 |
Grand Canyon
|
|
|
What can you say? Grand Canyon is the place, at least for the southwestern US. I drove up on two different days to enjoy it. |
 |
|
Little Colorado Canyon |
|
There are three routes to Grand Canyon from Flagstaff. If you take the eastern route via US 89 you get some views, from the Navajo Reservation, of the major tributary of the Colorado River in Grand Canyon, the Little Colorado. |
 |
|
Desert View Watchtower |
 |
|
Desert View Watchtower Interior |
|
Starting from the east, Desert View is the easternmost heavily used view of the South Rim of Grand Canyon. The western views are accessible only by shuttle bus, and go as far as Hermit's Rest. |
 |
|
East of Bright Angel Creek is where the Colorado River cuts down into the Inner Gorge, the most fantastic place in Grand Canyon. The black, shiny rock to the left of the photo is Vishnu Schist, shot through with Zoroaster Granite. The Schist is a metamorphic rock of unknown origin, partially melted to its present state by being buried very deeply. Camping in this area is pretty unearthly. There tend to be no beaches and what there are is small, so you are perched on a small bit of sand down in the black rock with bats coming out at night to swirl around searching for a few insects. I always think of John Wesley Powell. He didn't even know if he would find a place to stop and scout the rapids.
|
 |
|
This is One of Three Bridges in Grand Canyon, South Kaibab Suspension Bridge. |
|
There is also Navajo Bridge near Lee's Ferry and South Bright Angel Suspension Bridge. Note the raft tied up to visit Phantom Ranch. |
 |
|
Bright Angel Creek and Phantom Ranch |
|
Bright Angel Creek comes very directly from the developed part of the North Rim of Grand Canyon. Phantom Ranch has lodging available but you need to reserve well ahead, like maybe a year. |
 |
|
South Kaibab Trail |
|
The other major trail, in addition to Bright Angel, that goes into and out of the canyon from the developed areas is the Kaibab Trail which is a bit more exposed and probably a bit more scenic than South Bright Angel. |
 |
|
On the South Rim I noticed a bunch of these signs. Hmmm! A fine huh? Well what is the rule exactly and what is the fine? Kind of vague for me, especially in light of the fact that about 95% of all visitors leave the trail and go right to the rim, understandably enough.
|
|
I'm kind of a trouble maker anyway, so I asked several NPS employees. I got different answers. I went to park headquarters. They didn't know what the rule is. They referred me to law enforcement. The person I talked to didn't know the actual rule, law or regulation that said I can not leave a trail, but referred me to a web site.
|
|
Now bear in mind that Grand Canyon National Park is around one thousand nine-hundred square MILES. People have walked the length of the canyon, although there are not trails for that. Countless river runners wander around their campsites. Thousands of people a day leave the trail to go to the rim of the canyon. They are saying that they should fine all these people? Ridiculous, and those are the kind of rules and the kind of vague statements that drive me crazy. If there is a real rule it should be for a real purpose and the rule should be clear and available.
|
|
It turns out I found the actual rule about trails and it was entirely logical. It said you should not cut over from one trail to an adjacent one. It has nothing to do with the area where all the useless signs are, it has to do with cutting across switchbacks or from one trail to another. That is a good rule completely distorted in the presentation on all the signs. |
 |
 |
 |
|
Indian Gardens |
 |
|
Ole 89 |
|
During this trip I saw one of the rarest creatures on earth, the California Condor. I have heard about this bird most of my life, and enjoyed seeing it, right at the city part of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.. I guess you could call them semi-wild at the best though. I did a little research and it is not clear that a California Condor has recently been born in the wild and lived to adulthood, as far as I can tell. Still quite a thrill, even if the bird was raised by humans. |
 |
|
El Tovar |
|
The El Tovar seemed nice. It fits pretty well into the natural setting. I didn't like it near as much as some other national park lodges I have seen though. The first time I approached it I noticed a sign that said "no backpacks." Since I was going to do some day hiking, I had a backpack. The next time I left the backpack and found signs that guests only were welcome past the gift-shop, lobby area. Okay! I won't go there. This is quite a bit different, than say, the Old Faithful Lodge, that I enjoyed a lot as a non-guest. |
 |
|
Cute huh? Well actually an incredible pest. These squirrels are very aggressive because of being fed so much. I was surprised that they are a pest even miles down into the canyon. In addition to being fed, inadvertent crumbs probably contribute to the problem. |
 |
| Well, this is mule dung. We each like what we like, I guess. |
 |
|
The Famous Mule Trains Come Up Bright Angel Trail |
 |
|
It was warm and three mile shack was bursting at the seams from people seeking a shade break. One woman had twisted an ankle which cause some problems. There are hundreds of rescues a year in Grand Canyon but this woman made it out, as everyone should plan to. |
 |
|
When I was hiking out, between the 1 1/2 mile water station, and the rim, I had an experience. There was a loud BOOM! After the boom I turned back to where I had come from, and even then I saw boulders falling. After the first part that I missed there were still about 10 or so refrigerator sized boulders that I saw falling. This is the cliff where I saw the boulders falling. There was a National Park Service Volunteer hiking behind me that investigated the fall. He said he didn't see any bodies in the rocks. The pile landed just above the trail we had been hiking.
|
|
Grand Canyon expansion in action! |
 |
|
I Believe This is Hermit Rapid. It is Hard to Get a Feel For the Size of The Waves, From the Rim.
|
 |
| I like flying and aircraft, but what has happened at Grand Canyon is reprehensible. Years ago I lived in the area and flew the canyon from time to time in a 172. I probably disturbed a hiker or camper slightly for a few moments. Since then, regulation has come. We are the government, and we are here to help you. |
| I was at Hermit's Rest, minding my own business and fell into a conversation with a couple from New Zealand. They were aghast! What could I say. There was a more or less continuous train of helicopters coming up from the canyon. A constant buzz-humm-roar. This is the solution? |
| When I visited Grand Canyon Airport, I noted that just ONE of the operators had approximately 10 helicopters running at all times. They were hot-fueling and had people waiting on benches for the next ride. |
| This reminds me of the situation down on the river, where you can pay lots of money and get a ride with a commercial operator pretty much anytime. If you are a dedicated amateur you will probably die before you get a river permit to kayak the river. |
| These is what the National Parks are supposed to be? |
| Anyway, it is a stunning area! |