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Published: June 19th 2014
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Sean and Papa
Sean's first view of the Grand Canyon Monday, 16 June, 2014
We left Bonita Campground just after 8:30, which is really early for us. The winds are really kicking and are expected to be worse this afternoon. We got set up at Ten X Campground in Kaibab National Forest, just south of Tusayan near the Grand Canyon. What a beautiful campground, mostly pine trees, with paved roads and vault toilets. Definitely bare-bones camping, but it is only $5/night, a real bargain this close to the canyon.
We drove into the Grand Canyon National Park and, after parking at the visitor center, rode the orange route bus to several overlooks where Sean got his first sight of the Grand Canyon. We got exclamations of “awesome” every place we stopped. It's gratifying to share some of our favorite places with him and to have him so excited to see them. We made use of the showers at campers' services in the park before heading back to our campground. Sean rode his bicycle around the campground and made some friends his age who also had their bikes along.
Tues, 17 June
Sean had a bike wreck this morning, skinning
his knee, but he was ready to head back to the canyon anyway. We went back to the park and parked at the visitors center. We once again took advantage of the free shuttle buses in the park. We rode the blue route to the head of Angel Eyes Trail, then took the red route out to Hermits Rest at the westernmost end of the accessible canyon rim. There are 9 stops along the red route, each with its own special views of the canyon. The wind today is the worst yet, sustained winds of 35-45 and gusts up to 60 mph. The dust is pretty obnoxious, too, but the canyon is beautiful as ever.
Back at camp, Sean was riding his bicycle again, and rode right past a big bull elk grazing on the side of the road. Talk about an excited boy, he passed within 6 feet of it. Of course, now when he tells his folks about it, he was only 2 feet away. The elk meandered through the campground, allowing us to take all the pictures we wanted.
Wed, 18 June
We broke camp and headed back
Grand Canyon
What is this? into the park where the winds had finally calmed. We drove out Hwy 64 to Desert View, stopping at a few overlooks on the way. It was hard to leave the Grand Canyon, but we'll be back.
We drove east to Cameron then north to Page, where we've stopped at a campground with a swimming pool for Sean and a laundry for me. Once we set up the camper, we drove to the Glen Canyon Dam, which forms Lake Powell and controls the flow of the Colorado River. The water in Lake Powell is a gorgeous aqua color and the river is an emerald green. The surrounding rocks and hills are mostly shades of red and pink and make a delightful contrast with the water.
After a quick trip to Walmart, we came back to the campground so Sean could go swimming in the heated indoor pool. After 3 nights in National Forest campgrounds, all of our electronics need recharging, so there are things plugged in everywhere. It's good to be able to catch up on blogging, too. Tomorrow we head up into Utah, probably to Bryce Canyon first.
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peggy
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great pics, looks like every one is having fun. Sean sure looks a lot like his dad! love ya