Arizona and Utah -- Spring 2006
OK, last year I headed up to Arizona to go riding with Rob and
got caught in a snow/ice/sleet storm. So this year, Anna and I decided
to go the last two weeks of May rather than the end of June. What a
difference a month makes...
A day and a half away from home, we're settled comfortably with Rob and his new bride, Amy. Rob and I get a quick ride in to Cameron so he can pick up Amy's birthday gift and we can kick up our heels a bit. When we got back to Page, Amy and Anna were enjoying the dry heat around the pool, ogling the bulging buttocks of the slightly-past-prime Germans in their speedos...
We made an early night of it with dinner at the Dam Bar to cut down on the travel time between eatin' and drinkin'. A good night rest was essential for the next day's riding.
A day and a half away from home, we're settled comfortably with Rob and his new bride, Amy. Rob and I get a quick ride in to Cameron so he can pick up Amy's birthday gift and we can kick up our heels a bit. When we got back to Page, Amy and Anna were enjoying the dry heat around the pool, ogling the bulging buttocks of the slightly-past-prime Germans in their speedos...
We made an early night of it with dinner at the Dam Bar to cut down on the travel time between eatin' and drinkin'. A good night rest was essential for the next day's riding.
With the morning sun off our left shoulders, we swept down the twisty
part of 89, stopping to peruse the
local Navaho offerings. After contributing to the local economy, we
dropped down into the valley and headed for Marble
Canyon on 89A. Stopping
to marvel
at Navajo Bridge, Rob recounted how in 1929, the
builders
used a crane to place a bridge section, then tore the whole kit and
kaboodle down, trucked it 600 miles South below the Grand Canyon, then
back to the other side of Marble Canyon, put a section in place from
that side, then tore the crane down. Repeat as necessary until you have
a complete bridge... They were tough back in those days. Now,
the
original bridge is closed to all but pedestrian traffic and a modern
bridge duplicates the look while paralleling the original.
The bridges are roughly 470 feet above the Colorado River (right).
From there, we headed up to Jacobs Lake, the gateway to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It's amazing that you can scoot across the valley floor with all your Aerostitch vents open then have to stop halfway up to Jacob's Lake to close `em all to keep from freezing half to death. Climbing almost 5000 feet from semi arid to patches of remaining snow in the shadowed forest will do that.
The next day, as Rob and Amy prepped the boat for their next Diamond River Adventures Grand Canyon Rafting Trip and Anna took a day off from traveling and I headed for the North Rim (photos at top of page) of the Grand Canyon. The North Rim lacks some of the majestic views almost straight down into the canyon that the South Rim offers. But, it more than makes up for it by being much more laid-back. While the South Rim attracts visitors by the bus load, many of whom appear to file off the bus, take obligatory pictures from the main viewpoints then file back onto the bus in a never-ending stream accompanied by the cacophony of dozens of languages bouncing from bus to bus, visitors to the North Rim stroll about, moving casually from one vantage point to another. The background sound is the whisper of the wind stirring the pine needles. The enduring sense of it all is that we are in no more hurry to see this sight than it was to be made. I think the two travelers at right have a right idea. See the sights. Be impressed. Take a nap. Repeat as necessary.
Thursday, we loaded everything up, bid Rob and Amy goodbye and headed to Saint George in the Southwestern corner of Utah. This would be our base for the next week as we explored the majesty of Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park and Dixie (!?!) National Forest as wells as the man-made fleshpot that is Las Vegas...
to marvel
at Navajo Bridge, Rob recounted how in 1929, the
builders
used a crane to place a bridge section, then tore the whole kit and
kaboodle down, trucked it 600 miles South below the Grand Canyon, then
back to the other side of Marble Canyon, put a section in place from
that side, then tore the crane down. Repeat as necessary until you have
a complete bridge... They were tough back in those days. Now,
the
original bridge is closed to all but pedestrian traffic and a modern
bridge duplicates the look while paralleling the original. The bridges are roughly 470 feet above the Colorado River (right).
From there, we headed up to Jacobs Lake, the gateway to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. It's amazing that you can scoot across the valley floor with all your Aerostitch vents open then have to stop halfway up to Jacob's Lake to close `em all to keep from freezing half to death. Climbing almost 5000 feet from semi arid to patches of remaining snow in the shadowed forest will do that.
The next day, as Rob and Amy prepped the boat for their next Diamond River Adventures Grand Canyon Rafting Trip and Anna took a day off from traveling and I headed for the North Rim (photos at top of page) of the Grand Canyon. The North Rim lacks some of the majestic views almost straight down into the canyon that the South Rim offers. But, it more than makes up for it by being much more laid-back. While the South Rim attracts visitors by the bus load, many of whom appear to file off the bus, take obligatory pictures from the main viewpoints then file back onto the bus in a never-ending stream accompanied by the cacophony of dozens of languages bouncing from bus to bus, visitors to the North Rim stroll about, moving casually from one vantage point to another. The background sound is the whisper of the wind stirring the pine needles. The enduring sense of it all is that we are in no more hurry to see this sight than it was to be made. I think the two travelers at right have a right idea. See the sights. Be impressed. Take a nap. Repeat as necessary.
Thursday, we loaded everything up, bid Rob and Amy goodbye and headed to Saint George in the Southwestern corner of Utah. This would be our base for the next week as we explored the majesty of Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park and Dixie (!?!) National Forest as wells as the man-made fleshpot that is Las Vegas...
Zion
National Park Pictures |
Zion Outer Loop Pictures |
Bryce Canyon Pictures |
And yes, we did run into a bit of weather coming back from Bryce Canyon... 
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