Ooh-Ahh

 Tuesday, October 13, 2020

It was cold again this morning--about 30 degrees!  Jim did a test last night and left a pail of water out, and sure enough, we had ice this morning! But it quickly warmed up and reached 79 by late afternoon.

We woke up expecting to be a bit sore from yesterday's bike ride, but felt pretty good...Some sore shoulders and arms (I think from gripping the handlebars?)   We took off today with a goal of exploring areas of the park we haven't seen.

 We drove the Desert View Trail--heading east for 22 miles from the Visitor Center.   We  used the "gypsy guide" app to guide us through the area.  It a pretty neat app that uses GPS to follow the route, and narrates history and information about the area you are passing through.  We used this app at Moab, and really liked it.  

Duck on a Rock

This section of the park allows cars, and you can just pull off anywhere and peer over the rim.  We stopped at Grandview Point, which is where Hearst built a hotel to compete with El Tovar, the main hotel in Grand Canyon Village.  Unfortunately, the depression hit, and the Grandview Hotel went down with it.  There are no remnants of the hotel, other than the grand view from the point, including the good view of the river winding through the canyon. 

We were only able to drive as far as Navajo Point.  The rest of the road was closed  due to curfews and lockdowns on the Navajo Nation.  Therefore, we didn't get to go in the Desert View Watchtower; but we were able to see it from a distance.  We learned from our Gypsy guide, the tower was designed by a woman architect Mary Colter, and was built in 1932.  She also designed  Hermits Rest that we saw yesterday, and a few other architectural features in the Canyon.  They say from the Watchtower you can see across the canyon to the other end!  We'll have to put that on our list for the next visit.  How unusual in that day to have a female architect involved in such high profile projects...you go girl!

The highlight of our day was a hike down the South Kaibab trail.  The trailhead does not allow cars, so we parked on the road and walked the 1/2 mile or so to the trailhead.   This trail goes all the way to the bottom of the canyon and ends up at Phantom Ranch, where the North Kaibab trail begins, and you can follow it to the North Rim of the canyon.  This is the shortest route to get from rim to rim...7 miles on the south trail and 14 miles on the north trail, but takes 2-3 days to hike it!  Driving to the north rim is about 210 miles, almost a 4 hr drive!  We opted for a much shorter hike.  It was steep and narrow, and all downhill, but what a thrill to go down into the canyon where the scenery changes once again. 

 The first milestone was Ooh-Ahh Point!  What a great description of a beautiful vista.

From this viewpoint, we oohed and ahhed at the mule caravan below us.

We decided to continue on to the next milestone, and got about half way there, but stopped when we saw the mule train coming our way.  What a treat to see these beasts, following nose to tail, pick their way along the rocky path and maneuver the switchbacks.  Their saddlebags were loaded with supplies from the camp below.  Ooh-Ahh ---what a sight!  And Ooh-Ahh what a smell!

Check out the video:

Mule Train coming up the trail

After watching them pass by, we decided we should begin our return trip up the canyon.  The hiking guide suggested the hike up is slow and strenuous and may take twice as long as the trip down....they were right!  But after seeing the mules, I told myself--if they can do it, I can do it!

It was neat to see how the view changes from inside the canyon.  We had plenty of opportunity to look, because we stopped multiple times to rest and quit huffing and puffing.  Instead of Ooh-Ahh, it was Gasp-Rasp!

Once we reached the top, there was station to refill your water bottle with water from Canyon springs.

And there was an elk waiting to welcome us back!

Our hike was about 4 miles long, and elevation change was about 1000 ft. down and 1000 ft. up!

We've seen almost every overlook in the park, and have experienced walking, biking and hiking, and have taken in some awe inspiring views during our stay.  It's easy to see why this is one of the Wonders of the World.   It's hard to leave the Grand Canyon, but we decided to pack up early and head on to Scottsdale tomorrow.  

Our Canyon Selfie

As we crawl into bed tonight, I'm sure you'll hear some Oohs and Ahhs (from our aching bones and muscles!)

P.S. Sending wishes for a speedy recovery to brother Greg and Aunt Marie--we're thinking of you.