Arizona Pt 2 The Grand Canyon

June 04

We said goodbye to my Aunt and Uncle, and their very welcoming pup, turned north and headed to the Grand Canyon. 

We are boondocking on Long Jim Loop, and while the days are getting very warm, the nights are still cool and comfortable.

We get one of the last 3 RV parking spots.  Mr SMT is uncomfortable leaving the truck behind when we boondock, so we tow the Jeep into the South Rim area.  First day in Grand Canyon we walk the Rim trail eastward from the visitor's center, and head back to the camper to dry out and water the pups.

We hear a bunch of foreign voices: quite a few Japanese and Germans, and a handful of Australians.

We get a lot of "What kind of dog is that?"  Hardly anyone guesses right, although we've had two people do so in my memory.  And I guarantee everyone makes a face and "Huh?" comment when I say "Cirneco dell'Etna."

We talked about visiting the eastern portion of the park before heading out for the second day of our North AZ portion of the trip.  I awaken to "let's stay another day and dump before we leave."

What?

THIS is why I cannot make any plans or settle into our travels.  He NEVER sticks with what we discussed.  It is very frustrating.  

I had to sing "me, me, me" to Beethoven's Fifth this morning.  A former co-worker of Mr SMT once said, "He does not do anything unless he wants to."  This is SO very accurate.  If I want to do something he does not, I do not get to do so.  He asks why I don't plan anything on our trips, and all he gets is sullen stink eye in response.  "Do not even start!"

And, to increase our joy, the generator does not work at 8000' elevation.

People watching

We have been amazed at the idiocy of visitors climbing past protective barricades at the Grand Canyon.  They generally carry an ice cream cone in one hand and a camera in the second as they navigate along shear cliffs ranging in height from hundreds to thousands of feet.  I really must do some research on the yearly death rate at the Grand Canyon.

Our drive to the Desert View area exposes us to the eastern edge of the Grand Canyon.  It is not truly the edge of the canyon walls, but they narrow to a small valley through which the river runs,  highlighting the more desolate eastern plain.  Quite a contrast to the color and complexity of the Canyon to the west.  I recommend the eastern edge as an important foil to the southern rim visitor's center and viewing areas.

And the girl is around ALL THOSE PEOPLE, and not completely freaking out!  Go girl!

We spend another night on Long Jim Loop before heading around the 180+ mile trip to reach the northern rim that is 20 miles away as the crow flies.

We camp along National Forest Road 611, in site 611PD.  We have a pretty amazing view of the northeastern canyon ridge right outside our door. It is a multimile drive along a rough, graveled road.  We traveled between 10 and 20 mph during this trek.  And the last couple sites we visited were done only by foot and Jeep, as the road was really too rough (Mr SMT calls it Mogules) for me to be comfortable taking the camper down it.  We offroaded the Jeep!

A few hours later, I heard the oddest sounds coming from the direction of the rough, hilly section.  It sounded like a drum beat.  We were wandering around with the pups when I suddenly realized the noise I heard was spinning tire(s).  I had been relaxing and reading earlier in the day when we heard a vehicle pass down our little road, heading for the rough patch.  They traveled at such speed that by the time we looked up to peek at the vehicle, the driver had already passed behind foliage.  Not surprising, it was this vehicle that was stuck, and seemed to hold a handful of rowdy boy children.  It was a van like vehicle and they probably worked for about 30 minutes to get unstuck.  They left a lot of wood debris behind when they finally scratched their way out.

I joked that the third time I heard spinning tires, I would be an expert, and recognize the sound immediately.

We visit the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, and are quite thankful for our annual pass.  If we had to pay the $35 fee for entry, we would leave feeling ripped off.

The north rim seems to be a hiker or bikers paradise, but only those without dogs!  The NR allows dogs on two trails only.  The best part of the visit?  Free dump station and water fill at the campground.  We parked at the shower lot, showered in the camper, and then proceeded with dump and fill!

As an aside, we have to admit that the dump stations we've visited at the Grand Canyon are pretty much the worst designed dump sites by a mile (and we've seen some pretty sketchy stations!)  Difficult to maneuver, one way access that puts you at the opposite tilt you need, and only one station per rim.  Better than no dump station at all.