Thursday May 13, 2010

When I got out of bed this morning and pulled back the shade over the skylight, I saw ice! What? It did rain last night, but ice? Dennis checked the temp: 26 degrees. Gulp. The sun is brightly shining however, so we’ll quit our whining.

We leave the campground by 7:30 and begin our trek to the Grand Canyon. Plan is to be there later today. We are going to stop at two locations in the Coconino National Forest: Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments. From our perusal on the internet, there are not many images for sale of these locations. Might be because they are off the beaten path. Could be because folks driving by are in a hurry to get to the Grand Canyon and don’t want to stop. I must admit that had I made the choice, we would have headed to the Canyon but Dennis didn’t want to pass these up. I am glad he insisted.

An interior 35-mile road connects the two monuments. Entering from the south entrance, our first monument will be Sunset Crater Volcano. Now to me, a “crater volcano” is an oxymoron. How could a volcano be a crater? We learn that at the top of the Sunset Volcano, is a crater. Years ago hikers were permitted to climb the Volcano to view the crater. Environmentalists were concerned that they were eroding the land and so now you take trails surrounding the crater. You have to trust that the volcano still has its crater crown. A beautiful area called Lava Rock Trail offers awesome images of the volcano as well as incredible opportunities to get “close and personal” with lava rock. There is a paved walkway that winds around rock areas. There were several school groups visiting at the same time. They were great kids and it brought back good memories about being a teacher and principal. It was interesting to see the lava and even see lichen growing on it.

We then drove on the park’s interior road towards the Wupatki Monument. Along the way, we saw stunning vistas of the Painted Desert, at least fifty miles away! Within the park we were able to see Pueblo ruins from 800 years ago when the Sunset Volcano erupted. It is almost as though time stood still. We saw the former homes of the Puebloans as well as their “community room” and ballcourt. The community room is a circular meeting area that fit up to 100 people sitting on the circumference of the circle.

As we left the ruins, Dennis looked up in the sky and noticed an enormous ring around the sun, almost like an eclipse. It wasn’t an eclipse but was a halo, caused by ice crystals in the cirrus clouds bending the sun’s light. Very cool. We also saw a cute collared lizard as it sunned itself.

Once leaving this wonderful historical location, we continued towards the Canyon. We entered the area from the east. We weren’t sure if we had actually entered the park when we saw a sign for a “scenic view”. It is rare that our motor home passes one and this was no exception. As we approached the parking and entrance area, we saw table after table of covered tables. It resembled a flea market rather than a scenic view. Turns out this area is part of the Navajo Nation Reservation. As we approached the entrance area, a booth and a handmade sign listing the “entrance fees” greeted us. This amateur attempt to resemble a National Park fell flat. We turned the motor home around, annoyed that Native Americans would attempt to charge for a parking lot. The area was decorated with the Arizona flag, U.S. flag and the Navajo Nation flag. We continued to drive west and within a mile found another “scenic area”. Wow, another and another and another. Family and friends should be happy to know however, that they can look forward to Indian blankets, turquoise necklaces and willow dreamcatchers. Lol

Finally, we come upon the Grand Canyon National Park entrance. When Dennis asked me to pull out his Golden Passport Card, which would give us free entry, he also asked for his driver’s license for identification purposes (required by the parks). I switched his drivers’ license with the “Area 51” Michigan Driver’s License I picked up in Roswell New Mexico. The picture on the license is one of an alien with an elongated head. He noticed it before he approached the pay booth. That was good for a laugh. I would have loved to see the park ranger’s face had Dennis presented it.

Once going through the official fee area, we quickly come upon the first viewing point, “Desert View”. This is the second highest location on the South Rim and is the location of an old watchtower. The 70-foot tower, constructed in 1932 to replicate the watchtowers constructed by Puebloans in other areas, contains wonderful artistry on the walls. It has four stories and provides wonderful views of the Canyon. From the top story, visitors are at the highest point in the Grand Canyon National Park. Sadly, the watchtower was under renovation and had equipment surrounding it. We were still able to enter the building but couldn’t include it in pictures of the Canyon.
We don’t know what to say that could possibly describe the feelings we experienced when we first saw the Canyon. We have both seen many shows on television of the Canyon. We have flown over the Canyon when traveling. We have seen pictures that others have shared. Nothing, nothing can compare with actually seeing the Canyon. Its enormity, depth, layers, colors, and more are indescribable. We were so glad that we made this trip. While we didn’t have a blue sky and bright sun, the overcast sky provided a subtlety to the light that smoothed the colors and made it more ethereal. We hope that tomorrow we have blue skies but for now, we are delighted.

We drive into a few more turnouts, getting out of the motor home and taking more shots. The road is 25 miles long before we get to the “nerve center” of the Park, Grand Canyon Village. We head to the Visitors’ Center to plot our plan for tomorrow. The Park offers free shuttles to many of the Canyon outlooks. Given the limited parking, we intend to take advantage of these tomorrow. The shuttles are color coded, each covering a different area. We figure out where we will park and where we will catch the shuttle. While this is only May, the Park is already filled with many people. We can’t imagine how crazy the place must be in the summertime. Before we left the Park, an elk crossed the road in front of us and I grabbed a picture through the windshield.

We find a campground one mile south of the Park. We can’t wait to see more of this national treasure.