Sure is Grand: Stop 3 - Grand Canyon National Park

And the road trip continued...

Our Grand Canyon portion of the trip started out with a slight mistake, which we didn't realize until later. Now, it wasn't a big mistake, and it ended up working in our favor, but just for future reference, there is an EAST entrance and a SOUTH entrance to the Grand Canyon. If you are staying at the Mather campgrounds, the South entrance is closer to your site...so take the East entrance only if you want a scenic route with no bathroom stops or if you want to see the Desert View Watchtower.

This turned out to be quite pleasant - a short escape from the heat as well as a walk down memory lane for me, as I had visited that tower with my parents 8 years earlier on our visit.

The views from the watchtower were pretty good...

After our stop at the watchtower, we finally realized our mistake with the entrances, so we kept trekking in our car towards our campground. Once we set up the tent (for the last time this trip!), we went to lunch at Bright Angel Lodge. (The parking gods were totally in our favor at Grand Canyon!) We also perused the gift shop, bought a few items, and wandered around the rim a bit. (We were on the South Rim, aka "tourist", side.) We found our way to another visitor center, where I picked up a magazine celebrating the Grand Canyon's centennial - it was established as a National Park in 1919 (as was Zion). I couldn't tell if the magazine was for sale, as there was no price tag, so I looked around to ask a clerk (but she was busy) and ultimately decided it must be free because it was sitting next to a Jr Ranger connect-the-dot coloring page (also free), so I put it in my bag. It became a running joke that I stole it, but I verified that the magazine was, indeed, free when I located it later in the main visitor center at multiple ranger stations. Phew.

In the magazine, I came across this poem, and it really struck a chord, so I took a picture of it and am posting it here, as it might touch your heart as well:

me with the "stolen" magazine

It was getting on towards 4pm, so that was when we decided to go to Mass. You can read about El Cristo Rey Chapel and the experience HERE. (Fun fact! - Grand Canyon is one of only two national parks with a Catholic chapel within its boundaries; the other one is in the Grand Tetons, which we visited last year but weren't there for a Sunday Mass.)

We grabbed a spot in the shade at Yavapai Tavern (located right next to Yavapai Lodge) for drinks and a light dinner. (My sunset mule was delicious!) And then we drove to the visitor center lot to park for the ranger talk (on bats) and sunset at Mather Point. Even though it was crowded and somewhat loud, it was a beautiful spot for sunset. Though, we were bound and determined to find a more secluded & quiet spot the next night...

sunset mule

ranger talk at the amphitheater

sunset @ Mather Point

We had seen stars(!!) at Zion, but we missed out in Bryce due to cloud coverage and some storms, so we were hoping that the Grand Canyon would not disappoint in terms of nighttime viewing, especially since the park was recently designated an IDA: International Dark Sky Park.

So legit.

And we would have had some pretty amazing star-filled night skies...except there was a full moon...which, due to the brightness it gives off makes it much harder to see the stars. Go figure.

Note to selves: try to plan future road trips around times when there are not full moons when possible.

Fast forward to the next day, when we were up early again for sunrise. We hit up Mather Point again (as that was the recommendation) - crowded (again), yet stunning.

And then it was time to hit the trail...well, at least part of it (roughly 4 miles round trip). 

Bright Angel Trail is one of the Grand Canyon's iconic hikes, and, when done in completion, leads about 9 miles down and into the canyon to the Colorado River. For those hikers who do the Rim to Rim Trail, they often end up coming up Bright Angel on their final stretch. (We met a few of those; my hat off to them, especially in the heat!)

Even though we were early to the trail, when the sun started eliminating the shade from the canyon walls, it got hot fast. But don't just take my word for it; there was an objective way to tell too: mule poop. Probably less than 30 minutes before we got to the start of the trail, a guided mule ride tour had passed through the trail...and the poop was already hardening by the time we reached it. (Talk about dry heat.) It was hard to watch your footing for both rocks and mule poop, but we managed, and the views were spectacular.

We finished up our hike right around 10 am, which put us right at the tail end of breakfast at El Tovar. What a neat place! First, it was pretty much empty. Second, they had classical music playing lightly in the background. Third, the service was superb - prompt and friendly. And fourth, the food was delicious! I had the meat quiche of the day and coffee, and boy did it hit the spot.

photo taken from the menu's front page

Nearing noon, we decided we couldn't really do anything outside, so we opted for showers ($2.50 for 5 minutes) and laundry. As a note to my fellow campers, it is a good life choice to do laundry before heading home from travels, as it is much more pleasant and easy to pack clean clothes than dirty ones. It was a good life choice, for sure. And then we were off for an early/"senior citizen" dinner for us yet again, especially since it was starting to storm outside - this time we were back at Bright Angel Lodge. We had to get a drink at the cocktail lounge first, as the restaurant didn't open until 4:30.

It was then nearing time for sunset, so we decided to try a spot by the geology museum this time around. Though still somewhat crowded, it was an overall better experience. A group of au pairs ended up sitting near/in front of us and eating pizza, so we got to chatting a bit. They were from Germany, Austria, and South Africa. For some, this was their first trip to America. A handful were headed home after a few more stops in the Southwest, but others from the group were going on vacation with their respective American host families. They were quite a delightful bunch!

some of the au pairs

Once the sun's glow left the sky, we got back in the car and drove over to the lodge for drinks and nachos. We sat right by a fire pit, and the place was hopping with folks of all ages and backgrounds. It was the perfect spot to relax.

We decided to skip sunrise the next morning, but we did still head out early for a ranger-led hike on the South Kaibab Trail. We made it down with the group to Cedar Ridge and then back up again on our own, for the group dispersed at the stopping point for photo ops, etc. I love the ranger-led hikes because we get to stop from time to time for information and fun facts! It was another hot day, but the hike was, once again, worth it!

me and Teddy Roosevelt Butte

one of the lookout points

After brunch at El Tovar (What can I say? We loved that spot.), we made our way out of the park toward Antelope Canyon for our day trip. (With so many pictures of that place + Horseshoe Bend, I decided to dedicate a whole post to it, so stay tuned.) It was pretty phenomenal - for now, I'll leave it at that.

The next morning we had breakfast at Yavapai Lodge, made a quick stop at the post office (for my postcard stamps!), and rented bikes for an hour. (We got lost, but we ultimately made it back in the time limit, so all's well that ends well.) And then it was time to set our sights on Vegas (for one more night) and our trip home.

Thank you, Grand Canyon, for your sights and hospitality. You were the perfect end to our trip. 100 years - wow!

Be Still My Heart (Stop 1: Zion)

I think I found my new favorite National Park.

Be still my heart.

While there were more people visiting than would normally be to my liking, we found many ways to strategically avoid the crowds (and heat). Go us! When we got to Zion, we checked in at our campsite, set up the tent & sleeping bags, had dinner in town at Amigos Mexican restaurant, and then watched sunset at Watchman/the bridge.

As you may or may not know, I am a sunrise, sunset, and star-chaser. But Zion isn't really known for its sunrises or sunsets, and I think that's mainly because it's situated within a valley of sorts - in fact, one of the rangers at the visitor center suggested going outside of the park to view both. Still, we actually had some really good sunsets right at/near our campsite:

South Campground

The Watchman

And the hiking did not disappoint. On our first full day, we did the Narrows. (We opted for this because there can be chances for flash floods, which prevents visitors from hiking the Virgin River, and on our first day we were in the clear.) I had read in the guidebook that you can beat the crowds at the Narrows by going early, as many people opt for the afternoon. (It turns out that the river is a great place to cool down and combat the heat!) So we got on one of the first tour buses of the day. (Many on our bus got off at Stop 6 (Angels Landing), which is another one to do early - we did this our last full day there.) All the way to the final stop (#9) we went. There were several other folks and groups around us, but we got to experience some wonderful serenity while being relatively people-free...until our way back near the very beginning. We got back around 1pm - it's a long hike, and can be even longer depending on how far you choose to go; we made it nearly to the Hanging Gardens.

It was definitely on the cooler side, but hiking against the current was hard work! At some points, the water was up to our waist and mid-chest. And, believe it or not, I found that going with the current on the way back was even harder in terms of keeping my balance because the rocks on the bottom are super slippery (and some are bigger than others, which you can't tell!). I definitely fell in 2-3 times (only up to my shoulders - I managed to keep my head dry!) and got a few bruises/scrapes. I consider them my battle scars. ;) It was such a unique and wonderful experience - the Narrows was my favorite hike of the trip! After that, no other hike really had a chance...

As you can imagine, the Narrows left us quite worn out, so we went back for lunch in the park at the "fast food" joint at the Lodge and then relaxed/napped at the campsite. It was still hot when we wanted to get moving again, so we went to the visitor's center for a quick stop (and so my friend could stamp her NP passport) before taking the shuttle (God bless the shuttle system in Zion! It's actually required in the summer/busy months when they restrict private car access past shuttle stop 5) into Spring Lake, the neighboring town, for dinner at a cute place called Bit & Spur. It was definitely a full day, but we had a little bit of daylight left, so we headed back to our campsite for wine and some card games. I learned how to play Mille Bornes!

The next morning, my friends slept in (and by sleeping in I mean like 7am) while I walked the perimeter of the campsite. We took the shuttle into town again for breakfast and coffee(!) at Meme's Cafe and then planned out our morning. We ended up doing a series of shorter hikes: Weeping Rock, Grotto Trail (linking Angels Landing trailhead with Zion Lodge), and the Lower Emerald Pools Trail. (Sadly, the Middle & Upper Emerald Pools Trails were closed due to recent rockfall.) While at the Lodge we had ice cream and checked out the gift shop.

It was time to beat the heat yet again, so we got in our rental car and headed up the Zion-Mt Carmel scenic drive. We ended up doing the Canyon Overlook hike, which turned out to be pretty neat. We really weren't expecting to enjoy it so much!

Checkerboard Mesa

After the hike we were back in the car and driving the scenic path back to our campsite.

Shower-less for over 2 days, it was time to pay up ($4 for 4 minutes) and get clean - the showers were right outside the park. YES!!!!! It felt so good. One friend needed to charge her phone with the outlet in the shower area, so my other friend and I headed to the brewery, which was right outside the park too. Our friend soon joined us, and we ended up just doing dinner at the brewery, as we were running tight on time to make the ranger talk at 8pm: "Canine and Feeling Fine." (It was about coyotes, and it was quite entertaining - Ranger Kyle was great and full of humor.)

And, we saw stars! Absolutely breathtaking and incredible. So, so wonderful.

(full) Day 3: Angels Landing. This was it. This is considered THE HIKE at Zion, especially if you make it all the way to the top. We got up super early this day to make the first shuttle bus. Success! The hike starts off with some steep switchbacks (so I'm glad we decided to bring the hiking poles)...

view looking back at how we came up

We hiked our way to the spot where we were .5 miles from the very top. This is where there was a bathroom and where I stowed my hiking poles (which I had read about doing on a blog). Onward!

Now, .5 miles may not seem like a lot, but that half mile turned out to be pretty long and strenuous. My two friends started with me but ended up turning back and waiting till I came back down due to some moderate fear of heights and the fact that you needed to use chains to pull yourself up at some points. So, I was on my own. I scrambled up pretty fast, surprising even myself. (Though, admittedly, I felt sore in my legs and arms for the following 2 days.) And I made it to the top! It was so invigorating, and I felt truly alive. Highly recommend that one, even with the steep drop-offs. (Just be smart!)

Yes, it was worth it - I soaked it in for a little bit before turning around. But going down was actually harder, as there were other hikers coming up the narrow path with the chains, so it was a game of stop and go (and, when possible, moving to the side) to allow for passing both ways. Amazing! Heading down the switchbacks with my friends was much easier than going up, and we soon found ourselves at the bottom and on the bus back to the Lodge, which was just one stop up. We ate there - it turned out to be the tail end of the breakfast buffet - and then headed to the museum to watch the 22 minute orientation video (which all of the parks have).

We then decided to make the drive to Kolob Canyons, which is the northwest-most part of the park. In fact, we had to exit the park and re-enter to get there. There was some construction on the driving path up, so we had to wait for a vehicle to lead us, but we made it, did a short hike (Timber Trail Overlook), took in some more scenery, and then headed back for showers and dinner (at the Brew pub again). More wine and games happened before we turned in - we needed to get up early (yet again) to drop our friend off at the shuttle back to Las Vegas, for this was where her time with us ended. (She needed to fly out to a Baptism, where she was the godmother.) So, the next morning, once we dropped her off, my other friend and I hit the road for Bryce, aiming to get there early so we could get a campsite (which was first come, first served).

But this is quite enough for one post...so Bryce will just have to wait for another entry...

Funny how paths cross (A.K.A. Glacier Post 1.5)

(Note: There's no requirement or necessity to read my original Glacier post before reading this one, but in case you missed it, you can find it HERE.)

Good thing we double checked the park newspaper. It was then that we discovered the three falls ranger-led hike would only be offered on the Friday (not Saturday) of our stay. The original plan was to do the horseback riding on Friday and to do some other hikes, but we reversed the plans because the ranger-led hike was something we didn't want to miss.

And I'm glad we didn't miss it. Not only was the hike incredibly scenic and breathtakingly beautiful, but it was on that hike that we met Glenda and John. It wasn't friendship at first glance...but it was close. (Actually, I was convinced John was going to impale me with his hiking pole within the first 15 minutes, as he was carrying it instead of using it as it was meant to be used.) By the end of the hike (on which we had several long conversations with both of them - such delightful people!), they had invited us to dinner at their campsite, and we accepted. We were thrilled - we had plans for the evening, these new friends seemed great, and we did not need to eat at the restaurant for the Xth meal in a row.

The rain did not dull our spirits...and it helped that they had a canopy under which we ate. They also invited another camping neighbor who had helped them put up the canopy, so we were a party of five. We got there a little early, so Glenda and John were still preparing the meal when we arrived. But we helped as we were able - cutting up the salad, opening and closing the "door" so the mosquitoes would stay out, etc. As we were getting ready to pray before the meal (love!), John accidentally hit the skillet with the fajita meat in it and sent it tumbling to the dirt. With his hands to his head, he was visibly upset. We assured him we could rescue some of it (and we did) - a little dirt wouldn't hurt anyone. (And there was plenty of other food too - fettucine alfredo, yam and marshmallow skillet/casserole, salad...) All was not lost. So, after the food rescue operation, we prayed, sat, and ate.

We got to talking about a lot of things, but eventually we got around to talking about bears. John's wife asked him if he showed us his scar, to which he responded he had hoped not to go into that story...but then he did anyways...

When I was in my twenties, I went to camp with some friends. We were staying at this set of cabins along with 10 & 11 year old boys. There was a mess hall and distinct places to clean food, store toiletries, etc. Well, no one told me that your toiletries weren't supposed to have any kind of odor because it might attract animals...and I had aftershave that definitely had a distinct smell.

Well, that night, we heard a lot of rustling. A bear had torn into the space where the toiletries were and had run off with a bag...it turned out to be mine. We decided to split up and go looking for the bear. I took my flashlight and went in one direction while my friends went in others. Soon, I found the bear, and it was holding my toiletry bag. He saw me and started coming after me. I ran, and just as the bear reached out to get me, my friends heard the noise and came to my rescue, pulling me away and out of the bear's reach...except for this one part where he got me (he said, pointing to the scar).

At this point of the story, the other camper neighbor asked him how many stitches he got, to which he replied "too many." But then, he paused and said, "You don't believe me, do you?" to which we assured him that we did.

98% of what I told you was true. The bear did get into our camp and took my toiletry bag...but he dropped it and we never found the bear. 

Boy, had he gotten us good! Apparently the scar was from some cortisone treatment for something with his kidneys, not from being scratched by a bear. As John was finishing up the truthful ending, the ranger came by to let us know that the campfire ranger talk would start in about 15 minutes barring lightning. The topic? Grizzly bears. (Great.)

When it was time to go, we realized we'd been sitting around eating, laughing, and talking for about 2.5 hours. And that was probably one of my favorite parts of the whole road trip. Getting to know people like that in a place where everyone is strangers was a special thing. (We even exchanged contact info so we could stay in touch in the future.)

I always marvel at how I cross paths with some pretty amazing people, whether they become lifelong friends, classmates, or people I meet for a day or even an hour. Everybody has a story...we just need to stop our overly busy lives from time to time to listen and engage in fellowship.

Postcard Vacation

It started with a postcard...on a fifth grader's locker...of the Grand Teton National Park.

As soon as I saw it, I knew that was where I wanted to go...so I did. This year's road trip (3rd year running) with my friend was this past week and a half out west to the Tetons, Glacier, and Banff (with a few stops in between).

There are a ton of photos - nearly every time I turned around I was amazed even more by nature's beauty. (God is so good.) So I'll split them up into several posts. Let's start with the Tetons (where we camped for two days after staying in Wall, SD for a night):

This was our view driving into the park to our campsite.

Naturally we got out to snap a few photos.

We visited our campsite's visitor center after we pitched the tent.

It was so peaceful out back!

We found a good spot by the lake to sit and watch the sunset.

Apparently it's hard to see the person in the photo when the sunset is behind you...

Camping chairs for the win!

It was cloudy/overcast every day.

But the views were still breathtaking.

And it sure was cold!

On our first day we took a guided hike with a ranger and group of visitors.

  

Later that afternoon, we hiked the Phelps Lake trail. We actually ended up seeing a black bear, but with the help of a ranger (I like to think it was divine intervention), we made it past the bear and finished the trail before sunset. What a day!

Sunrise over the lake  - chilly but worth it to stand on the dock!

And then, of course, coffee! We found some every day, no worries.

On our final morning we hiked to Hidden Falls.

We stopped a few times to take in the view (and snap some photos).

At the top it was easy to see why it's such a popular trail... (We even ran into the ranger who helped us the previous evening!)

I think it's safe to say we were the most active in the Tetons, even though it rained/was misty and overcast every day. The park did not disappoint. And we were just getting started...next it was off to Glacier (via a drive through Yellowstone, a side trip to Idaho (new state!), and a stay in real beds in Helena (what a good decision to break up the camping on the hard ground...)), but that's all for another day.