Arrival at the Grand Canyon


Advertisement
Published: May 22nd 2006
Edit Blog Post

Total Distance: 0 miles / 0 kmMouse: 0,0

Day 11


Sunset at the CanyonSunset at the CanyonSunset at the Canyon

Rikki Lee Jones WAS right about the sunsets in Arizona.
Today I left Cottonwood, AZ for the Grand Canyon. I decided to take the scenic route, 89A to Flagstaff and then 89 to 64 West. Driving north out of Sedona, it is heavily forrested, but you can still see the rocks through the trees. Very scenic. I stopped off at the scenic view stopping point along 89A about 10 miles north of Sedona to get a picture. Arriving in Flagstaff I drove for a little while on the old Route 66. I'm not quite sure why people drive the entire Route 66 as at least the part I drove just had the usual strip malls, gas stations, and old hotels. Nothing really to much to see. I guess its mainly for nostalgia. I didnt stop in Flagstaff but the downtown area did look pretty cool.

I did however decide to stop at the Sunset Crater Volcano though. Actually the Wupatiki ruins are at the same location, but another 20 mile drive which I didnt feel like doing since I really wanted to get to the Grand Canyon. But I took an hour or so and walked around the volcano. You cant get to the top of the volcano since that will speed up the erosion, but you can get fairly close and walk through the area that was affected by the blast which took place around 1064. There is some tree growth in the area, but its still pretty much a wasteland even over 900 years later.

On to the Canyon. Rising to a top of a hill along Route 89, I see what I guess is the Painted Desert. In every direction it is nothing but rock. Taking a westward turn on 64 soon leads me into the park. I try not to catch a glimpse of the Canyon while driving so I actually see it for the first time when I walk up on it, but it is too hard to resist. Views from the car dont quite compare when you actually walk up to the Rim Trail and catch your first glimpse of the Canyon. Quite awe inspiring....its HUGE! Since I cant check into my room at Yavapai Lodge I decide to hike down the Bright Angel Trail. At first I think I'll hike to the 2nd rest station 3 miles down, but once I get on the trail and see people struggling to return to the top I decide to play it safe and only go to the 1 1/2 mile station, which I reach in about 40 minutes. Along the way this guy points out a couple of California Condors flying overhead, and from my understanding they are an endangered species. The trail itself is wider then I thought it would be as in most places people can pass each other on the trail with no problem. The three mile round trip only took 1 1/2 hours and I wasnt really tired at all. So tomorrow I decided when I hike the South Kaibab trail I'll probably do six miles roundtrip. Oh I forgot to mention on the way to the Rim Trail I pass by this cemetary and these 2 HUGE elk were in the cemetary hanging out. I didnt think to take a picture as I figured they would be there when I got back from my hike but of course I was wrong.

This evening I decided to get some sunset pictures. Of course I forgot that the temperature at the Canyon top drops from the 60's to the mid 30's during the night, so it got pretty cold out there. I believe I got some good pictures though.

The food at the Yavapai cafeteria is actually good and you dont get ripped off. There is also a grocery store here and again the prices are surprisingly reasonable. But at this point I am so far over budget it really doesnt matter. My room doesnt have air conditioning, but with the low supposed to be reaching 33 degrees, there isnt a need for it. I decide to get to bed early as tomorrow's hike would be a little more demanding.


Additional photos below
Photos: 12, Displayed: 12


Advertisement



Tot: 0.096s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 12; qc: 51; dbt: 0.0473s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1; ; mem: 1.1mb