Grand Canyon May 14th thru 16th

We headed out of Cameron AZ bright and early and picked up Route 64 west about 30 miles to Grand Canyons South Rim, Desert View Inn and Watchtower. We were wearing shorts and sandals much like several of the other visitors we saw.

But as we started walking to the Watchtower we felt the strong winds of a dark cloud pattern swooping in with sprinkles so we retreated to the comfort of our camper and quickly changed into warmer clothes and jackets! What a convenience! We thoroughly checked out this area and it's wonderful views made even more dramatic with the darkening clouds and slips of the sun's rays.

We then continued west in the park another 29 miles stopping at a few of the overlooks. It was impossible to get a parking space at the Tusayan Museum and we had to pass on that. Bob was amazed at the numbers of people here at this time of year. We made our way and checked into the campground then headed to camper services and did our laundry! Showers were light and only occasional with a lovely sun trying to break through. We drove over to Parking Lot A and checked out the HQ then the rim trail for at least 4 miles. Then back to the camp site as the showers intensified. Supper and an early night!

The next morning dawned quite a bit cooler than we were used to. It was 37 degrees by 10:30 AM. With hot oatmeal in our bellies and full rain gear on we headed down to Lot A and picked up the shuttle system for a bit of stop and go hikes/rides out to Hermit's Rest.

The canyon itself was a sea of fog with nearly no visibility most of the day, but we were rewarded with a couple of occasional views including a rainbow beyond a wary trekker traveling unadvisedly to the edge of the cliff.

We were able to glimpse the top of Bright Angle Trail near it's lodge and saw the burrows corralled nearby. There was a bull elk and two females grazing in the area of the campground but with rains each time I saw the bull I didn't get his photo. The GC Railroad comes into the depot here and transports many of the visitors. We learned a lot at Kolb Brothers Studio as well. It is another historic site and it is amazing what they did to get photos back in the day of glass plate photography! Hot soup and teas warmed us today and I was able to bake a few chocolate chip cookies to warm up the camper as well! Once during a previous night and as the oven was heating up a "smoke/heat sensor alarm" went off for several minutes. There was no apparent way to shut it off. We will have to ask Bill and Ryan back at Truck Camper Warehouse (or Lucien?) about it. It is not the one exposed in the cabin over the bed. It sounds like it is in the ceiling somewhere or in the wall near the refridgerator. We checked our fuel tanks and had at least one full. Perhaps the air was too cold for the regulator to properly pressurize the gas.

On Saturday the 16th, we needed to check out early. With the sun breaking up the fog we headed back to the rim for a few more views before heading South on 64. A steady stream of campers and cars were heading north into the park. We stopped just 1 mile from the South Entrance and watched the National Graphics IMAX presentation ($25 for both of us) before continuing on our way.

We pushed on towards Flagstaff, watching the air temperatures slowly rise as the elevation gradually decreased. There were several inches of fresh snow in the mountains heading into Flagstaff. It is a beautiful area by far! But Bob beat a path on to Sedona where it finally reached a whopping 63 degrees! Impossible to find a parking space for the truck camper on this touristy Saturday afternoon we traveled 20 miles further west and snatched up the very last available campsite at Dead Horse Ranch State Park. ($25/night with electric and free showers!) This campground has lots of hiking trails, 3 lagoons near the Verde Riverfront suitable for fishing and kayaking and there is a lot for Trail Horse Adventures which we will look into. Also The Blazing M Ranch is just a mile further up the road. More about those later! "Going Places with Smiling Faces!"