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Category: Kaibab National Forest

The Big and Small at North Canyon – Kaibab National Forest


On my last days off I took a drive into the Kaibab National Forest and headed to Marble View. Unfortunately the last .25 mile becomes very narrow with low branches so I set up camp overlooking a finger of North Canyon.

The sky continued to boil and brew but the storm kept skirting around me towards the west.

It’s like the weather really couldn’t decide what to do. Yet even with all this cloud cover I sunburned my back.

Desert Paintbrush about 3 inches tall
This open patch of ground on the rim is much like tundra in that the plants grow very small. There’s not much depth of soil over this broken up limestone.

Hairy Golden Aster

Wrinkled Grasshopper (yes that’s what it’s called)
I had my nose down low to the ground searching for fossils and saw this creature blending in with the rocks.

Fossil hunting
Some fellow Rangers showed up unexpectedly and also assumed the fossil hunting position.

This strange bug I can’t identify showed up on one of their hats.

taken at 6:18pm
As the sun began to set the wind increased. Can you tell which way it blows by the tree on the right? Another reason for the small plants.

taken at 7:09pm
Here you can also see smoke low on the horizon from a prescribed burn near Dry Park to the west. I’m sure the rising heat had some effect on the clouds, but that’s not smoke high in the sky. The burn was almost out by the next day from rain.

taken at 8:09pm
As the storm blew in over me the temperature dropped and a little rain fell.

The wind rocked the camper but I was snug.

House Rock Valley and Marble Canyon
In the morning I walked out to Marble View at the very end of the narrow road. I might try to drive out there next time to camp. Yet I liked the western sunset view where I was. And I had the place to myself.  Check out the fossils I found here.
Arizona, Kaibab National Forest 9 Comments

A drive in Kaibab National Forest

Highway 67 north leaving Grand Canyon National Park
The sky changed at every turn.

Forest Road 610 heading east
Left the park and entered the forest.

My how the dust flies.

Which way did I go?

The forest closes in as the road narrows.

Deer Vetch
Saw so many flowers.

Geranium (I think) and Roses
If anyone can identify the above white flower let me know. (Thanks)

Columbine

Ponderosa Pine
The forest reveals many kinds of unusual growth.

Unknown mushrooms
This snag provides a home for many ants. Enlarge to see the sawdust pile at the bottom.

A small pond appears where the limestone creates a sink. Many birds that I couldn’t get close enough to photo.

And I picked up a hitchhiker somewhere along the journey.

Hope you’ll come back tomorrow for more of this adventure and see which way I did go. I only drove about 12 miles, yet it took me almost two hours with all the stops for pics along the way.

Arizona, flowers, Kaibab National Forest 11 Comments

Sky Watch Friday – Grand Canyon National Park

View south from Fire Point
The sky was clear when I left my RV home on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park  and drove north into the adjacent Kaibab National Forest to explore a side road leading to Fire Point. Many awesome canyon views are located in the forest where you can also camp for free.

Forest Road
I continued to watch the sky and didn’t stay long. During summer monsoon season it’s a good idea not be caught unaware. Dry creeks flood in an instant carrying water—and anything else in the way—over the canyon’s rim creating waterfalls that you’d never expect. Hard packed gravel roads can become a mud wrestler’s dream in moments. And there are no phone bars.

It never did rain that day. The monsoon season can be like that too as the winds blow the clouds away. Sometimes, the air is so dry the falling rain never makes it to the ground, called virga.

Dancing Aspen grove
Yet during the winter snow can build up to 15 feet which often bends the trunks of young Aspen.

For more great looks at skies from around the world or to share your own go to Sky Watch Friday by clicking here.

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Fire Point, Grand Canyon National Park North Rim, Kaibab National Forest, National Parks and Monuments , , 33 Comments

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