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Published: June 28th 2015
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…was long and beautiful once we left the Las Vegas heat behind. We were on the road by 8:30 and to our new campground by 1:00. Along the way the scenery changed dramatically. Gone were the short gray-green bushes everywhere and land formations off in the distance, replaced with tall dark green trees and peaks and valleys right outside the window. The canyons carved by glaciers and the Colorado River near the Hoover Dam were just a teaser of what was to come.
The roads between the Nevada/Arizona border and our campground in Williams, AZ were some of the roughest we’ve driven so far. Everything survived. Even the two tall chairs that sit at the counter were still standing when we arrived at camp. They usually ride laying down so they don’t fall over, but we apparently forgot that part when breaking camp this morning.
The goal today was to get set up and drive to the Grand Canyon. Getting everything leveled, hooked up and slid out was easy; leaving was difficult. The wind picked up just as we were finishing lunch. Mike opened the door of the trailer and the wind nearly took it out of his hand.
We managed to get out and to the truck and I realized I’d forgotten something (of course). I tried to get back into the trailer but the wind was so strong I didn’t want to risk the door being thrown open. I stood with my hand on the door latch waiting for a lull between gusts, all the while being pelted with dust and twigs picked up by the high winds. The anticipated lull never came. I succeeded in getting in and out without losing my grip on the door. Finally! Off to the Grand Canyon.
On our way up Hwy 64 we passed one of those temporary digital reader boards. It warned visitors to the park that the parking lots were nearly full and suggested taking the free shuttle bus from the town of Tusayan. If you ever visit the Grand Canyon South Rim we would strongly recommend parking there, purchasing your park tickets at one of the four stops and taking advantage of the shuttle service. You’ll save time getting into the park (the bus bypasses the entrance gate) and you won’t have to remember where you parked your car. The South Rim also has three other
bus routes that take you to different parts of the rim. Riding the bus is free, just jump on and off at whatever stops you want to visit.
In the few hours we had to spend at the South Rim, we got an amazing glimpse of the enormity and awe-inspiring beauty that is this natural wonder. They say words can’t describe it. That’s so true, so I’ll just upload the 71 pictures we took. Trust me, there could be hundreds, but the 4 GB card for the camera is messed up so we had to rely on the two much smaller cards and our cell phones (thank you technology!)
On our way back to camp from Tusayan (in the dark) we suddenly came upon a bull Elk grazing at the side of the road. Not in the bushes near the road, I mean RIGHT THERE with his butt mere inches from the edge of the pavement! We were so afraid he’d scare and dart out in front of us. Instead he nonchalantly raised his head, looked at us and continued chewing as we passed. I don’t know how hunters describe the racks of deer, elk and moose, but
this guy’s must have been 4 feet across from tip to tip. Mike thinks it wasn’t quite that wide, but says it was a full rack. In any case, it was huge! Too bad we can’t download things we see.
We got back to camp so late Mike went to bed shortly after. I stayed up long enough to get all the pictures downloaded to the laptop and start the text portion of today’s entry. I need to finish up here so we can start breaking down and heading to Scottsdale.
Scroll down and enjoy the pictures.
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Chris Ferris
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Horse or Mule
So which was it? Horse or Mule? I know but I want to know if you know! Pretty pic's of the canyon. I've flown over it but never been in person. Love to take a trip someday!