Grand Canyon to Page

Sunday 28th Apr

 

We packed up the RV and set off east along the Desert View Drive to the east exist of the GC Nat Pk.  We stopped at Grand View and Lipan Points for our final view of the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon.  We can see the Upper part of the Colorado River from these points and considered if

we’d like to do that portion of the River rafting trip – another day perhaps……

 

The normal road to Page, on Route 89, is closed due to the road collapsing so we took the detour, and a shortcut advised by Nate, our boat captain, which took us through Native American land.

 

29th Apr  Antelope Canyon, Page, Az

We met up with Nate for breakfast, as he lives in Page, and he gave some tips on places to visit in the local vicinity and Utah. 

We drove to South Antelope Canyon which is a Slot Canyon that flash flooding has carved out of the Navajo Sandstone, with incredible shapes and colours.  It has to be seen to be believed.  We went down with a young Indian  There is a south and north Antelope Canyon owned by two different Indian families and there was an additional charge for being on Indian Land.

guide who explained all visitors must be guided, since a group of tourists died when they were trapped by a flash flood in the mid-90s.

 

We then had lunch on the shore of Lake Powell and watched some motorised boats go by and a couple of lads swim out to retrieve items of theirs blown into the lake by the wind.

 

30^th April  Horseshoe Bend

We visited Horseshoe Bend in the morning.  It is a 280 degree bend created by the Colorado River flowing around the sandstone.  We were really high up looking down on the boats on the river   There were no railings and people were getting pretty close to the edge of the lookout rocks.  High winds had been forecast for today and there were several tremendous gusts which blew sand absolutely everywhere; we even had to empty our trousers pockets of sand.

below.

 

 

We went over to Glen Canyon Dam, which was constructed 1956-66, and controls the Colorado River waters creating Lake Powell.  The lake is 186 miles long and backs into more than 96 major side canyons.  Once completed it took until 1980 to completely “fill”. 

 

However the water level has dropped in recent years and the lake is now only about half full.  We missed the morning Dam Tour and were told that due to the high winds they did not know if the afternoon tours would continue; so rather than wait 2 hours we went home and spent the afternoon in the swimming pool and Jacuzzi at the campsite.

South Rim

27th Apr

 

Having watched the sunset over the Grand Canyon yesterday evening we had an easy morning.  The excitement of the past week had started to dissipate and we were back to normal things such as …… the washing!

 

 

 

There is a free bus shuttle service around the canyon so we used it to explore the eastern half of the South Rim in the afternoon.  We stopped at Mather and Yaki Point.  We watched a few hikers on the South Kaibab Trailhead, which is a steeper but shorter way down the Canyon and the route the Mule Train use when they return from their overnight at Phantom Ranch.  Perhaps we will try this trail another time but not today.

 

The previous weekend we had spoken to a young lad in running kit who had run down the Kaibab and up the Bright Angel Trail (approx. 17 miles) – in 4 hours!!!  He said there were other runners who were doing the “Rim to Rim” run which is from the South Rim to the North Rim and back in the same day!  That would be around 40 miles of uphill or downhill – unbelievable what people do on their weekends just for fun.

You get a very international feel about the Grand Canyon.  It draws so many overseas visitors, especially the Japanese, and we heard all sorts of languages and accents.

 

"Grand Canyon Day 4/5"

Thursday 25^th April

The sun comes up around 5.30 and begins to light up the canyon walls on our final full day on the river.

 

We did some light rapids in the morning as we rafted through the “Ice Box” area.  It is called this because the river cuts through high canyon walls which meant we spent most of our time in shadow. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stopped at Havasu Canyon for a short hike.  The boats pulled in near the rapids and we had to get out directly onto the rocks (not sandy beaches as previously) as the boats bounced up and down.  We climbed up and clambered over the rocks and waded through the creek to get up to Havasu Falls.   
The water was a wonderful pale blue and in places was quite ‘milky’ from the surrounding soil.  We spent an hour or more splashing around in the pools and sunbathing.  It has to be said none of the water we have encountered was actually that warm but it was the excitement of being there that was fun.

 

The rest of the afternoon we spent gliding down the river with a few smaller rapids.  We saw Big Horn sheep on the beaches and some black Ibis birds.  Eventually we get to Lava Falls the last ‘Big One’. Nate our captain skilfully negotiated it safely.  This marked the last of the ‘white-water’ aspect of the trip and we wanted to go back to do it again.

We camped on a big sandy beach called Mile 185 Campsite.  As we sat round the camp in the evening Nate told us the story of how Havasu Falls Creek had flooded one year in the Monsoon season when it was full of visitors.  Fortunately a helicopter pilot had seen what was happening up on the Rim and had warned the tourists below to get to high ground, which saved them.  Glad he told us this story after we had visited the falls!

Friday 26^th April

 

 

We pack everything into our bags and after the photo-shoot of everyone we set off down the river with both boats strapped together.  We only had a few miles to travel down the river before we reached the helicopter pad.

 

 

We get out at Mile 188 having joined the boat at Mile 86.  We have done over 50 named or significant rapids as well as numerous smaller un-named ones.  We say our farewells to the crew who now have to continue on the boats for another 100 miles before they reach the point where they can get them on the trucks.  They meet the trucks tomorrow which will get them back to the Page, a 9 hour drive away.

 

We are to be helicoptered out of the canyon to the Bar-10 Ranch at the top of the North Rim. The flight was only about ten minutes, but the views as we flew over the canyon were spectacular.

 

At the ranch we have a proper shower – lovely!  At 11am we split into two groups, say more farewells and then board our respective planes to take us to either Las Vegas or Page via Grand Canyon airport, where we disembark.

 

We shared a taxi back to the Nat Park with Alex and his dad (who was 71 last Dec) from Austria.  We said our farewells to them as they head off for the remainder of their holiday whilst we get into the RV and get ourselves settled into the Trailer Village campsite at the Grand Canyon where we will spend the weekend.

"Grand Canyon Day 2"

Tuesday 23^rd April



Hermits Point

Coffee call at 5.45am; which was too early for Alison but she managed to be dressed for cooked breakfast at 6.30. 

After de-camping and loading the boat we all went for a ‘short’ hike up into one of the side canyons, “Monument Creek”.  This also gave time for the river to rise a little more before we negotiated the first rapid of the day. (They close the dam a little at night to restrict the flow of water into the canyon).  As we hiked up the changing layers of rocks were outstanding.  We stopped at one point where we were looking up at Hermits Point, which is the furthest west of the view points at the top on the South Rim.  

Alison on the slide

Going back down a parallel side canyon we had to negotiate a creek.

 

The rest of the day was spent on the river, with a stop for lunch on a sandy beach.  This day was when we travelled the most miles on the river and consequently the most rapids.  Paul took his turn in the “Bath Tub” which is right in the front of the boat where you get totally drenched.  Alison stayed in the “Chicken Coop” to the rear of the boat but still managed to get wet.  The water was really cold and over our water gear it helped us cool down in the hot sun.

 

Alison ready for bed

We spent the night at Race Track campsite.  We had a Mexican theme to the evening with Tequila and American Honey Whiskey served as pre-dinner cocktails.  We tried to watch the stars as we lay in our camp beds but couldn’t keep our eyes open for long and quickly fell asleep.

 

Wednesday 24th April

Breakfast again at 6.30 and we watch the sun gradually creeping on to the furthest mountains. 

We set off down river for a few miles and then landed part of the group who were off for a 9 mile hike with a 2000ft elevation change.  Those of us who didn’t fancy such a tough hike continued on down the river to Deer Creek Waterfall having stopped part way to listen to Dan read us a story from a book of GC River Stories.

Our hike started at the base of the waterfall which gushed out from the rocks about 150ft above us.  It was a quick ‘straight up’ climb of around 800ft and then we followed the slot canyon of Deer  
Creek.
We were treated to wonderful views of the Colorado from above the waterfall.


At one point we had to squeeze along a narrow 2ft ledge for about 20yds with the sheer drop below us.  ( Alison was on her hands and knees). Eventually we arrived at our goal “The Patio”.  It was a lovely area of flat rocks with trees, butterflies and lizards as the water flowed down the creek.  We spent some time here, bathing in the water etc.
 

When we returned to the boats down on the river we had lunch and bathed by the waterfall whilst we waited for the rest of the group to meet us from their ‘long hike’.

We then continued down the river.

 

Our camp site was at Mat-Kat Hotel and was surrounded by high canyon walls.




Day Four and Five to follow.

 

The"Grand Canyon"

Monday 22nd April

We were both up for 3.45am and drove into the Grand Canyon Nat Pk.  We were surprised the gate was manned at 4.25 in the morning.  We parked the RV and car in the Back-country parking area where we could leave it for the week at no charge.

We met our fellow hikers at the Fire Place in the Bright Angel Lodge, along with our guide who was wearing flip flops.  Our guide will accompany us half way down the trail until we meet the guide coming up from the Rafts on the river.

We began the hike at 5.30am as the sun was starting to rise over the Canyon; the colours changed as we descended.

 

 

 

The views are terrific and constantly changing.  At three points there were restrooms and water filling stations where we rested and had a sandwich.

As we descended we passed people hiking up after staying overnight in the Canyon; many were carrying their camping gear in big backpacks.  We didn’t envy them their uphill journey as the temperature began to rise. 

 

 

 

The halfway point at Indian Gardens was a cool oasis with trees and a creek which we continued to follow down to the river. Even though the hike was over nine miles it was a very pleasant hike. We had different views of the canyon as we descended.  

We all set our own pace for the hike down and eventually arrived on the beach between 10.30 and 11.00, having crossed the bridge over to the north side of the river.  The temperature was now getting up to 30C. 





We were introduced to the boats crew; Nate, Dan, Sean and Will.  After the safety briefing we introduced ourselves to the other passengers (they had already spent three days on the raft traversing the upper rapids), put on our waterproofs and life jackets and climbed aboard.

We cannot begin to describe how we felt about being at the bottom of the Grand Canyon looking up at the cliffs.  It was just incredible and so exciting.

 

The first rapids are some of the biggest we will meet; so once Alison had experienced that she knew she could cope with the rest of the trip!  Our boat was captained by Nate and this was the lead boat.  After we successfully negotiated Horns Creek rapid we turned to watch the other boat come through - it hit a rock which punctured the front point of the boat.  The boats have several separate air compartments so, fortunately, it did not hinder their progress, however it brought home to us how easily accidents can happen.

 

After travelling for about an hour we beached the rafts and had lunch.

More rapids after lunch and then we pulled over onto a sandy beach to make camp for the night at Granite Campsite.  We unpacked the boats including the kitchen gear that the crew used to make our meals – prime rib and mash for our first evening along with a bottle of cider and some whiskey from Pauls hip flask!  ( Only good Irish for this trip)

The crew set about repairing the punctured boat.

The Lounge/Diner.

The Kitchen

The Bedroom

 

We each had a sleeping bag and camp bed – but no tent!  We slept under the stars each night, listening to nearby rapids.  It was nearly a full moon so you could watch the moon-shadows on the canyon walls.  

 

 

Day two to follow.

 

 

Williams, Az

19th–21st Apr  Williams and Grand Canyon

On the Friday we travelled back along the I-40 to Williams.  We found a campsite just on the edge of town and in the afternoon visited the shops.  The town of Williams is on Route 66 so it had a lot of memorabilia from that era as well as Indian crafts and touristy paraphernalia.

Saturday we did a recce to the Grand Canyon in readiness for our trip on Monday.  As we drove towards the National Park we were amazed at how the area outside the park has developed since our last visit in 2001.  All sorts of hotels, shops and attractions have sprung up.

The Grand Canyon was still as amazing as before and we strolled along the rim admiring the views.

Sunday we take the RV up to Tusayan village and dry camp in the Kaibab Forest for the one night ready for the drive up to the National Park at 4.30am Monday morning (Tusayan used to be just one bar/restaurant, it is now a thriving town).

We have booked a Rafting trip down the Low Half of the Colorado River along the bottom of the Grand Canyon.  The Canyon has 227 miles of river, of which we will be rafting down 135 miles of it – including 19 rapids.  The rapids in the Grand Canyon are classed 1-10 rather than the usual 1-6.  The river flows at around 4mph and the boats are motorised holding up to 15 passengers, plus kit. 

We meet our guide at 5.00am on Monday morning at the Bright Angel Lodge along with 6 other travellers.  We then walk down to the bottom of the Canyon to the boat launch – a downhill trip of nearly 10 miles.  We will have back packs for water and some food but most of our kit will travel down by mule that morning to meet the boat just before lunch.  The boat left the eastern end of the Grand Canyon 4 days earlier with passengers, and we will join them for the remainder of the trip. 

We will spend the next 4 nights camping on the river’s edge.  The Outfitters provide all the camping kit and food etc – we just bring our clothes, especially our waterproofs. 

Apart from floating down the river, and running the rapids, we will get the opportunity for hikes into other parts of the canyon.  On the fifth day (Friday) we will be helicoptered out from the river to Bar Ten Ranch and then a small plane back to the Grand Canyon. …………….

From Sunday evening we will be out of contact until the following Friday evening.

On the move to Flagstaff.

13^th April 

About half way to Flagstaff we stopped for lunch at Seligman on Route 66.  As soon as we pulled over we had water running down the centre of the floor. A quick inspection and we found a cracked

water pipe under the sink. We bought the bits for the repair and when we got to our camp site Paul did the repair before we could connect up to the water supply.

 Flagstaff is at an elevation of 7000ft and was considerably colder than Lake Havasu!  There was snow on the Mountains behind the camp site.

 14^th April  Walnut Canyon Nat Mon

 

We took a picnic to Walnut Canyon and although it is sunny enough for a picnic it is very windy.   

800 years ago the Northern Sinagua Indians made their homes here under the overhanging limestone cliffs.  They were only occupied for around 100 years before the people moved on and were probably the ancestors of the Hopi tribe of today. We were able to walk around the cliff dwellings and even go inside them.

 

Many of the rooms have been reconstructed by the national park service.  The Walnut Creek that used to flow at the base of the cliffs has now been diverted for use by Flagstaff residents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

15^th April

We finalised the arrangements for our River trip down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon and then went shopping for some kit for the trip.

16^th April  Sedona and Red Rocks

 

It was a cold windy day in Flagstaff so we headed south for some warmer weather.  We drove through Oak Creek Canyon on the way to Sedona which is over 2000ft lower altitude that Flagstaff.  Sedona is a town in the middle of Red Rock country and full of amazing shops.  It is also known for its Meditational Vortexes.  The Red Rocks are wonderful and as the sun came out it enhanced the huge formations. 

 

 

 

 

From Sedona we travelled to Montezuma’s Castle cliff dwellings, once an imposing 6-story apartment-like building with 45 rooms.  This was the home of the Southern Sinagua Indians and had nothing to do with the Aztec King Montezuma.  There was a lovely creek running at the base of the cliffs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We continued to Montezuma’s Well which was a few miles further up the road.

It was amazing to see this well in the middle of the desert, fed with thousands of gallons every day.

The well is fed by an underground spring and then goes underground again to feed into the same Creek.

 

Travelling home on the I-17 we came across Trucks parking up on the side of the road.  We must have passed at least a mile or two of them.  The I-17 east from Flagstaff had to be closed due to dust storms created by the high winds.

 17^th April  Meteor Crater

The I-17 east of Flagstaff was open so we were able drive to the Meteor Crater which was the first proven meteorite impact site on the planet.  The crater is 550ft deep, over 4000ft across at the base and 2.4ml in circumference.  We would have liked to have taken the walking tour around the rim but they cancelled the last tours due to the icy cold winds that afternoon.

 

 

 

18^th April  Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki Nat Mon

Lava Flow

 

 

 

Sunset Crater was created was the Volcano erupted in the 11^th Century and created a 1000ft volcanic cone.

It became a national monument when a film crew wanted to film a landslide using dynamite and an appeal was made to the President to preserve this area.  We wanted to climb up to the top and look inside but hiking has been closed to the public since 1971 as it was causing too much erosion.  So we drove the Loop Road stopping at the various look-out spots until we got to Wupatki.

 

Wupatki Pueblo was built against the rocks and formed a multi-storey village of around 100 rooms.  It was inhabited about 100 years after the volcano had erupted and the Indians farmed the land.  Much of the Pueblo had been reconstructed by the Nat Park Service and it gave a good impression of how the village would have been.

Of particular interest was a “Blow-hole”.  This was a hole through which air can exchange with the underground caves.  Depending on the air pressure above ground the air will either blow out of the hole or be sucked into the caves. Today it was being sucked into the caves at a tremendous velocity and noise.

On the way out of the National Park we came across a Prong-horn deer.

Tomorrow we move to Williams and the
Grand Canyon ready for our trip on Monday.