Grand canyon - 2/16/11

The left mattress is lopsided
when it's blown all the way up
Grand Canyon pics (lots!!)

My alarm went off at 5 am.  I went out to wake up Tricia, who had given up on the lopsided airbed and gone to sleep on the couch.  I grabbed my things and went into the bathroom, only to discover I'd left my toothpaste in the bedroom.  So I grabbed my hosts' toothpaste.....and immediately proceeded to drop the cap down the drain in the sink.  I was so sad.  I got my tweezers and tried to get it, but eventually only succeeded in dropping it all the way down the pipe.  I gave up and left a post-it on the mirror apologizing and promising to buy a new toothpaste.

Next, Tricia and I packed bags for the day, filling them with fruit, pretzels, cereal, and 7 water bottles (having heard horror stories of people who get dehydrated and die.  In June.  But better safe then sorry).  Then came the great camera search of 2011, as we spent 10 minutes turning the room and the backpacks upside down and inside out looking for my camera.  Just as we were about to give up, we found it hiding under my backpack, and could actually hit the road.

Driving in the dark

First view

We drove in the dark, and by 6:30 we'd reached the gate to Grand Canyon National Park.  Apparently, if you arrive in February before the sun comes up they don't staff the gates, and so we were able to enter for free.  It took another half hour of driving before we found the first pull-off, called "first view".  We parked and wondered around in the woods for a few minutes, unsure of where to go.  Quite suddenly, we came upon the Canyon, and were absolutely awestruck.  I don't think I've ever in my life seen anything so shockingly beautiful.  It was windy, and it was freezing, but we were immediately grateful to be there to see this amazing sight.

Ceremonial dance

For the next few hours we alternately drove and stopped at every pull-off.  Nothing opened until 9, so we passed by several gift shops and information centers.  At one point early in the morning I stopped my car so a mother deer and four little deer could meander across the road.  Tricia tried to snap a picture, but the camera can be a little fickle.  Right after the deer, we stopped to see Tusayan Indian ruins that were 800 years old.  We also saw the kivas - circular rooms - that were used in ceremonies and rituals.  The Tusayan museum was also closed until 9, so we continued on our way.

At 10 we stopped to hear a talk by a park ranger.  It was at the main visitor's center, and we sat in padded chairs in front of the fireplace.  The ranger told us that there are 6-10 falls per year.  They need to be helicoptered out of the canyon afterward.  We learned that the Colorado river that had formed the canyon had been dammed up and no longer was warm or sediment rich as it once had been.  Four of the indigenous fish had gone extinct, leaving four remaining.  New fish had also been introduced, which preyed on the original fish.  At this point the early morning caught up with me and I fell asleep. Tricia woke me up when I started to snore.

Library and free books

We decided that when we wake up before dawn we should definitely have coffee, and found some in a convenience store in the park.  We also had a lukewarm chili cheese dog, but we made up for it by filling our pockets with mustard, honey, relish, crackers, and lemon juice.  It was an exciting score.  Then we found the park library (a normal library for the families that live in the park). Right inside the door was a box of books labeled "free". So, we loaded up, collecting two grammar books and two novels.  I also bought "the time traveler's wife" for 50 cents.  The librarian gave me Grand Canyon quarters as change, which were very cool.



Bright angel trail - too icy!!


We continued making our way west along the south rim, stopping at every sight to take pictures.  We made it all the way to hermit's rest, the last point you can drive to.  We had considered hiking down into the rim at bright angel trail, but it was too icy for our crappy sneakers, and the hike at hermit's rest was for experienced hikers only.  So we kept to the rim and didn't make it down into the canyon.

There are some places that are only accessible by bus, so we hopped on one to go back east and catch the sunset at one of the points we hadn't been able to see by car.  We were the only ones on the bus, and the only ones at the sight watching the sunset.  For most of the day there had been only a very small handful of other tourists, which made the entire day very intimate and personal.  We managed to find the best place for the sunset.  Afterward, we stopped at the other places recommended to us, and couldn't see the horizon to the west at all.  (Tricia got bored waiting for the bus to pick us up in the fading light, and took 50 more pictures before I took the camera away from her again.)

Finally ready to leave the park, we hurried back to our hosts, who had called to say they were making chicken burritos and would keep ours warm.  They were very surprised that we'd stayed the entire day. On the way, we stopped to pick up toothpaste and ice cream, and then enjoyed fabulous burritos.  We watched a movie with our hosts before crashing into bed.  It had been a very long day.  Unroll the lopsided airbed, as we had no intention of waking up with our hosts at 7 and neither of us wanted to sleep in the living room!!