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We completed the most tedious part of our road trip after leaving the Pacific views of Highway 1 to head east. We skirted the northern portion of Los Angeles, choosing not to pop in on the Beckhams for breakfast, and then past Palm Springs, reluctantly steering the van away from the pristine fairways where I spent a few days playing golf just over 11 years ago. Crocky, if this blog somehow finds you, I’ll remember those days forever, especially being thrown out of the golf cart at full speed.
After approximately 5 hours we reached our destination of Twentynine Palms, which happens to be home to the biggest marine base in the US. However, the reason we’re here is not for basic training but to visit Joshua Tree National Park. A Joshua Tree is actually a fully grown yucca, the Yucca Brevifolia to be precise, and a member of the giant lily family. All that of course we’ve read, but they do have character with their slightly crazy arms (branches) and as plants go we like ’em. Here in the National Park they grow amidst some great natural rock formations and a landscape free from light and noise pollution; it
can be so quiet here it strains your ears. Joshua Tree National Park is also getting a reputation for excellent star gazing and we took advantage of that by parking the RV at Keys View (an elevated spot highlighted for its vistas), and watched the sunset over dinner and then perused the night sky for constellations. Furthermore, this is the US, so an alien abduction is always on the cards.
We would return to the park the following morning to do a short hike, where I continued my tentative search for a rattlesnake, although the only one we managed to find had unfortunately been run over and killed. After our snake-free hike we set off for our drive through the Mojave National Preserve, which sounds a little bit like an award winning jam, but is actually a barren and desolate place. With soaring temperatures and nowhere to stop for fuel or fluid we stocked up on water in case of a mishap or breakdown. The trouble with these places is that in order to keep the radiator from overheating, you sometimes have to turn the heaters on full blast at a time when you’re wanting the air conditioning the
A Joshua Tree picked out in green
Joshua Tree National Park (California) most, and opening the windows feels like someone’s pointing a hairdryer at you. Thankfully, the only mishap we did have was when the RV got into an uncontrollable bounce as I took a railway crossing a bit too quick, resulting in the self-emptying of our cutlery and crockery cupboards. Amazingly, one broken glass was the only casualty. We could have easily ended up at 90 degrees.
When the hot drive finally came to an end late in the evening, we were pleasantly surprised that the unexpected swimming pool in the RV park was open all night, and we didn’t need a second invite to take a refreshing night-swim.
Another long drive the following day included a scenic detour along Route 66, a favourite of the Harley Davidson fraternity. Our journey this time ended in the ridiculously picturesque town of Sedona.
They seem to have got things just right here, blending the small town perfectly with it’s natural surroundings. Low rise buildings in ‘wild west’ style, but constructed with the same crimson sandstone that form the buttes and mesas, which create the fantastic backdrop to this town. A scheduled one night stop became two, and could have easily been four
or five.
Whilst in Sedona we spoke to a South African lady who was interested in our travels through her native country. When we mentioned that we’d been cage diving with Great Whites, she told us that in April this year, on a similar tour, in the same spot that we had been (Gansbaai) during almost perfect conditions, a freak wave, described as 'Tsunami like', capsized one of the boats. Chumming hadn’t started yet so no sharks had been sighted at the time, but can you imagine the panic? Other boats were on the scene in minutes but three men sadly drowned.
We made the short journey to Flagstaff next, where as with Sedona, a similar thing happened; we weren’t going to stay for the night but the town had such a friendly feel, and we couldn’t guarantee getting a site at one of the campsites at our next stop. So we decided to stay, enjoying a few local beers at the brewery and dinner sat out the front of the Weatherford Hotel, the oldest in Flagstaff. What you’d think would be annoying, ends up being quite a comforting sound as approximately 100 freight trains pass through Flagstaff
per day, blowing their horns as they go.
After the quaint stop offs in Sedona and Flagstaff, it was time for something altogether more GRAND.
Our first two nights in the mother of all canyons were spent at the South Rim, during which time we kept ourselves busy with a four mile rim hike, watching the canyon turn red and orange at sunset, and getting up at 3:30am in order to catch the shuttle bus for sunrise. We also hiked a mile and a half down into the canyon, a descent of 1140ft, on part of the South Kaibab Trail. Just like any hikes into the Grand Canyon, water, energy food, plenty of stops and good preparation are all key factors. While the rim is warm enough at 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit and very dry with only 14% humidity, temperatures down in the canyon itself can sore to 120 degrees, and an average of 250 people have to be rescued each year. You may not be surprised to hear that most of those rescued are fit males aged from 18 to 40; that macho age group that regards the very good advice not to make the trek to the bottom
Dead Tree
Dead, but still photogenic of the canyon and out again in the same day as a challenge. Extremely fit people can and have died here from lack of proper planning, overestimating their ability and, in the main, underestimating the harsh conditions of Grand Canyon. It should be law that everyone visiting Grand Canyon should first read Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon by Michael P.Ghiglieri and Thomas M. Myers. Fascinating, heartbreaking, exhilarating, but above all educational, it describes many of the fatal accidents as well as the heroic escapes and rescues that have played out in this stunning setting.
As we walked, we watched big black ravens circling overhead looking for any scraps, and we were accompanied by ground squirrels doing the same, but the most impressive of all are the Californian Condors that have been reintroduced here. They soar effortlessly on the thermals rising up from the canyon beneath and we never saw any of them beat their 9ft wing span once.
Before coming away a friend of ours, Linda Barton (who a lot of you will know), very generously gave us some money to buy a drink when we found a good spot somewhere. Well Linda, we found that
Never ending trains
We waved and got a blast of the very loud horn from the driver place, and we enjoyed a glass of wine sat on the rim of the Grand Canyon. It was a ’lovely’ gesture and very much appreciated, thank you!
The Grand Canyon is, on average, ten miles across from north to south rim as the raven flies, but we had to drive the 215 miles of road in order to get our view from the North Rim. We arrived in time for a different view of sunset, and sunrise the next morning, over the canyon.
The drive to get to the North Rim is beautiful, with the last fifteen or so miles consisting of large meadows surrounded by dense pine forest. The North Rim is much quieter than the South, which we like, and we’d have stayed for longer if the campground hadn’t been fully booked. We did some more short hikes here less trodden by the masses, who remain on the South Rim. Having been to both sides now, we would say if you’re thinking of coming here, the South Rim definitely has that wow factor that never lets up, but you’ll see it with a thousand other snap happy tourists. The North is a place to stay for a
few days and get closer to the more natural side of the canyon. A rim to rim hike is probably best started from the North and will take a few days with meticulous planning, something that is now on our new list of things to do.
The end of our Grand Canyon experience also brings an end to Blog 31. In Blog 32 we’ll continue to see more of Mother Nature’s hand at her artistic best, as we travel to the stunning Antelope Canyon, Monument Valley (both Navajo Parks) and Arches National Park to name but a few……..
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