Pack and go to Grand Canyon

Finally, I get to travel, so I packed the camper and left to go to Grand Canyon.  Boondocked on the Kaibab National Forest near Grandview Lookout Tower and explored the eastern end of the South Rim.  It’s a Grand adventure because I’m not all that familiar with this side of the big ditch.

I may not travel on holidays like 4th of July, but that doesn’t stop me from making a plan to go to Grand Canyon this month.  And I like to pack slowly so started off with filling water bottles and loading them into the truck.  Eight gallons will ride on the passenger seat floor and five more inside the camper.  That’s over a week’s worth of water and I can refill in the park.

Another project was to move my hatpin collection from one curtain to another…

…because, I made a new curtain for the camper.  Bought a Pier One lap-blanket at a thrift store that is just the right green (unlike the photo) and size when cut in half.  I don’t sew but a glue gun worked just fine to hold a casing and hem.  Three “C” hooks reinforce the tension rod.  I’m happy with how it turned out.  Nice and heavy to keep out the winter cold and bright morning light.  I know, it’s summer.  But the job had to be done.

In order to go to the Grand Canyon I needed to create and schedule blog posts and videos.  So I spent more than a day at the computer with my assistant staying close by.  She seems to know we’re going to travel.  I packed a few more things but really had to wait until morning for most of the food stuff.

Seen in Valle

Finished packing and hit the road Thursday morning about nine.  Shopping and diesel fuel at $5.53/gallon on the way.  I really wasn’t rushing as I didn’t want to arrive at the park entrance during the busiest time mid-day.

Drove through historic Williams then headed north on SR64.  Took video almost the whole way and will create a Rambling Road Trip for my YouTube channel.

Red Butte

Pulled up to the park entrance at 4pm and after three rigs in front of me I was ready to go to Grand Canyon, but not the main Village area.  Instead I headed east towards Desert View Watchtower.

My first stop to actually see the canyon, Duck on a rock, is just wide parking along the north side of the road.

I also stopped at Grandview Point but didn’t stay long as I wanted to find a boondock camp for the night.

About one mile out of the park on a rather rutted gravel road I entered the Kaibab National Forest, parked at the first obvious camp, and made a 360° video.  I knew this wasn’t going to be a private site so wasn’t surprised when a motorhome arrived and parked nearby.  Sadly, this German family had three tiny yet noisy children.  Thankfully, they pulled out in the morning.

After a late breakfast, I walked the road about 3/4 mile to Grandview Lookout Tower.  Along the way I saw several other nice campsites and thought I would choose one another day.  Bright pink cactus flowers beckoned me into the forest and a cell tower was a total surprise.  No wonder I had a decent signal in camp.

As I approached the parking below the fire tower, four side-by-sides on tour roared up.  Some of the group climbed and others did not.  They didn’t stay long and I had the place to myself.

So I climbed, the first set of stairs.  Even though I am not afraid of heights it’s a little disconcerting to look down through a gridded step.  I tried mostly to look straight ahead.

I stopped at the first landing, fascinated by the lines and patterns of the structure.  Then I climbed the second set of stairs.

Built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1936, the steel Grandview tower is 80 feet tall with a 7×7 foot cab on top that wasn’t currently staffed so I couldn’t get inside.  Yet I decided to climb the third set of steps to get a view above the trees.

The two-room cabin accommodates the fire lookout person.

I could barely see the Walhalla Plateau on the North Rim to the left and that’s Echo Cliff between the trees on the right.  At 40 feet up I could tell this wasn’t going to be an exemplary place to shoot the upcoming full moon, even with clear skies.  So that was far enough for me.

I took a bunch of video but had to hold both rails on the way down.  Maybe I’d come back if I moved camp closer for a chance at sunset, if not the moon.

Nuthatch

The next day after choosing photos to process from the tower, I spent most of the day sitting outside, watching birds, breathing deep the rich smell of a Ponderosa Pine forest, and even a short walk about camp.  A new neighbor came over and we chatted for a while.

The evening ended under an orange glow.

A partly cloudy morning called me to get out and go to Grand Canyon.  So I slowly bounced my way out of the National Forest and back to pavement.  I drove east thinking I’d be at the Desert View Watchtower for sunset.  But there were several overlooks to explore along the way.

Moran Point, named for famous artist Thomas Moran who joined John Wesley Powell in 1873 on an expedition to go to Grand Canyon.  He later used sketches and photographs to paint the 7×12 foot “Chasm of the Colorado” that hangs in Congress to this day.  Sadly, his depiction is not an actual location but a composite of imagination.

Next stop Lipan Point offering some of the most expansive views with the longest perspective of the Colorado River.  To the west can be seen the oldest rock, 1.75 billion years, carved by the river within the inner gorge.

Below, the “S” curves of the Colorado carve through the rare red tilted layers of the 1255-1100 million years old Supergroup.  The lower left sandbar, called Unkar Delta, is where ancient Puebloan people lived and grew crops between 850 to 1200AD.

Looking upstream the river appears around a bend coming from the north, and the Marble Plateau can be seen with Echo Cliffs on the eastern horizon.

I next stopped at Navajo Point mostly for the exceptional view of the stone built Desert View Watchtower, where I planned to be for sunset.

It was hot that afternoon so I found a shady place to park in the oversized vehicle lot for the tower and after a reconnaissance walk to the rim returned to the camper for a nap followed by dinner.

Sunset was Grand, and lasted for about an hour as I stood in awe watching rays beam down highlighting the temples and topography.

Sadly, the first-come first-serve Desert View campground had been full at noon.  I really didn’t want to drive back into the forest after dark.  So, I opted to stay put and figured if anybody came by to kick me out I’d tell them I wasn’t camping but was hoping the clouds would clear so I could photograph the night sky, and then be there for sunrise.  All good reasons to go to Grand Canyon.