts of many.
The colors were so intense and try as hard as I could, I could not capture the nature polished glass appearance of the content of the stone.... It was a rainbow of colors all swirled together. The deep reds to purples to greens and yellows mixed in with white and pink quartz and clear crystals surrounded by rough, tan and dark brown bark.
Other pieces due to water, temperature, time or particular conditions took on their own hues of predominately white........
To deep purple
To the Gold and Red's of the sun
A small broken jewel laying on the side of a hill
To massive trunks cracked only through eons of nature's forces
One of the pieces I chose that sets on top of our entertainment center today
There is a rock pile outside where one can search through and choose raw unpolished specimens just as it's found on the private grounds where we spent a lot of time trying to find that perfect jewel. We had a great time digging!
Leaving Holbrook we headed towards Williams AZ the next day......On the way about half way between, we stopped to visit the site of the Holsinger Crater.
Reaching our camp near Williams the evening of September 8th we set up camp, cooked a hamburger on the grill and went to bed early in anticipation of our first visit to the Grand Canyon. We had purchased tickets ahead of time to take the train for our first trip, which would give us a chance to find our way around so we could explore on our own later.
Pulling into the depot at the canyon the conductor told us where to walk to get our first view of the canyon, we followed directions, climbed a set of stairs up to the El Tovar hotel, walked up tot he rail and.......
there are no words to express it
My first reaction was suddenly I realized I was crying, tears were rolling down my face. I can't explain why but it brought out emotions in all of us. None of us said a word, I'm not sure I was breathing. It is so overwhelming enormous with vast expanses of pure beauty, it totally engulfed me.
I felt so small, I was deeply humbled as I tried to take it all in. The colors are so varied and rich and I must have stood and stared for what seemed like hours when I finally raised my camera and took this first picture of the scene before me. My first view of the "Grandest of them all".
Finally we started to become aware of our surroundings and begin to notice the buildings, the services, the other people, and we started to wander around. We found the shuttles and figured out the process of jumping on them and getting off at the next stop and begin to work our way on up the canyon. We would get off, observe the scenes from that point, then board the shuttle again and proceed to the next viewing point. Time after time one viewing point tried to outdo the last one. We spent the rest of the afternoon just enjoying the beauty around us.
After seeing all of the viewing points above us, we rode down to where they suggested would be the best one to view the sunset. We set there as the crowds thinned for about an hour waiting on the sun to go down, which it did at 6:45 and just the three of us enjoyed darkness coming over the canyon. We caught the last shuttle about 8:30 and got back around 9:00.
We had made arrangements to stay at a hotel at the canyon over night so we would have time to do more viewing the next day before the train took us back to Williams.
We woke up at 4:30 a.m. in order to catch another shuttle to watch the sun rise.
Hidden by the clouds and the canyon the light did not allow very good pictures that morning but you have to believe me it was worth the lack of sleep in order to be a part of a new day in the canyon.
Returning to the village we had until around 3:00 that afternoon before the train left so we spent our time visiting museums and lodges along the rim, joining in on some ranger park lectures, and taking in as much as we could.
We went into the El Tovar lodge, the hopi house, Verkemps souvenir shop, and the Kanub gallery where so much beautiful art of the canyon is displayed. All the while we stopped to gaze at more views along the rim of the canyonand stopped to say hello to the mules..... We were disappointed as we had tried to arrange for a mule ride down into the canyon but found out they are usually booked up more than a year in advance so that is something we will have to do another day
Professional art in the gallery
Entertained on the train ride home by a fiddle player and gunmen on horseback who stopped the train and came on board to rob the passengers.
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Of course it was all in good fun |
The next day we had a kick back day, drove back into town to make a stop at the grocery store, and visit some rock and souviner shops. Willams sets on Route 66 and is full of fun 50's memorabilia and a great small town all in itself.
The next day we drove to Sedona, but there were so many people we didn't even stop. We did enjoy the beautiful red rock that the area is so famous for and seen some wonderful dessert cactus in bloom.
September 13th was our day to visit our canyon again on our own this time. We drove the pickup stopping at Tusayan to see the I-Max movie of the canyon which is awesome, Then on to the canyon we had read about a little known, unadvertised museum (actually I don't know if it even has a name, but it's where they keep all of the artifacts that have been found in the canyon over the years) We didn't know that appointments are preferred, but the ranger on that day invited us in for a short but private tour. Almost everything is kept in safes and no pictures are allowed. We viewed indian pottery, small leather covered journals, and early explorers supplies...... many of the items are so fragile that after unlocking the safe and pulling drawers out that contained them. They are not to be touched, those that are allowed to be touched gloves must be worn before handling. We spent about a half hour there and the next time I go I would like to schedule at least a half a day!
From there we continued on along the rim road stopping at several pull off's.
We visited the Yavapai Geology museum where you can learn of the geology of the canyon.
Rocks on display with geological descriptions
And we visited the "Watchtower"
With beautiful art work of the Pueblo peoples
And Gorgeous views of the northeast canyon through the open rock cut windows on top
The next day we made preparations to hit the road again and head for the North Rim.... I had spoke to the park ranger at "Demont" and he said unless you have reservations to stay at the canyon RV Park the other choice is "dry" camping in a lot of areas around the park. The campground was full when I had called for home so knowing we would be camping without hookups we needed to get everything ready to go. Jim filled our propane bottles, water tank, and I went to the store to restock on food supplies and ice. We did laundry and cleaned the camper and pickup.
Saturday September 15th we were up early, hitched on to the camper again and told the South rim goodbye. We drove through some beautiful country, the Vermillion cliffs and Marble canyon and made a few stops to stretch and did some rock hunting. We arrived at Demont around noon, filled with fuel, told the park ranger we would be camping in an area of the woods, then found a spot and was all settled by about 1:00 that afternoon.
Our Campsite on the North Rim about 7 miles from the canyon
We knew ahead of time that if we wanted to have dinner one evening at the Grand Lodge we needed to make reservations a couple days ahead of time, so our first job was to go there, look around and make plans for eating there one night. After reservations were made for Monday night we walked to the rim viewing point and wandered around the grounds.
The Grand Canyon Lodge
We each had to have our pictures taken with the "bronze donkey". His nose is extremely shiny from millions of visitors rubbing it over the years.
The dining room in the hotel is surrounded with glass with a huge balcony off from it
providing great views from both inside and outside.
Viewing point below the lodge
Our son and daughter in law had hiked to the bottom of the canyon from "Swamp Point" on the North Bass Trail a couple years before that, and he had told us it was quite a drive into it but well worth it. The next day we got out the topo maps and went off to find it. We over slept that morning and was late getting around and first we needed to check in with a forest ranger to make sure someone knew where we were going so it was almost noon before we left. Knowing it was at least a four hour drive I had packed some sandwiches in case we got hungry on the way home. It was a 4 wheel drive trip most of the way through the woods, we seen beautiful country and spotted a lot of wild life on the trip there.
Deer
Wild Turkey
And the rare "white tailed squirrel" seen only on the north rim
This is not a very good picture but they don't set still long
The picture is better if enlarged.
We finally got to our destination and as we drove into the clearing at the trail head we heard a "sheuwishing" noise. Jim stopped the pickup and seen where we had run over a hidden stump that punctured a tire. First things first, dusk was approaching quickly so nothing to do but get it changed.
Since we carry our large jack in the camper we had to use the little one that came with the pickup and it wouldn't reach the frame so Jim put Jeanne and I to gathering up flat rocks to set it on and then he proceeded to change it.
Tired and dirty we had very little time left to view the canyon and take pictures before nightfall
And with darkness upon us we bid farewell to "Swamp Point " on the North Bass Trail and headed back home through woods......
The next day Jim and I left Jeanne at the camper and took off for Kanub UT to find a new tire and have it mounted. It was about a hundred mile round trip but we were back by noon, $232 dollars later.
That afternoon we drove over paved roads to Point Imperial and Point Cape Royal
Point Imperial was beautiful with a nice walking trail all along the rim
Just a side note here about the North Rim, it's like going to a totally different world from the South Rim
It's quiet, a lot less people, and the views are just as spectacular only in a different way.
It is more wooded along the edges and has more unusual formations.
Cape Royal is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen and very unique
This is where you can view the famous "Angel's Window".
Angel's Window forms a natural arch and you walk over the arch to a viewing point
The view from the point is unbelievable
Changing colors before you with the rays of the sun
and the direction you are looking at
That evening was topped off with our dinner
at the Grand Lodge
With our special label North Rim Grand Canyon Merlot
Following a scrumptious dinner of prime rib plus watching the sunset from our table
made it a perfect evening and a perfect way to end our visit
From the North Rim we travel on North to visit Utah
Did you know that Utah has more National parks than any other state?
Please join us as we hit the road again for Utah
with a few stops along the way
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