Vermilion Cliffs
Grand Canyon, from Point Imperial
At Point Imperial
Daisy and I got an early start, leaving our hotel just before 7 am (about 30 minutes before sunrise). We headed East then South and fairly soon crossed into Arizona, where I was reminded that Arizona is ALWAYS on Mountain Standard Time, which right now is the same as Pacific Daylight Time, so it was an hour earlier there. Which would have been OK but I had hoped to go to the Pipe Spring National Monument, but it didn't open till 8 and we were there at 7:15. Oh well.
We continued south across an area called the Arizona Strip and then onto the Kaibab Plateau. This is a large, high desert (about a mile high) that ends at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. As we got close to the GC, we crossed though an area that was ravaged by fire in 2000 and then onto a high meadow area. I saw a wild turkey and several deer in the meadow area.
Then I crossed into GC NP and drove to the visitor center, where the Grand Canyon Lodge is also located. I took the Bright Angel Point Trail from here to my first view of GC. Amazing. Words and even pictures cannot capture this place. I'll try to post a few pics here, and I put a bunch on FB. The Lodge is also incredible and this is one place I am definitely coming back to spend some more time
We drove to all the other major (non-trail-accessed) viewpoints on the North Rim, and it just kept getting better and more awe inspiring. There were a lot of people but it didn't feel as crowded as Bryce Canyon. All in all, we spent almost 5 hours there, and I feel like I've barely "tasted" it.
Earlier in my trip I spoke to a number of people about the GC and most recommended North Rim over South, so I am glad I went to North Rim. It also allowed me to plan the next parts of my trip, including the rest of this afternoon. We drove along and then through the Vermilion Cliffs and crossed the Colorado River. It was getting late so I didn't stop at Marble Canyon, but will go back tomorrow on our way to the Painted Desert. We are spending tonite and tomorrow nite in Page, AZ, near Lake Powell. There's a lot to see around here so tomorrow will be another long (and good) day.
On a personal history note, Lake Powell is named for John Wesley Powell who was the first to fully explore and map the Colorado River region and travel throught the Canyon (he also named Marble Canyon, among other places). My father once taught a class that included reading and examining the book Powell wrote (The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons). I was privileged to be able to sit in on that class and see what a great classroom teacher he was (I already knew he was a good dad-teacher). Years later in college, a Classics professor included this book in a class called "The Heroic Journey," which also included the Iliad and the Odyssey, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and parts of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. I only wonder (now) why he did not include the journals of Lewis and Clark in this class.
I have seen the GC many times from the air, but obviously nothing can compare to seeing it as you are. What a trip!
ReplyDeleteYour comment about your Dad brings a thought to my mind as to why he did not stay actively involved as a teacher. He was a natural and also a good administrator I suppose. Of course there was not a day that went by that he wasn't teaching someone something. My case in point here is what he told me once about discussions he would have with friends at Waterstreet where he would often walk back to his apartment and then return with printed evidence from the Internet to prove his point. Yes he was a very good teacher!