2013 Road Trip #6 Grand Canyon

Good morning all!

Christian and I camped out with some friends last night and stayed up really late, so I’m getting a late start this morning. Still re-adjusting to the Alaskan climate, though it is a little warmer than normal for this time of year here. After the 100+ degrees we went through in the deserts, 55F felt kind of chilly this morning. I think we’re getting ready to go into our fall rainy season soon.

Our arrival at the Grand Canyon brought a lot of ooh’s and ah’s, as the largeness of it all spread out before us. It was partly cloudy when we first arrived, and the shadows from the clouds caused the many colors in the canyon walls to change as the clouds moved overhead.

We entered the park through the south entrance, and then drove all the way through to the end of the east side, stopping at almost every pullout and trail along the way.

Many of the viewing areas do not have any hand rails, and there were some places where my vertigo kicked in, causing me to feel dizzy. I had to stay back from the edges in those areas. We were also up in elevation, which affected our breathing a little. But we took our time walking around and enjoying the scenery. There was a type of ground squirrel running around in several of the areas we visited. They blended in so well, it’s hard to see them in the pictures.

There were plenty of opportunities to see wildlife along the way, though some species were more allusive than others.

One of the most impressive things about viewing the canyon were the many unique rock formations. Christian and I both have enjoyed rock collecting and learning about all the different types of rocks, and here we had the opportunity to learn about the different ways that rocks are formed and shaped.

Evidence remains of a previous year’s wildfire, though new growth is taking hold again.

The maps we were given for the park where a little obscure in their details. While looking for a certain trail, we took a wrong turn and got a little lost. We decided to make the most of it and stop for a lunch break. The hood of the car made a nice make-shift table top.

After receiving several heavy rains, our first glimpse of the Colorado River was a bit muddy. But it was still cool thinking about how that river had carved all these amazing forms out of the rock cliffs.

I found out that I’m not the only one bothered by heights.

At the end of the park on the east side, our last stop was at Desert View Watchtower. We toured around the outside before going in and climbing to the top. It was quite educational learning about the earlier people of this region and their lifestyles. The tower was also a credit to the period’s architecture. It is a replica of a prehistoric Indian tower, built in 1932 and designed by Mary Colter.

Walking through the tower made me feel like we had gone back in time.

After we left the watch tower, we headed back to the center of the park to catch a tour bus to the west side. That side is not accessible by car, but the buses run every 15 minutes and drop you off at the designated stops. There are also trails you can hike as well.

As we continued on our way down the western end of the park, we watched a storm rolling in from across the canyon.

Shortly after this picture was taken, we began to see lightning strikes across the canyon. A park ranger was warning people that we should probably start heading back, away from the canyon rim. He said that lightning can strike from 10 miles away, and it can also jump from the metal hand rails we were standing next to. The storm was already at the north rim, less than 10 miles across from where we were.

Christian was getting excited (and a little nervous) hearing the thunder and seeing some of the lightning strikes. We were almost at the end of the bus route, so we decided to make one more stop at the end of the line before heading back. It was a place called Hermit’s Rest. The building there had been turned into a little gift shop, so we went in to grab a few souvenirs. By the time we came out, the storm was almost on top of us. Lightning was hitting in the canyon on both rims.

 

We stayed under the eave of one of the outbuildings for shelter, waiting for the last bus back to the village center. As the bus pulled in, several lightning strikes in a row hit, and we were all treated to a nice light show on the ride back. By the time we got back to the village center, it was pouring down rain. So we got soaked running from the bus stop to our car. Lightning was hitting all around us, so we stayed in the car and enjoyed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with chips and enjoyed the show. We were all amused at getting to see 3 spectacular lightning storms in 3 nights.

After the lightning faded away, we drove on back through the park and exited out the east end. I drove on to the town of Cameron, where we stopped for gas and a nap.

Our nap in Cameron only lasted a couple of hours, and I continued on driving north. We crossed the 3,000 mile mark shortly after leaving. Amy was kind enough to hold up the sign for me, though I don’t think she was overly happy about it. I guess some folks just aren’t early morning people. 🙂

I let Amy and Christian sleep until just before sun up. By then we were on the north rim of the canyon. I’ll post more about that tomorrow. Right now I need to get some chores done, so I’ll sign off for now. I hope everyone has a wonderfully funtastic day! God bless – Amber & Christian

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