On the Road with Zoey

  Yet Another Canyon: Took my final morning walk to the Grand Canyon rim this morning (please indulge me with just one more picture!), and now we're on our way home.   We're now in Flagstaff (80 miles or so south of the Grand Canyon), ready to point the RV eastbound tomorrow morning.  The drive down here was uneventful but scenic, and we didn't see any evidence of the recent forest fires along our route.   The day was mainly a catch up of groceries, laundry, and fillling the gas tank, but we came across the Walnut Canyon National Monument just outside of town, and stopped there to take a quick tour and have lunch.   Walnut Canyon: Yup, a bit breezy and we're both overdue for haircuts! Dreading the hot weather as we head through Oklahoma and Missouri later this week....but we'll hopefully get some kicks as we get back on Route 66 !

Yes, Even More Grand Canyon! Today began as it did yesterday, with Zoey and me taking the two mile round trip walk from our RV site to the rim (just a little later than yesterday's sunrise); a nice quiet time with hardly another soul around. Later in the day, all three of us returned to the rim to explore a portion we hadn't before.  It was a lovely Sunday/Father's Day, perfect for the leisurely stroll - not quite as peaceful as the morning, as it was  apparently an idea shared by thousands of others.... Mather Point No complaints, though - everyone seemed in cheerful vacation mode, with lots of friendly banter and strangers helping strangers get those family pictures.   Several languages were heard, and fathers of all ages were sporting their "Best Dad" t-shirts. And of course, the views were spectacular as ever: A Perfect Day for All Of course, there are always those who just have to tempt fate..... ....but we heard of no casualties today! Tomorrow....one last s...

Still More Grand Canyon: In case you were wondering, we didn't come here with the intention of hiking into the Canyon (we did that way back in 1985 - when we were 37 years younger!).  Among other things, dogs are not allowed below the Canyon rim; also, neither of us have the desire to descend into the June heat of the Canyon.    But, there's so much walking, bicycling, and sight-seeing to be done around the South Rim - and we did just that all day Saturday.  John went off on his rented bike, while Zoey and I walked and walked some more all around the network of trails in Canyon village and the south rim.    The colors of the Canyon are more pronounced at sunrise and sunset, but even at noontime, with the help of some shadow-generating clouds, the vista looks like something from another world.  The winds today were in the 20 mph range, which made it all the more daunting to get too close to the edge, lest we be blown over.   It's something thi...

  Grand Canyon Sunrise: As I've already said, I'm obsessed with sunrises.  So, I woke up at 4:45 local time (7:45 back east), had a glass of juice, got dressed, grabbed my faithful companion Zoey, and walked the mile from our RV spot to the Canyon's rim. It was already getting light out. I could actually have waited a little because, although sunrise is advertised at 5:15, it took a while for the sun to peak over the rim.   No matter, it was peaceful to be out there; suprisingly, there were not too many other souls around to greet the dawn.  I kept taking pictures (over 60 in all!), but many were repeats.  I'm just posting a handful here. As I said, not too many other folks around, but I saw this dare-devil from across the way.  I was worried that it might be the last picture of whoever it was, but thankfully saw him climb back up to the trail afterwards. More to come!

Grand Canyon at Last: The Grand Canyon is every bit as breathtaking as I remember from prior trips.  It strikes me that it almost looks like a giant fake painted backdrop - too immense to take in. We a rrived around noon and spent the afternoon walking around and getting oriented.  While John went off to rent a bicycle for the weekend, Zoey and I took some of the meandering paths in the South Rim village.   We even saw a small elk grazing nearby; I didn't take the time to take a picture because I was more concerned about getting Zoey past without any encounters. Setting my alarm to catch the sunrise tomorrow - the rim is about a mile walk from our RV site.  More pictures to follow between now and Monday.

But It's a Dry Heat: We have been very fortunate weather-wise since we left Randolph on May 31, so I won't complain too much.  But.....where we are in Page, Arizona, the official temp today reached 101, and higher in some outlying areas.   Sure, it IS a dry heat, with dew points in the 20's instead of the 50's or 60's back east, but the lack of humidity is coupled with a lack of vegetation or effective shade trees.   We're surrounded by gravel and rocks that only serve to reflect back the sun's heat.  What to do today to escape the heat? Fortunately, we paid attention to dear friends Jerry and Laura Kimble and the Blog of their journey through this area last fall, and remembered their mention of Lee's Ferry on the Colorado River ( see this LINK ). We're not the campers that are the Kimble's (as I said yesterday, we're "glampers"), and besides, it was just TOO DARNED HOT to do any hiking in the area, but Lee's Ferry gave us a da...

  More Monument Valley; Glen Canyon: (Note: anyone following this blog has probably realized by now that I'm obsessed with sunrises) As has been my habit on this trip, I woke up before 6 today, threw on some clothes, and went outside with Zoey to enjoy the pre-dawn quiet.   What greeted me this morning, however, looked more like a scene from the movie "Nomadlands" - as my eyes adjusted to the light, I realized that there were about a half dozen others outside, some wrapped in blankets but all holding their cameras or cell phones, facing east and ready to catch a picture of the sunrise. It didn't disappoint..... . ...neither did the setting full moon behind us: Morning routine behind us, John and I said good-bye to Monument Valley and headed west to Page, Arizona, along miles of nothing interspersed with occasional landmarks.   Arriving at Page, we stopped to visit the Glen Canyon Dam at the western end of Lake Powell.   Too hot a day (but it's a dry he...

Monument Valley & Canyon de Chelly: Yesterday's 20+ mph winds mercifully died down overnight, and we were treated to a sunny dry, upper 80's day today - so hard to imagine considering the flooding north of us in Yellowstone .  The fires in New Mexico still brought a layer of haze despite the blue skies, but dawn at our RV park was still worth waking up before 6 for. We took a side trip to Canyon de Chelly National Monument about 100 miles away and were treated to other wordly rock formations all along the way.... Canyon de Chelly is a somewhat hidden gem - in the middle of Navajo country, it's by far not as popular nor as big as the Grand Canyon, but the history of its inhabitants goes back hundreds of years.   One thing we learned along the way was the story of the " Navajo Code Talkers " - how the Navajo language was used during WWII.    Let the scenery speak for itself: We returned to Monument Valley where the day ended as beautifully as it began.... .......