Saturday, March 26
Slept snug as a
bug in a rug….woke to a chilly morning again.
When planning this trip, Plan A was to explore Arizona on the
bikes. However, riding on a windy 50o
day is not appealing, despite the fact we have our cold weather gear. And
waiting to ride in a 2 or 3 hour window in the afternoon seems like we’re
missing out on what Arizona has to offer. So, to make the most of our time here
in Flagstaff, we’ve decided there’s no shame in going with Plan B, which is
exploring in the truck. Supposed to stay
in the mid-50s today and the wind is mighty, so we’ll forego the bikes in favor
of the truck. Tomorrow we’ll reassess. And in a few days we’ll be heading down Tucson
way, so it’ll get warm again soon enough and we’ll be back on the bikes.
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Kim continues to
modify the trailer, putting a door handle on the inside. It only had an outside contraption to close
and lock it…we’ve been pulling it tight by way of a tie down strap so we don’t
lose the precious heat when we’re in there.
Now we can totally close the door and latch it from the inside and keep
the warm where it belongs. Clever man!
**Tonight when we got back, a fellow camper stopped and mentioned that
he was hauling his bike in a trailer, also.
When I mentioned hanging out in the trailer and then running for the
tent because of the cold, he said that he sleeps in his trailer. Puts his mattress back there, along with a
heater and he’s good to go. Both he and
the bike fit.
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It occurred to
me today when we were out driving that with canyons and arroyos scattered about,
the landscape looks very fractured.
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Drove up to the
Grand Canyon today…in the truck. It was
chilly and windy, not a good combination for riding. We came in from the east and were told by
the gatekeeper that the park was very busy today. Sunshine and Saturday must have been bringing
the people out. Both Kim and I have been
to the canyon in the past, but neither of us had come in from that direction so
the east end of the canyon was new to both of us. Our destination was the Village, where we
thought to catch the shuttle bus up to Hermit’s Rest. However, there was much to see before we got
to the Village. First viewpoint we came to
was Desert Point, which has a tower that can be climbed to get a better
overview on the canyon and the desert area to the east. Of course, we stopped at other viewing
opportunities along the way, too. The
Grandview Point stop was especially scenic as there were outcroppings of other
types of rock that gave some contrast to pictures. Sometimes the detail and depth of the canyon
can get lost in the sameness of the color. We had a decent walk to get to the rim as the
parking area was full…we and many others parked along the entrance road. Parking was an issue the entire time. Seems all the people that made the park busy
today were seeking out the same viewing spots we were. Saw a few elk in the trees alongside the
road. Haven’t seen much wildlife this
entire trip so that was a ‘ooh, we gotta stop’ moment….and we parked on the
shoulder for that. When we got to the
Village, parking seemed to be non-existent and since neither of us was of a
mind to walk a ½ mile or so to the buses, we called it good and headed out of
the park. We’d spent several hours
gazing over the rim and being awed by what we saw, so we definitely didn’t feel
cheated. We exited the park at about 3:30 p.m. through the main gate and were
amazed to see cars backed up maybe two miles waiting to get in. At 3:30 in the afternoon! There was still a couple hours of daylight
left to see the canyon and I’m sure the parking situation would be improving as
people left…so upon second thought, maybe the timing wasn’t as crazy as it
initially seemed to be. And maybe it was
the sunset they were hoping to see.
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The Grand Canyon
is one of those places where you think you just can’t take enough
pictures. Everything is so
overwhelmingly scenic that you snap away at everything. And then when you get home, you think ‘Why
did I take so many pictures?’ And ‘Now where did I take this one?’
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Before heading
out onto a rock outcropping, we waited for a mom and her two sons to get their
picture taken by dad, who was up on the road.
As they turned to leave, the younger of the boys hopped up onto a rock
that was a bit off the path. The mom,
with her gestures and words, was admonishing him to get off the rock and back
on the path. While I didn’t understand the
language, I understood the anxiety.J
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Kim’s thought
was ‘How many thousands of people have stood where I’m standing and taken the
same pictures I’m taking?’
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Took another
route back to Flagstaff. I like taking a
different route each way to see what there is to see. On the way back, we saw a herd of mule
deer. When we stopped along the road to
look, we certainly had their attention.
Looked a bit skittish at our presence, but I think I got decent pictures
before they turned tail and ran.
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Had an orange in
the truck today. Saved the peels for the
squirrels back in the campground but we got back after dark, so they’ll have to
wait til the morning for their treat. But you know, I dislike it when people feed the
seagulls at the beaches back home because it makes them fearless and here I am, looking forward to feeding the
squirrels. A bit hypocritical, I
think…but the one difference I’ve seen is the boldness of the seagulls and the
squirrels here still have a wariness about us humans. Maybe I’m just trying to justify what I want
to do. Maybe by tomorrow I’ll have
talked myself out of feeding the squirrels.
A conscience can be a tough opponent in a wrestling match.
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