Yesterday we ventured 120 miles north to Lee's Ferry.
I'd gotten a bug in my ear to head up there after reading Down the Great Unknown, an amazing book about the first trek all the way down the Grand Canyon. We live only about 70 miles south of the south rim, but it's not our favorite place. It really is just a great big hole.
But Lee's Ferry is one of the few places where you can reach the Colorado River and actually cross the river and put your feet in. I thought it might be a cool place to see. It's like historical and stuff.
So we get there and THIS is what we see.
My mind was blown. This is the tip of the Grand Canyon, but the cliffs are low on the north side and we just walked down to one of the most intense rivers in the world and there was this amazing beach. It was softer than a Hawaiian beach and softer than a Florida beach and there was no one there. There were little waves lapping the shore and the water was ice cold. We played here for about 2 hours, looking for rocks, finding drift wood, chasing lizards and exploring the shore. I cannot tell you how amazing this little piece of the world is. It is beyond imagination.
Just up the river a little bit is where all, and I mean all, the river boats set into the river. If you are going to take a trip down the Colorado River this is the only place where you can put a boat in near the Grand Canyon. There is a boat dock and a ranger station, but not much else.
Usually you can stop in Lee's Ferry on your way to Page, but there was a huge road collapse in February which closed the little connector road from here to civilization, so there is not much in the way of refreshment or supplies. There are a few small motels with little tiny restaurants, but if you are looking for fast food, you are out of luck.
When we finished playing we were hot and exhausted and found a Chevron up the road and bought ice cream sandwiches and sodas. It was still early so we decided to keep driving West. It is a long way to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, but it was through some of the most beautiful Arizona scenery. The elevation change is immense, from 3200 ft elevation to 8800 ft at the rim of the canyon. So needless to say the vegetation and geology changes are mind bottling.
This is the Navajo Bridge that crosses the Colorado on the way to the North Rim. In the back ground is the start of the Vermillion Cliffs. Very much like the Cliffs of Insanity.
This is the view of the Colorado River from the Navajo Bridge
As you move from the valley at 4000 ft up to the elevation of the Grand Canyon at almost 9000 feet you can look back down at the Valley and the Vermillion Cliffs.
As soon as we entered into Grand Canyon National Park we saw some black specs in the distance that my husband was convinced were cows, but they weren't. I was screaming "Buffalo, Buffalo!" I made Carl stop the car and I walked as close as I could to snap these pictures. Carl insisted I go no closer because they do have big horns and are gigantic beasts. We read later that they are not in fact buffalo or bison, but in fact are called beefalo, a strange hybrid of a buffalo and a cow. Whatever they are I was so excited to see them.
And here was our final destination of the day: the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
We have been to the south rim about 5-10 times. The kids go there for field trips all the time and we usually go up on the entrance fee-free day every couple of years. We've been there and done that. We had never been to the North Rim before and it was spectacular. It is much more remote to get to. From Flagstaff it's about 230 miles. It's a beautiful drive, but you have to know what you're getting yourself into. The North Rim is only open May 15 through October 15 due to weather conditions. The lodge and the cabins were much more impressive than at the South Rim. The South Rim is more tourist friendly with more dining choices, gift shops and museums. It even has a bus service that will take you to all the look out points. But the North Rim is for campers and the rugged type. The cabins up there looked right out over the canyon. There are a few more intense walking trails. I recommend the little hike out to Bright Angel Point. It takes you right out into the canyon. It is monsoon season in Northern Arizona so it was clouding up in the afternoon when we were looking out over the canyon. The thunderheads added a different color to the canyon that was dark and foreboding. We hung around and explored the lodge and the look outs over and around the lodge.
By this time we were starving and looking for something good to eat. We did not find it at the North Rim. There are very few dining options. There was a saloon that sold pizza slices, but it was full, so we walked across to the main restaurant. It was closed until dinner time, but we could have made a reservation for 5:15, but since it was only 4:00 we decided to keep looking. There was a deli that we had no choice but to eat at. Their options were cold pre-made sandwiches or slices of pizza. The place was sad looking with 16 year olds serving and acting like 16 year olds. The chicken tenders had been soaking in a stew of their own juices for who knows how long and looked like shrivelled up penises. There was the option for chili as well, but it is July in Arizona, who eats chili? We had to go with the pre-made pizza by the slice. $35 later we were not starving, but far from satisfied from our dining experience at the North Rim. That was the only low point of the day.
We plan to go back up again and look around some more. Maybe stay in one of the little cabins, take the Land Rover and explore all the forest service road and remote look out roads and animal preserves. It was a beautiful magical day exploring places of our state we had never seen. We got home at almost 9:00 tired, sunburned, and hungry.
Next time we will pack in all our own food with a cooler full of sandwiches and cookies.
No comments:
Post a Comment