Isn't it Grand!

The day’s short drive to the Grand Canyon would include a stop to check out the Meteor Crater just south of Winslow, AZ (such a fine sight to see!). The visitor center had RV parking so this would be a 30 min stop on the way. The admission was not discounted for a senior pass as this was a privately owned business. Darn! The building had very nice museum displays and an outdoor observation deck. From this vantage point, Theresa held on tight to her phone so the extreme wind would not dislodge it from her hand.

The crater was as deep as the Trans America building in SF and
the view from the top displayed the snow capped mountains towards Flagstaff. A very brief stroll thru some of the displays revealed future meteors and projected dates when they will be close to earth. Seems there will be plenty of time to hit lots of bucket list items before any pending Apocalypse!

Back to the RV and on north to the Grand Canyon!
The entry into the Grand Canyon was free with Theresa’s senior pass! However the trailer village campground was privately operated and did not give any discount except Good Sams.

The traffic on the park roads frequently slowed to let a herd of elk pass. The native creatures did not seem very upset or agitated with all the humans coming invading their space . Very cool!

The site was a nice pull thru with full hook up including cable TV. However the camp host warned “don’t leave your sewer out overnight cause the crows will poke holes in it”. The nightly temps were predicted to be well below freezing so the fresh water line had to be stored at night as well.

After a quick set up of camp, it was a 1.5 mile walk to the visitor center to get a plan for the next 2 days and a first brief look at the ditch.

Words nor pictures can adequately depict the grander of this worldly wonder! Every overlook offered another amazing view of the color spectrum from the sky to the valley below. 

The two day recommended plan was a bike ride on the Hermit Road Ridge trail and then a hike into the canyon down a section of the Kaibab trail.

The bikes were unloaded from the Jeep’s roof rack and prepared for the mornings ride. Kevin’s bike tires were still in a questionable state, but he was willing to stretch the limits for the completely paved ride. And if it failed there were busses with bike racks that traversed the route every 15 min. All good.

In the AM, before starting the route the bikers planed a stop at the nearby lodge to tryout the Free WiFi in the lobby. There was little if no service from ATT nor WiFi in the campground, completely off grid. It only took a few min before the power users became frustrated with the slow network and were ready to get on with the day’s adventures. The 10 mile route to the Hermit trail started with a gentle downhill bike route to the base of a busses only road. Bikers had to share the road and are required to pull off the road and dismount when a bus is passing. The first few miles was a 6% uphill that sent the heart rate climbing as well.

The first observation point was a welcome stop to pull the lungs back into the chest! The views were just amazing! The road followed the rim trail on undulating hills with observation turnouts every mile or less. Endless photo ops at each turn made all the climbing worth the effort! 2 miles from the Hermit trail head, cyclist could join the hikers in the paved rim trail that rose and descended on the edge of the canyon. This was the real definition of a Scenic Route! It was hard to take your eyes off the view to keep on path and keep a watch for passing busses. A final descent led into the trail head for another photo op and score some unique items at the gift shop. The return journey was a bit faster despite the anticipated uphill sections stopping only for recovery and bus passing. A passing thunderstorm taunted the riders with a few drops of moisture and rumbles as they made there way back. The reward at the end was a late lunch and adult beverage at the lodge bar.

A quick trip to the market for supplies warranted the deployment of the side pouches on the bike bag for the less than 1 mile trek back to the RV.

After the successful first day’s journey the bikes were once again mounted on the Jeep and preparations for the next day’s hike became the focus of the evening.

Requirements for the day included: water, snacks, sunscreen, hiking sticks, boots, sun shirts, maps, sunglasses, camera, ....

Several well planned bus routes transport sightseers and hikers to the various trailheads visitor centers and campgrounds throughout the park. It made it convenient to hop on a bus rather than drive to a destination and find parking. A 10 min bus ride with a short transfer stop at the visitor center landed the hikers at the day’s trail head. The Kaibab trail immediately descended into a series of step lined switchbacks. Kevin paused at each turn to be capture the unique view that was presented. Theresa did not mind as it gave her shaking knees a rest from the never ending stair steps. The descent into the massive canyon gave a personal hands on experience of the canyons changes in color and climate as one descends. At the 1.5 mile trail stop, the prepared snacks were consumed while resting on a large boulder.

The journey down to this spot took a hour and a half. Estimates are that the jouney back up is 2 to 3 times longer. The time of day suggested we would not get back to the trail head until 3 or 4 pm. Legs already weekend from the prior day’s bike ride also sent a clear message to make this the turn around point rather than continue for another 1.5 of similar terrain to the next trail mark. Wisdom prevailed! The assent began slow and steady with frequent pauses to let the heart rate come back down a bit, let faster hikers pass and keep the hydration up. A mule train hauling supplies from the canyon base quickly overtook the slow moving seniors with just .5 miles left on the trail. Theresa jokingly requested a rope so she could hitch on the back of the mule train to assist with her climb. Finally reaching the top, the legs were immediately relieved to rest on a rock while waiting for the shuttle bus. Pleased with the accomplishments of the 2 days, T-shirt’s commemorating the adventures were purchased and then it was back to the RV for clean up and dinner!

Wow, what a great 2 days of exploration and witnessing the grandeur of earth’s natural wonders! The bucket list is now one more item shy.