Grand Canyon Road Trip '21

[jamesdeluxe]

Back in Holbrook by mid morning to set out for the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. Basically you drive through the park stopping for mini hikes around.

While living in New Mexico in the early 90s, my wife and I were hired to translate on a ten-day road trip throughout the southwest for a group of French business people who wanted to ship the mineral zeolite back to France (to help detox agricultural soils poisoned by excessive fertilizer use).

During an off day, we spent a couple hours in the Painted Desert doing a series of mini-hikes, as you mention. While approaching the park exit, there were signs saying that all cars are subject to search to ensure that people aren't stealing the painted rocks, with violators subject to fines and imprisonment. Suddenly, two of them start freaking out and we realize that they'd collected a big pile of rocks in our minivan. We did a u-turn and put them back where they found them, then lectured them that this isn't France and you don't steal shit from national parks. Ugh.

 

[gorgonzola]

Grand Canyon / Antelope Canyon AZ

The weather so far was beautiful, mid/upper 70’s during the days dipping into the 40/50’s at night for some prime sleeping. We hit a few sprinkles en route to the big hole in the ground but that was it. Temps cooled as we arrived at the Grand Canyon, it was in the mid thirties on the mile and a half walk from our site to Mather point catch the sunrise.

After breakfast we all loaded into the RV and after about 2-1/2 hours and a lot stressing about which time zone we were actually in and missing our reservations – Navajo Nation does not follow the rest of AZ – we arrived at lower Antelope Canyon. Even though it was pretty far away, not cheap and kind of short this was one of the highlights of the trip, maybe because I had no real knowledge or expectations. Our excellent Navajo guide navigated us don into the narrow, brilliantly sunlit canyon showing us where the money shots were (literally, Windows paid the Navajo nations billions for the rights for background photos)

Eventually were climbed out and were “born of the earth”

On the way back to the south rim of the Canyon we stopped at Horseshoe Bend. I have a bit of acrophobia and the ledges beyond the railed observation platform was our first real exposure.

 

[gorgonzola]

While living in New Mexico in the early 90s, my wife and I were hired to translate on a ten-day road trip throughout the southwest for a group of French business people who wanted to ship the mineral zeolite back to France (to help detox agricultural soils poisoned by excessive fertilizer use).

During an off day, we spent a couple hours in the Painted Desert doing a series of mini-hikes, as you mention. While approaching the park exit, there were signs saying that all cars are subject to search to ensure that people aren't stealing the painted rocks, with violators subject to fines and imprisonment. Suddenly, two of them start freaking out and we realize that they'd collected a big pile of rocks in our minivan. We did a u-turn and put them back where they found them, then lectured them that this isn't France and you don't steal shit from national parks. Ugh.

Hah I kept telling my son I was going to pat him down and shake him upside down, I was more worried about bringing some bad juju!

 

[jasonwx]

Grand Canyon / Antelope Canyon AZ

The weather so far was beautiful, mid/upper 70’s during the days dipping into the 40/50’s at night for some prime sleeping. We hit a few sprinkles en route to the big hole in the ground but that was it. Temps cooled as we arrived at the Grand Canyon, it was in the mid thirties on the mile and a half walk from our site to Mather point catch the sunrise.
View attachment 10815
View attachment 10816
View attachment 10817

After breakfast we all loaded into the RV and after about 2-1/2 hours and a lot stressing about which time zone we were actually in and missing our reservations – Navajo Nation does not follow the rest of AZ – we arrived at lower Antelope Canyon. Even though it was pretty far away, not cheap and kind of short this was one of the highlights of the trip, maybe because I had no real knowledge or expectations. Our excellent Navajo guide navigated us don into the narrow, brilliantly sunlit canyon showing us where the money shots were (literally, Windows paid the Navajo nations billions for the rights for background photos)
View attachment 10818
View attachment 10819
View attachment 10820
View attachment 10821

Eventually were climbed out and were “born of the earth”
View attachment 10822

On the way back to the south rim of the Canyon we stopped at Horseshoe Bend. I have a bit of acrophobia and the ledges beyond the railed observation platform was our first real exposure.
View attachment 10823

spectacular!!!

 

[Ripitz]

Grand Canyon / Antelope Canyon AZ

The weather so far was beautiful, mid/upper 70’s during the days dipping into the 40/50’s at night for some prime sleeping. We hit a few sprinkles en route to the big hole in the ground but that was it. Temps cooled as we arrived at the Grand Canyon, it was in the mid thirties on the mile and a half walk from our site to Mather point catch the sunrise.
View attachment 10815
View attachment 10816
View attachment 10817

After breakfast we all loaded into the RV and after about 2-1/2 hours and a lot stressing about which time zone we were actually in and missing our reservations – Navajo Nation does not follow the rest of AZ – we arrived at lower Antelope Canyon. Even though it was pretty far away, not cheap and kind of short this was one of the highlights of the trip, maybe because I had no real knowledge or expectations. Our excellent Navajo guide navigated us don into the narrow, brilliantly sunlit canyon showing us where the money shots were (literally, Windows paid the Navajo nations billions for the rights for background photos)
View attachment 10818
View attachment 10819
View attachment 10820
View attachment 10821

Eventually were climbed out and were “born of the earth”
View attachment 10822

On the way back to the south rim of the Canyon we stopped at Horseshoe Bend. I have a bit of acrophobia and the ledges beyond the railed observation platform was our first real exposure.
View attachment 10823

Awesome!!!

 

[gorgonzola]

Grand Canyon

Spent two days biking and hiking around the south rim of the canyon. The views are just incredible, photos just don’t do it justice so I won’t bore with you a ton of selfie vista shots. ok well maybe a few.

Lot’s of these guys (and girls) around

The original plan was to backpack rim to rim but unfortunately we weren’t able to make the only available Indian Gardens site permit with the added wedding stop. My son and I did do a little recon down into the canyon on the South Kaibab trail. Will be back one day to check it off the bucket list…

The next morning we woke up to an inch of snow for the drive out to Sedona.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Clearly you're not there during a peak period but I'm seeing fellow visitors on many of the hiking trails. How many people do you run across on a typical day?

Thanks for the excellent pix.

 

[gorgonzola]

Correct not prime season but a busy weekend - Columbus/ IndyPeeps Holiday and the last weekend before the they shut down the water stations for the winter. The gorgeous weather (until the morning we left) helped too. I couldn't believe how many were out at Mather Point for the sunrise, probably 200 people... On the trail it never felt crowded once you got away from the Village, except maybe at a few of the major vistas.
Edit: More startling than actual number of people were the amount of careless / reckless people doing dumb shit, but maybe I'm a little over aware of the exposure

I plan on returning around the same time of year next time to do the rim to rim.

 

[jasonwx]

Can’t wait for the Sedona installment

 

[Campgottagopee]

Grand Canyon / Antelope Canyon AZ

The weather so far was beautiful, mid/upper 70’s during the days dipping into the 40/50’s at night for some prime sleeping. We hit a few sprinkles en route to the big hole in the ground but that was it. Temps cooled as we arrived at the Grand Canyon, it was in the mid thirties on the mile and a half walk from our site to Mather point catch the sunrise.
View attachment 10815
View attachment 10816
View attachment 10817

After breakfast we all loaded into the RV and after about 2-1/2 hours and a lot stressing about which time zone we were actually in and missing our reservations – Navajo Nation does not follow the rest of AZ – we arrived at lower Antelope Canyon. Even though it was pretty far away, not cheap and kind of short this was one of the highlights of the trip, maybe because I had no real knowledge or expectations. Our excellent Navajo guide navigated us don into the narrow, brilliantly sunlit canyon showing us where the money shots were (literally, Windows paid the Navajo nations billions for the rights for background photos)
View attachment 10818
View attachment 10819
View attachment 10820
View attachment 10821

Eventually were climbed out and were “born of the earth”
View attachment 10822

On the way back to the south rim of the Canyon we stopped at Horseshoe Bend. I have a bit of acrophobia and the ledges beyond the railed observation platform was our first real exposure.
View attachment 10823

WOW!!