Day 26 Odiforous!

The smell of the Grand Canyon, both North and South Rims, is worthy of mention. It's like being in a Yankee Candle store with 1,000 pine candles burning at the same time.

In Mathers Campground, there are several species of pine that contribute to the Christmas Tree order. Combine that with the odor of bacon cooking over an open fire on a frosty morning, and you get the idea of what our morning walk smelled like!

After breakfast, Ed and Marje went off in search of propane. Anna Marie and I set out the walk some trails. It took almost one mile to clear the campground. Our sites are way in the back.

We made our way to the rim trail and began our walk heading east toward the Yavapai Geological Museum. The rim trail is very popular and accessible. There were quite a few people just strolling along. We, on the other hand, had a pretty good pace going. By the time we finished checking the museum, it was time to head back to the campground where we were supposed to meet Marje and Ed. We decided to board the Orange Bus which promptly too us to the visitors center where we boarded the Blue (Village) Bus to get back to the campground.

Marje and Ed weren't there, having decided to do some exploring by car (motorhome). After lunch, Anna Marie and I took the bus to the visitor center where we watched the introductory movie. It was very well done. The photography was outstanding as was the writing for the narration.

We hooked up with Marje and Ed, joined them in the motorhome and set out for the Village to see the historic district.

We went in the Hopi House, Verkamp's (now a visitors center, and El Tovar before heading back to the campground.

We grilled steaks on the wood fire along with a can of beets. In the camper, Anna Marie made Apple Crisp, a delicious treat.

Marje and Ed may be leaving for Sodona tomorrow, so this may be our last meal together for this trip.

If so, we'll miss them.

As for us, we still have a couple of trails to explore, we want to do at least a few miles on both the Bright Angel and the Kaibab Trails.

We'll leave the Grand Canyon on either Sunday or Monday, visit Mesa Verde for a couple days and then make our way to Aspen for the 14th Annual John Denver Tribute.

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Day 25 SNOW!

Yowza! The North Rim and neighboring Kaibab National Forest received six inches of wet snow over night! Before we could think about leaving, we had to clear the snow and ice from the slide. The dinette is about eight feet long by about three and one half feet wide and, at the touch of a button, it "slides" out leaving a much larger living area.

We wouldn't "slide it in" until all of the snow and ice is removed. The "Host" loaned me a ladder so I could remove the snow and ice from the roof of the dinette and Anna Marie used a trusty ice scrapper to remove the ice from the two sides that would be on the inside once the dinette slid back in place.

We accomplished the task in about 1/2 hour and, after stowing the usual gear, we were ready to leave.

The Host told us that the main roads would be in good shape but the roads in the campground would not be plowed. We'd have to get out on our own.

To get to the main road, we'd have to negotiate a steep hill and sharp curve. Nothing to it! I put the truck in low 4x4 and proceeded up the hill, through six inches of snow, dragging the trailer behind.

We made it to the main road which was cleared and proceeded to make the 200+ mile trip to the South Rim.

Along the way, we stopped at Navajo Bridge which crosses the Colorado River and the beginning of the Navajo Reservation.

We made it to our campsite in the Mather Campground, in the Grand Canyon National Park. After trying a few sites out, we selected one and set up shop. Marje and Ed were a few sites away.

We had dinner at the Marketplace Cafe and attended a Cello concert at the Shrine of the Ages. It was part of the park's "Artist in Residence" series. We all found it to be entertaining, inspirational and thought provoking.

Upon returning to the RV, we fired up the heater. It's supposed to go down to 26 degrees tonight.

Oh, and you might be wondering if it snowed on the South Rim. We were told the South Rim in 1000 feet lower in elevation than the North Rim, so there's a chance there wouldn't'd be any snow. Correct... To a point. There is no snow on the ground, but we experienced several hours of snow showers. So far... No accumulation!

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Day 24 Cold and Wet!

Well friends, cold temp (40 degrees F) and rain foiled our planned hikes. The weather did allow a motor tour of the North Rim. During breaks in the rain we were able to take short walks of 1/2 to perhaps 1 mile. At the end of each were breathtaking views of the Grand Canyon. At Cape Royal, the trail led to an overlook perched over Angels Window. The views were incredible from all directions.

Besides Cape Royal, we walked to incredible views from the Roosevelt Trail and Point Imperial, the highest point in Grand Canyon National Park.

We also saw ruins of the Ancient Puebloans who farmed the North Rim (summers) and in the canyon (winters) 900 years ago.

We broke for lunch at the Lodge before calling it a day due to the cold, rainy weather.

Back at camp, we fired up the genney, turned on the heat and read.

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Day 23 The North Rim

Anna Marie and I broke camp early so we could take care of some business in ST. George. As wexwere passing through Hurricane, we spotted a WalMart. We'll stop there to provision on the way to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, today's destination. Anna Marie placed a quick call to Marje and Ed. They are in need of provisions as well.

After taking care of business and restocking our food supply, we set off for the North Rim.

We are becoming very familiar with the landscape of southern Utah. It's mostly desert. The ground it dotted with sage brush, the roads are generally in the valleys until there are mountains to cross. Switchbacks, a steies of very tight turns connected by steep inclines are used for the higher peaks. More gentle curves and inclines can get you over the smaller mountains.

At one point, seemingly in the middle of no where, we came across a fancy sign welcoming us to the "Town of Apple Valley." there was nothing around. There were no houses, barns, or structures of any kind, as far as the eye could see.

Over the next ridge, perhaps seven to ten miles away, we saw a single house. Could it be that Apple Valley has only one family? Probable not, because there was a little village on the other side of the next mountain. It might have been fifteen or twenty miles from the sign. Perhaps the people of Apple Valley see a time when their village extends outward to the sign. It's gonna be a while. Property is for sale, but no development is taking place.

Eventually we entered Kaibab National Forest where we reconnected with Marge and Ed. They had already scored campsites for us. After setting up camp, we were off to check out the North Rim.

The forest of mixed pines and firs are punctuated with Quaking Aspen. The bright green leaves of the Aspen are changing to brilliant shades of yellow and orange. With the sun shining on them, it looks like each tree is plugged into electric and covered with lights. The actually glow! What a beautiful scene.

We pulled in to the first overlook to get our first glimpse of the Grand Canyon. It was spectacular. We stood in awe for minutes, allowing our minds to absorb the sights. Once we got the the North Rim Lodge, we learned that that first canyon wasn't actually the Grand Canyon.

As we walked the path to get our first glimpse of the real Grand Canyon, we marveled at the conglomeration of rustic log cabins that are art of the lodge. This is truly an amazing place.

Then we came to the overlook to get our first view of the GC. Wow! It is huge, immense, deep, magnificent. Most of all indescribable! Our photos can't do it justice.

We retired to camp after a quick exploration of the lodge, which is magnificent.

Tomorrow, weather permitting we hike some trails on the rim and we hope to hike down into the GC to immerse ourselves in it's vastness.

Speaking of weather, it is cold with intermittent showers. It's time for winter coats! One more thing, there's snow in the forecast for Thursday.

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Day 22 Hiking Zion' Trails

Today is trail day. After a hearty breakfast, we followed the Pa'rus trail for 3/4 mile to the Human History Museum where we caught the shuttle to the Emerald Pool trailhead, located a short distance from Zion Lodge.

The trail was steep but provided a relatively easy walk to the Emerald Pool. Water falls from the side of the mountain into the pool. Sunlight and clouds on the falling water provide ever-changing perspectives of the water as it falls into the pool.

Our return trip to the brought us to the trailhead by around 1145 hours, just in time for a quick lunch at the Lodge.

We enjoyed a relaxing lunch filled with Brother-in-law Ed's witticism.

After lunch we boarded another shuttle bound for the Weeping Rock Trail. This trail is very steep. At the top, we were treated to a view of the mountain where water appears to "weep" out of the rock. We were happy to have made the climb to see it.

Upon returning to the trailhead, we boarded yet another shuttle. This Time our destination was the Temple of Sinawava. This trail leads follows the Virgin River from the bus stop to the Narrows. Once one gets to the Narrows, the trail is no longer maintained. The rest of the trail is in the river. We didn't have appropriate footwear to walk in the river, so we reluctantly turned back.

After another shuttle ride, we disembarked at Canyon Junction. Our goal was to walk the entire length of the Pa'rus Trail. Prior to this venture, we walked a3/4 mile stretch of the trail on a couple of occasions.

We made it back to the campground having walked four of the parks numerous trails.

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Day 21 "Treasure of the Gods"

It's up early time again today. We have to arrive early at the South Campground in Zion NP. As was true with Bryce Canyon NP, we suspect that the sites at Zion will fill up quickly. Our goal is to arrive before the 1100 checkout hour.

The drive to Zion on Highways 12 and 89 was scenic, especially through the Red Canyon area. Like Wyoming, southern Utah has lots of wide open spaces.

For the third consecutive driving day, we drove through a part of Dixie National Forest. That's one huge forest!

We entered Zion from the east on the Zion-Mt. Carmel road. The ranger at the pay station told us we would need an escort through the second tunnel. The round trip fee is $15.00. After taking the obligatory photo at the Welcome to Zion sign, we drove on, amazed by Checkerboard Mountain. The first tunnel was easy as pie and we continued on to the second tunnel where we were stopped by the ranger. She informed us that an oversized vehicle was coming through and that it'd be about five minutes until it was our turn. She offered that the tunnel was built 81 years ago and that it is over a mile long. She also suggested that we ride in the center. Oncoming traffic was stopped until we and the vehicles behind exited the tunnel.

In due time we were on our way, only to find the step downgrades and sharp turns of several switchbacks that took us down the mountain from an elevation of 7900' to 3900.' the increase in pressure at the lower altitude caused the empty water bottles to crackle as the air inside expanded. It took a second for me to realize where the source of that unusual noise.

Upon our arrival at South Campground, we found a two adjacent vacant sites and set up camp.

In almost no time, we were off to the free shuttle bus for a ride into town. After some grocery shopping we returned to camp, stowed the provisions and headed out for the free park shuttle and a tour of the park.

The bus ride gave us a good glimpse of the park. We'll use the information to plan tomorrow's activities. We got off the bus to check out the lodge where we were the timing was right for us the attend a ranger presentation on nice but hallucinogenic flowers.

After the talk, we boarded a standing room only bus. We disembarked to visit the Human History Museum. The 'Welcome to Zion' movie was very educational. Among other things, we learned that the ancient Puebloans called this area the "Treasure of the Gods." they believed this was the center of the earth.

We decided to walk back to the campground after our visit to the museum. The walk was an easy 3/4 mile. Along the way, we found (and photographed) one of the flowers (Angel Trumpet) the ranger mentioned in her presentation.

Tonight's dinner is steak roasted over an open fire with salad, carrots and peas. Delicious!!

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Day 20 The World's Greatest Three Mile Hike!

Look at the title of this journal entry. We took the plunge, but that's not where today's story begins.

For the second time on this trip, the alarm clock failed to go off. Still, we were up at 0700 and shortly thereafter Anna Marie and I were on the Rim Trail headed toward Inspiration Point. We achieved our destination.

I got some nice shots as the sun rose to shine it's warming light on the Hoodoos. Following this photographic event, we hoofed back to the campground where we feasted on Eddie's culinary speciality, pancakes. By the time we were finished, it was time to go hiking.

We chose to do the Queen's Garden/Navajo Loop. A three mile combination trail with steep gradients. The walk down was easy but not without its trials. The loose rocks made for difficult footing. In fact, one of our party took a tumble. No harm was done and after getting vertical and brushing off some trail dust, we continued our hike.

Walking among the Hoodoos is a totally different experience then viewing from the rim. We were amazed to see chipmunks, birds and event ants. It was warmer at the bottom of the trail. That felt good for a short while before we shed some clothing before the hike back up to the rim.

The trip back to the top was very steep for the final 0.6 mile. There were so many switchbacks that I didn't count them all. Each seemed steeper than the previous. In just about two hours and ten minutes, we were back on the rim. We toasted our success with bottles of spring water.

Ed met us on the rim at Sunset Point and we proceeded to the lodge for a well deserved lunch.

Following lunch, Anna Marie and I walked back to the campground while Marje and Ed stayed at the Lodge to avail themselves of free Internet access.

After a short rest, we walked all three loops of the Sunset Campground, before meeting up with Marje and Ed. We off to a ranger talk on Astronomy. Lead by Ranger Don and held in the Lodge Auditorium, the talk led us through the Milky Way and the rest of our local group to the Virgo.

Following the presentation, we went outside to where there were three really nice scopes set up. We were able to see a double star, M11, the Flying Duck constellation and M13. That was great fun.

Back at the campsite, we had our evening meeting, agreeing to head for Zion NP at 0730 hours.

That's the story for today.

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