Welcome to Arizona!
Next stop – The Grand Canyon. Or it was, after a brief detour in Utah to visit the Arches and Canyonlands national parks.
Leaving Steamboat, and not forgetting my sister (who will be joining my journey until I drop her off at my Aunt and Uncle’s in Twentynine Palms, CA), I headed out for one of the longest legs of my cross-country drive: an 11 hour sprint punctuated by a stop in Moab almost exactly halfway to the Grand Canyon.
If you ever happen to be in Utah, Moab is definitely worth a visit. Like many of my stops, I quickly wished I had a bit more time to enjoy the surroundings. And although our stay was brief, my sister and I were amazed by the natural beauty of the Arches National park:
Don’t breathe…
The park is the result of evaporating seas that left behind salt beds and sandstone, and features many fantastic, oddly shaped rock structures. Like the badlands, the environment quickly turns into something nearly alien. More than a few boulders like the one above are seemingly precariously perched around the park. Equally impressive are the natural arches that have formed around the area:
Unfortunately we didn’t have time to do any hiking, and admittedly, the park is a bit on the warm side in the summer. But anyone can drive around many of the rock structures and canyons in the park, stop for a few pictures, and see quite a bit of the incredible sights in about an hour and a half. The arches are famous around the world, and definitely worth the effort for a visit.
But my sister and I were on a time table, and needed to get to our campsite in the Grand Canyon before it was too dark to set up our tent.
We didn’t make it.
Arriving at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon at about 9:30 PM, we reached our campsite far later than we intended. But between our flashlights and a spectacular full moon, we got everything set-up in about thirty minutes, and were ready for the next day.
If you’ve never been to the Grand Canyon, the North Rim and South Rim are very, very different. I didn’t realize this, but it was quite wonderful to discover. The South Rim is where most of the classic pictures and views of the Grand Canyon come from. The North Rim is actually more rugged and less developed – at a naturally higher elevation than the South Rim, it enjoys cooler temperatures in the summer and is covered in Ponderosa pines:
The North Rim has plenty of hiking, and some great spots to view the canyon, but didn’t give us a glimpse of the Colorado river below. That said, it was actually pleasantly cool in the mornings, and not too hot during the day. We hiked the Uncle Jim trail, which wasn’t too terribly difficult, and gave us a great mix of wildlife and beautiful views:
There’s a lizard there – and he’s not happy to see you.
This guy is less concerned.
The view from the ‘end’ of the trail. The Uncle Jim trail a loop, but this is the farthest point from the beginning.
When we weren’t hiking, we relaxed at our campsite in the middle of a very shady wood. We also had a chance to study this fellow:
The Kaibab Squirrel. About the 50%-75% larger than most squirrels you see, I first thought he might be a skunk with his large, odd white tail. They came out mostly at dawn and dusk to search for food.
After our day of hiking and camping, and as our time in the Grand Canyon came to a close, we got a final few shots of the canyon at its most beautiful: sunset.
Would I go back? Absolutely. But I recommend to anyone to take more time than I did. Plan a more involved hike, and maybe a rafting trip. We didn’t get a chance to see the Colorado river, and I’m sure the canyon is even more impressive when you travel between it’s massive walls. Overall, though, it was another fantastic place on an incredible trip.
Next stop… Vegas! See you there!
