![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
The Grand Canyon, AZ
Jul. 6th, 2017 11:14 pmI never thought I would ever see the Grand Canyon. As I don't really drive, it was never going to be overly accessable, so when Tuxedo suggested doing this roadtrip, one of the huge draws was being able to view it. Of course, I had heard about it and some of my friends had urged me to go, but I never thought I would get the opportunity. On Wednesday 7 June, I did.
We left Kanab at a reasonable hour and soon crossed into Arizona, with wide open green plains the terrain of the day. As we drove closer and closer to the Canyon, the landscape became more lush, with tall trees dotted everywhere. Indeed, this verdant landscape was one of the huge surprises of the region as it continued pretty much up to the rim of the Grand Canyon itself. We drove for about fifty miles down US Route 89A and turning onto Arizona state road 67. We were headed for North Rim, the less popular of the two sides of the Grand Canyon, with the South Rim being far more accessable from high population centres such as Phoenix and Las Vegas. The car park was pretty full when we arrived, but the number of tourists was actually quite low, and there was certainly plenty of opportunity to see the wonderous view into the Canyon and beyond. Words can't really do it justice, it was just a stupendous sight of rusty rock bluffs which seemed to stretch on for ever. It was remarkable to think that the Colorado River, which was so tiny in the cravasse below, was responsible for much of this stunning landscape. There was a path along which you could walk about a half mile, seeing over the canyon edge and into the valley below. Wolfie is scared of heights so he dropped back, allowing Tux and I to traverse the more dicey bits, with one point being a narrow bridge with a sheer drop on either side. Indeed, what was interesting about the place was how the canyon was actually on both sides of us, which demonstrated its sheer scale. We did manage to head up to Bright Angel Point, an exposed promontory which looked out over a meander in the canyon, where we could see a huge geological fault which was part of the reason behind the extreme landscape. It was exceptionally windy up here and I feared losing my hat, not least falling off the bluff as there was only a mid-height railing to guard against this, making me feel that perhaps Wolfie had made the right call by dropping back. The safest view was in the terrace of the Grand Canyon Lodge, a hotel and restaurant clinging right on the lip of the canyon, affording excellent views over the valley. The sheer scale of the place was such that we couldn't see the South Rim at all from where we were, which was surprising, but this only added to the awesomeness of the spectacle. There were a couple of other promontories on the other side of the lodge, which I explored while Wolfie lay on the sunlounger on the terrace admiring the view. I also got to spy Roaring Springs Canyon, from where most of the water for the North and South Rim area comes.
There was a modest collection of services at the car park area, with the Lodge being the largest. There was an incredibly hard to find Visitor Centre while we also grabbed some pizza at a little cafe in the main area of the park. As we were eating, the staff sang happy birthday to our server, which was a nice little touch and we tipped her more accordingly. In the gift shop, I became furry trash by buying the 'Who's Tail On The Trail At The Grand Canyon' book while the 'Who Pooped In The Park?' was also quite interesting. There was a touching scat event at the centre too, where you could learn all about animal shit. In the complex there was also a number of chalets which Tux had tried to book, as watching the sunrise (or indeed set) over the Canyon would have been truly magical, but alas they were all booked up a year in advance and we didn't get the trip planned until early April. The Visitor Centre was full of other interesting stuff too, largely dedicated to the geological processes involved as well as the flora and fauna in the area. The North Rim is a popular place for hiking, with a number of walks into the Canyon itself, but sadly we had to refrain, partly due to Wolfie's foot which was still causing him problems but also because of my desperate fear of snakes, with this definitely being snake habitat. The Visitor Centre merely confirmed this.
Despite our lack of walking, we were able to follow a vehicle trail which traced the valley for around twenty miles. We decided to work our way to the end and double back, spying mountain meadows as we did, which are often preserved due to the large number of forest fires in the region. The forest has a habit of taking over, so these natural fires have the ability to preserve different habitats, which is why many are managed these days. The road was narrow and largely forested, twisting and turning until it disgorged itself at a carpark. We parked up and walked the two hundred metres or so to the cliff edge, where a stunning vista greeted us. The rocks were layered in different hues of red, staggered upwards as the valley got wider the closer it got to us. There was vegetation staggered across this, punctuating the rustic colour with splotches of green. The panaoramic splendour was something else and you could see why people choose to get married here. We saw a quintent of elderly people battling against the wind as they tried to take a picture on the cliff edge, while Wolfie was concerned I was getting far too close to take my shots. Meanwhile, as we walked through the forest here, we saw dried up river channels which channeled water through the area and over the sheer cliff face upon which we were standing.
After drinking this in, we headed back to the car and the next vantage point, which afforded another excellent view and indeed the only one where we could see a tributary of the Colorado River below (with the river often being obscured by the topography). Here we met a local ranger, indeed the one who had checked our annual pass as we rolled into the Park, who was monitoring the National Park but was willing to speak to anyone as she did. We saw her talking to a couple with a rather bouncy dog, before we had a chat about how the area was formed. She told us about a prehistoric site just over the road called the Walhalla Ruin, which was occupied by Puebloan farmers 800-1100 years ago. They were pre-historic Indians known as the Kayenta Anasazi, and they left around 1150AD. In the summer months they lived up here, whereas in the winter months when the valley was cooler, they lived by the river. How they got between the two still remains a mystery but what is known is that they were good farmers, growing crops such as beans, squash and corn. The ruins were the remnants of a modest old house within the forest, very near the canyon edge, and it certainly made for an interesting diversion.
Roosevelt Point was our next stop for more canyon fun. This used to be a huge plain until two tectonic plates collided, buckling the land upwards. It was this which created the Rocky Mountains and the smoother Colorado Plain out to the west, again creating a stunning vista. We stopped here for a few photos before pressing on to Point Imperial, another vantage point some 8000ft above sea level. There was a toilet here and it was here that we saw our Ranger friend again, who had disappeared as we had headed to Walhalla. She was talking to a huge group of Chinese tourists, who were blocking the promontory somewhat, meaning I had to be quick to get my pictures. No dinosaur fossils have ever been found at the Grand Canyon because the layers from their era were softer than the rock around it, meaning it has been eroded. There is no visible basement rock here, creating a more swirling and erratic landscape, and highlighted just how immense the whole area is.
This was the final stop really, and as we headed out of the park, we stopped off at a convenience store for supplies. The lady inside was really friendly and we told her about our trip, which surprised her due to the sheer distance we were aiming to cover. We then got back in the car and headed back the way we came, turning right when we got to the 89A as we were bound for Page, where we were due to stay for the night. The scenery was initially flat scrubland, but in the distance we saw a long sandstone ridge approaching. Taking the opportunity to park at a layby full of RVs, we took a few pictures of the rocky cliff and the sprawling plataeu beneath us before pressing on, listening to the delightful comedy of George Carlin as we did. I had never heard much Carlin before but I know he was seminal in the field of stand-up, so it was a real pleasure to get to know his work. It was also great listening to him with friends driving through the Arizona desert. As we kept driving, the landscape became more rocky again, with steep cliffs through which the road ran. We stopped off at a number of vantage points before we crossed over into the Navajo Reservation. The border was the Colorado River and here there was a Visitor Centre. It being around 6pm, it was closed, but there were two stunning steel bridges spanning the river - one for the road and the other for pedestrians. Spying a photo opportunity, we pulled into the carpark and walked across the bridge, taking some pictures of the stunning river valley beneath us. As I did, I spotted two vultures circling overhead before they landed on the ironwork beneath me. I managed to grab a couple more snaps before they took off. In the distance we saw a small by-plane coming into land, followed by a second, while I got chance to take photographs of the stunning rock bluffs which littered the area.
The temperature had hit over 100F by now but this didn't deter us, with us getting out of the car yet again to take some more photos over a plain. Here there were a number of small tents from which Native Americans were selling a range of handmade products, although due to the late hour they were largely packing up. We then pressed on to Page, checking into our hotel shortly after 7pm. Page was only really founded for one reason - the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam in the 1950s. Founded in 1957, it was initially a place for the workmen and now where most of the scientists who administer the dam live. It does have a thriving tourist industry though and with a population of over 7000, it's not a particularly small place. We visited the dam and it is a wonder of engineering, a sheer concrete edifice plunging into the river. The curved shape of the structure only added to its grandeur, as did the electricity wires spanning from it, leading to a sub-station perched high up the river valley. To get good views of the dam and the valley, we walked across the road bridge, which had a metal barrier to protect us from falling. There were holes cut out of the meshing at various junctures though, meaning we could take unimpeded images, but I was very fearful I would lose my phone to the wind. Behind the dam was the water of Lake Powell, a popular tourist spot and a stunning body of water in such a dry area. The dam and wrought iron road bridge in the background were true testiments to engineering and it was interesting that when we headed back to the hotel later that night, we ended up watching a documentary about how the dam was made. I wasn't sure whether that was on by coincidence or whether it was a local channel that showed nothing else, but it was certainly fascinating to watch as we drank one of our Sierra Nevada beers, with us needing to get through them by the time we had to board our flight to Portland on the Friday.
The only other thing we did that night was enjoy some excellent Mexican food at Fiesta Mexicana. Arizona's Mexican food is supreme and this restaurant certainly was. We found it as it was one of the most highly rated in the area, evidenced by the fact we had to wait twenty minutes to get a table on a Wednesday evening. Once we did though it was worth it, with a fantastic burrito served with refried beans, rice and salad. After all the free tortilla chips and salsa it was perhaps a bit too much, and we did leave feeling rather bloated, but it was an exquisite meal nonetheless. Driving through Page was an experience too as we saw a rather neat little town with loads of churches, a number of nice houses and a few good restauarants. I'm not sure there was much else aside from the fast food and hotel places off the main road which skirted the town, but it certainly seemed a wholesome little place, a slice of true America. It was definitely good to be here.
We left Kanab at a reasonable hour and soon crossed into Arizona, with wide open green plains the terrain of the day. As we drove closer and closer to the Canyon, the landscape became more lush, with tall trees dotted everywhere. Indeed, this verdant landscape was one of the huge surprises of the region as it continued pretty much up to the rim of the Grand Canyon itself. We drove for about fifty miles down US Route 89A and turning onto Arizona state road 67. We were headed for North Rim, the less popular of the two sides of the Grand Canyon, with the South Rim being far more accessable from high population centres such as Phoenix and Las Vegas. The car park was pretty full when we arrived, but the number of tourists was actually quite low, and there was certainly plenty of opportunity to see the wonderous view into the Canyon and beyond. Words can't really do it justice, it was just a stupendous sight of rusty rock bluffs which seemed to stretch on for ever. It was remarkable to think that the Colorado River, which was so tiny in the cravasse below, was responsible for much of this stunning landscape. There was a path along which you could walk about a half mile, seeing over the canyon edge and into the valley below. Wolfie is scared of heights so he dropped back, allowing Tux and I to traverse the more dicey bits, with one point being a narrow bridge with a sheer drop on either side. Indeed, what was interesting about the place was how the canyon was actually on both sides of us, which demonstrated its sheer scale. We did manage to head up to Bright Angel Point, an exposed promontory which looked out over a meander in the canyon, where we could see a huge geological fault which was part of the reason behind the extreme landscape. It was exceptionally windy up here and I feared losing my hat, not least falling off the bluff as there was only a mid-height railing to guard against this, making me feel that perhaps Wolfie had made the right call by dropping back. The safest view was in the terrace of the Grand Canyon Lodge, a hotel and restaurant clinging right on the lip of the canyon, affording excellent views over the valley. The sheer scale of the place was such that we couldn't see the South Rim at all from where we were, which was surprising, but this only added to the awesomeness of the spectacle. There were a couple of other promontories on the other side of the lodge, which I explored while Wolfie lay on the sunlounger on the terrace admiring the view. I also got to spy Roaring Springs Canyon, from where most of the water for the North and South Rim area comes.
There was a modest collection of services at the car park area, with the Lodge being the largest. There was an incredibly hard to find Visitor Centre while we also grabbed some pizza at a little cafe in the main area of the park. As we were eating, the staff sang happy birthday to our server, which was a nice little touch and we tipped her more accordingly. In the gift shop, I became furry trash by buying the 'Who's Tail On The Trail At The Grand Canyon' book while the 'Who Pooped In The Park?' was also quite interesting. There was a touching scat event at the centre too, where you could learn all about animal shit. In the complex there was also a number of chalets which Tux had tried to book, as watching the sunrise (or indeed set) over the Canyon would have been truly magical, but alas they were all booked up a year in advance and we didn't get the trip planned until early April. The Visitor Centre was full of other interesting stuff too, largely dedicated to the geological processes involved as well as the flora and fauna in the area. The North Rim is a popular place for hiking, with a number of walks into the Canyon itself, but sadly we had to refrain, partly due to Wolfie's foot which was still causing him problems but also because of my desperate fear of snakes, with this definitely being snake habitat. The Visitor Centre merely confirmed this.
Despite our lack of walking, we were able to follow a vehicle trail which traced the valley for around twenty miles. We decided to work our way to the end and double back, spying mountain meadows as we did, which are often preserved due to the large number of forest fires in the region. The forest has a habit of taking over, so these natural fires have the ability to preserve different habitats, which is why many are managed these days. The road was narrow and largely forested, twisting and turning until it disgorged itself at a carpark. We parked up and walked the two hundred metres or so to the cliff edge, where a stunning vista greeted us. The rocks were layered in different hues of red, staggered upwards as the valley got wider the closer it got to us. There was vegetation staggered across this, punctuating the rustic colour with splotches of green. The panaoramic splendour was something else and you could see why people choose to get married here. We saw a quintent of elderly people battling against the wind as they tried to take a picture on the cliff edge, while Wolfie was concerned I was getting far too close to take my shots. Meanwhile, as we walked through the forest here, we saw dried up river channels which channeled water through the area and over the sheer cliff face upon which we were standing.
After drinking this in, we headed back to the car and the next vantage point, which afforded another excellent view and indeed the only one where we could see a tributary of the Colorado River below (with the river often being obscured by the topography). Here we met a local ranger, indeed the one who had checked our annual pass as we rolled into the Park, who was monitoring the National Park but was willing to speak to anyone as she did. We saw her talking to a couple with a rather bouncy dog, before we had a chat about how the area was formed. She told us about a prehistoric site just over the road called the Walhalla Ruin, which was occupied by Puebloan farmers 800-1100 years ago. They were pre-historic Indians known as the Kayenta Anasazi, and they left around 1150AD. In the summer months they lived up here, whereas in the winter months when the valley was cooler, they lived by the river. How they got between the two still remains a mystery but what is known is that they were good farmers, growing crops such as beans, squash and corn. The ruins were the remnants of a modest old house within the forest, very near the canyon edge, and it certainly made for an interesting diversion.
Roosevelt Point was our next stop for more canyon fun. This used to be a huge plain until two tectonic plates collided, buckling the land upwards. It was this which created the Rocky Mountains and the smoother Colorado Plain out to the west, again creating a stunning vista. We stopped here for a few photos before pressing on to Point Imperial, another vantage point some 8000ft above sea level. There was a toilet here and it was here that we saw our Ranger friend again, who had disappeared as we had headed to Walhalla. She was talking to a huge group of Chinese tourists, who were blocking the promontory somewhat, meaning I had to be quick to get my pictures. No dinosaur fossils have ever been found at the Grand Canyon because the layers from their era were softer than the rock around it, meaning it has been eroded. There is no visible basement rock here, creating a more swirling and erratic landscape, and highlighted just how immense the whole area is.
This was the final stop really, and as we headed out of the park, we stopped off at a convenience store for supplies. The lady inside was really friendly and we told her about our trip, which surprised her due to the sheer distance we were aiming to cover. We then got back in the car and headed back the way we came, turning right when we got to the 89A as we were bound for Page, where we were due to stay for the night. The scenery was initially flat scrubland, but in the distance we saw a long sandstone ridge approaching. Taking the opportunity to park at a layby full of RVs, we took a few pictures of the rocky cliff and the sprawling plataeu beneath us before pressing on, listening to the delightful comedy of George Carlin as we did. I had never heard much Carlin before but I know he was seminal in the field of stand-up, so it was a real pleasure to get to know his work. It was also great listening to him with friends driving through the Arizona desert. As we kept driving, the landscape became more rocky again, with steep cliffs through which the road ran. We stopped off at a number of vantage points before we crossed over into the Navajo Reservation. The border was the Colorado River and here there was a Visitor Centre. It being around 6pm, it was closed, but there were two stunning steel bridges spanning the river - one for the road and the other for pedestrians. Spying a photo opportunity, we pulled into the carpark and walked across the bridge, taking some pictures of the stunning river valley beneath us. As I did, I spotted two vultures circling overhead before they landed on the ironwork beneath me. I managed to grab a couple more snaps before they took off. In the distance we saw a small by-plane coming into land, followed by a second, while I got chance to take photographs of the stunning rock bluffs which littered the area.
The temperature had hit over 100F by now but this didn't deter us, with us getting out of the car yet again to take some more photos over a plain. Here there were a number of small tents from which Native Americans were selling a range of handmade products, although due to the late hour they were largely packing up. We then pressed on to Page, checking into our hotel shortly after 7pm. Page was only really founded for one reason - the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam in the 1950s. Founded in 1957, it was initially a place for the workmen and now where most of the scientists who administer the dam live. It does have a thriving tourist industry though and with a population of over 7000, it's not a particularly small place. We visited the dam and it is a wonder of engineering, a sheer concrete edifice plunging into the river. The curved shape of the structure only added to its grandeur, as did the electricity wires spanning from it, leading to a sub-station perched high up the river valley. To get good views of the dam and the valley, we walked across the road bridge, which had a metal barrier to protect us from falling. There were holes cut out of the meshing at various junctures though, meaning we could take unimpeded images, but I was very fearful I would lose my phone to the wind. Behind the dam was the water of Lake Powell, a popular tourist spot and a stunning body of water in such a dry area. The dam and wrought iron road bridge in the background were true testiments to engineering and it was interesting that when we headed back to the hotel later that night, we ended up watching a documentary about how the dam was made. I wasn't sure whether that was on by coincidence or whether it was a local channel that showed nothing else, but it was certainly fascinating to watch as we drank one of our Sierra Nevada beers, with us needing to get through them by the time we had to board our flight to Portland on the Friday.
The only other thing we did that night was enjoy some excellent Mexican food at Fiesta Mexicana. Arizona's Mexican food is supreme and this restaurant certainly was. We found it as it was one of the most highly rated in the area, evidenced by the fact we had to wait twenty minutes to get a table on a Wednesday evening. Once we did though it was worth it, with a fantastic burrito served with refried beans, rice and salad. After all the free tortilla chips and salsa it was perhaps a bit too much, and we did leave feeling rather bloated, but it was an exquisite meal nonetheless. Driving through Page was an experience too as we saw a rather neat little town with loads of churches, a number of nice houses and a few good restauarants. I'm not sure there was much else aside from the fast food and hotel places off the main road which skirted the town, but it certainly seemed a wholesome little place, a slice of true America. It was definitely good to be here.
