What better to do with a two day weekend than go camping at Fence Point for free. Just before heading out of the park we saw a herd of beefalo.
The slow drive through the Kaibab National Forest took a couple of hours.
And ended at Fence Point.
Just one of the awesome western Grand Canyon rim points along the Rainbow Rim trail.
Camping gear was hauled no more than 1/4 mile from the parking area in a couple trips to the free campsite along the canyon rim.
To enjoy this view.
Ancient junipers and pinyons surrounded the campsite.
Mostly I just sat and absorbed the canyon. Thinking about the sedimentary layers deposited millions of years ago by environments of sea, delta, dune and beach that seem so alien today. Then later uplifted and exposed to continuous erosion. (OK, I also dreamed of looking up at these formations from the Colorado River next month. I’m a geonerd, what can I say.)
I could sit for hours watching the light and shadows change on the canyon walls.
As the sun slowly westers leaving the canyon in depths of shadow.
And last light turns the world a rosy hue.
In the morning, it looks like a different place. Time to pack.
Then drive back through the forest.
Stopping to smell the lupines along the way.
And finally head towards town to buy groceries for another day.
Joan and I left Wagendrift Nature Reserve and continued into the Drakensberg Mountains, meaning Dragon Mountains and locally called The ‘Bergs.
We drove to the end of the road to camp at Monks Cowl located in the Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park.
Absolutely surrounded by green covered sandstone steps topped by basalt cliffs.
These are the highest mountains in South Africa reaching heights of 11420 ft (3482 m).
Monks Cowl would be the starting point for an overnight backpacking trip with guide John, son of Jo from memorable meanders.
Yet it would be a couple of days before the overnighter so Joan and I enjoyed camp and hiked to Sterkspruit Falls.
Our neighbors had a visitor who watched us closely hoping for handouts.