Saturday April 17

Took the Hermits Rest Route today at the Grand Canyon.

The West Route is where only shuttle buses are allowed. Now looking above I guess it sez that, doesn't it. We have been out on this side in the past, but again like I said in a prior post the views were much more than I remembered. All breathtaking. Might help the weather was perfect. It's to turn nasty next week so me thinks we hit it just right between storms. 
People gathered at the start point to the West route. 

We got on the second bus heading west at this start point. Sounds busy but the line went fast and in summer I would not care to  guess the wait times for these shuttles. Today only about 10 min between busses.

First stop we could look back at the Village and see where the mule trail goes down. 

A zoom in on the river . We could see some rafts at times going through the rapids. It was, I have been there.  The best thing I have ever done... As a once in a lifetime thing. (I need to find the film slides that were stored years ago and relive that time.) I would do it again if I thought Terry and I could. We shall see. It would be a goal to get in shape for. 

See the NPS guide to rafting the Canyon

The above link has all the info and links to the Commercial River Concessionsrs. 

Onward to the canyon views..

I didn't put a lot of  verbiage in the above post. What is there to say. The views are more than the mind can deal with. And way beyond what can be shown with limited pixels on an internet web site. It has to be experienced. (All pictures posted are below 100K but I have them in the orig. 1.2 Meg version if you want a copy of any shot.) 

I now contemplate... when we were thinking about a return visit to the canyon, I thought why come back as we have been there in the past. "I had been there done that, even floated through it on a raft, and got the T-shirt" so to speak.  But I'm now so glad we did, as this time is different. Might be as with age, my mind has expanded, as with my soul, to try to understand this planet we have known as home for our brief lifetimes, and wonder what it's all about.  We are each, here for less than a snap of our fingers... . If world leaders could just gather here on the edge, and see our petty differences just don't matter. 

We live on a small planet in the vast universe. Why do we not get along. 

We are all just predators, me thinks. We learned at the San Diego Zoo and here in the GC that we saved the California Condor from extinction so it can live a normal life. This is a big deal for the  NPS here in the Canyon. This bird has been on this earth for thousands of years and we saved it. They went from about 22 birds to now over a hundred. 

Why can't we do that to what we want for us humans on our planet. 
 
 
 

Took the Desert View Drive today to the east side of the park. 

When we stopped at Lipan Point I knew I had not been there before.  How could that be, as I thought I had seen it all. You live and learn, me thinks.  This is in my estimation the best view of the canyon. 

Now if you trun to the right the view goes on. 

We came back and stopped at Hopi House in the Main Village rim area where we found a parking spot and didn't have to climb the hill if we had used the bus. I was tired from walking yesterday so we drove a little today. 
Picture from the Hopi House area. 

Terry relaxing at Hopi House right next to El Tovar Hotel. This is where so many come to be housed and dined in style. 
Wonder if they get past this viewing area and see the rest of the park? 

The weather was warm and clear. Just right for sitting out to enjoy the views. 

Terry claims he is getting up early to go see the mules take off with people down Bright Angel Trail at Canyon Village. 
They leave at I think 6:30 AM and if he takes the shuttle bus he we will have to move fast to make a transfer to get there in time. 
He did get up this AM and went to the rim for sunrise, or should we say an after sunrise event. 

He sez he is going to make a (Terry reporting here) post soon with his pictures and thoughts). 
I have been showing him how I do picture manipulation with FastStone Image Viewer, Capture, and Picasa 3)
This is good stuff to use. 
 
 
 

It was time to get our butts to the canyon to see the views. 

We drove to the visitor center to check it out.  We had been here a couple of years ago right after it was built and we still get the feeling it is a little less than what it should be as a world class national park visitor center. 

Nice but me thinks maybe they didn't want to out class the reason we were all here. 
To actually see this world class Canyon.

We left the truck at the visitor center parking lot and hopped on the Blue Line to see what we shall see.
OK this shot is of the Green Line (ours was where I was standing) which goes more east which we shall explore later. We wanted to head back west toward the Village. 
See the maps and things in a prior post below. 

I'm not going into heavy verbage with each picture tonight, as I'm tired from the day. Me thinks there is a reason they let us in on my Senior Pass... To kill us off so they can stop paying SS. Our first day trip and we got a workout.  How many more to come I don't want to to count. Terry just said we need to get up early tomorrow. OMG...

A view from inside the Yavapai Observation Station where you can view the wonder. 

A close-up looking down at the foot bridge and Phantom Ranch from Yavapai point. 

OK here I go, as this view brings back the time I and a group from Iowa many years ago floated all the way through the canyon on a float trip. It was the best thing I have ever done. The memories that brings to mind are some of the best of my life. If you are able it is one of the things in your lifetime you should do.  We started the float trip from Lees Ferry, and our next stop is to camp there after we leave here. Maps later... to be sure...

We got off the bus and struggled up the hill to El Tovar Hotel where I got a shot of Terry looking west to Lookout Studio.  This is a shot of Lookout Studio closer up on the rim.

At a point just west of Lookout Studio. 

At this point which is a good location to view California Condors they say, we stopped and went to the NPS Ranger led talk about them. She informed us of all the facets of how they were brought back from extinction and she did knew about each one of them in the park. We heard which ones are doing well and how they we brought back to their life here at the canyon. This ment more to us as we saw them up close at the San Diego Zoo last week. 

She looks like... I have to do this again, waiting to give her speal, but she got into it and was very personable and did a great job. She was ahead of schedule (so as in the shot was waiting to start) so talked about her tours of duty in the NPS and where she and her husband have worked. 
Special people doing jobs we envy, but not many could do. 

Some who come to the Canyon do use the GC Train and get to see the sights on the rails via the doom car. But you have to stay in Williams and get up early to catch the train and it leaves mid afternoon to go back south.  So if you don't stay here and take a later train you only have a couple of hours to see this wonder and for some it's a once in a lifetime event. So you get off the train, rush up the hill, go to the rim, have an ice cream cone, then go home and think you have seen it all. 

More in the next few days as I hope my post today was just an overview.  We plan to get more involved in this world class destination.  There seems to be more people from other counties than we people of the USA. A world draw and to think what it must cost for them to get here. 
We hope they felt welcome and felt this was as special as they had imagined. By their comments and gestures, which didn't need any translation, we knew they were thrilled with what they were viewing. A good day was had by a varied all encompassing group of people, viewing this wonder. 
 
 
 

A little snow can't stop us from landing at the Grand Canyon.

The snow had melted by the time we reached the entrance gate. 
And with my Senior Pass we got in Free. We did miss our first turn within the park and had to make the rounds to get back to the RV park trough Market Plaza. That was after a little yelling to get things started. But that's normal, don't Ya Think. 
Also good news is the truck is running great again under load pulling the 5er. More power than ever. 

Vince, at the campground registration office at Trailer Village was very friendly and reassigned us to a site with clear skies for our satellite dish. He knew just what I was talking about and said "Sure I can do that" when he came out of the building to greet us.  Took my name in the drive and had my reservation up on the computer when I walked in. Now that's customer service. 
I wrote to Xanterra Parks and Resorts to complement them on their employee. (I mean team member or associate or what ever the PC term is nowdays.) Whatever it is, he does them proud in what me thinks could be a stressful postiion. 

We plan to relax and get acclimated to the 7000 feet and then on Wednesday do some exploring. We are not in vacation rush mode, as we have six nights right here. 
Just so you can get your bearings for future posts, here is a map of the south rim. Terry did take the shuttle to the Market Plaza to look around late in the afternoon. Shuttles run everywhere so no need to drive. Who would want to do that, anyway. Us RVers are more Green than that.

Click on it to get the full .pdf version. 

Now for the links to the GC Home page and all the Maps and Newspapers of the GC from the NPS. 
If you're now curious those should get you and us started. 
 
 

Hanging out in Williams, AZ 

UPDATE: at 7 PM we have a snowstorm going on... WTF
Tad your wish came true. 

First off Terry called the Car Quest parts store and they did have the fuel filter we needed so the day got off to a good start. He got it installed without a problem. We went out for a test drive on AZ HW 73 south of town and to explore the high country. 

We made it to Dogtown lake and campground.

Of course the campground was closed as you can see. Later we tried another Forest Service road but didn't get far. Had to turn around. We were not looking for a campground as we are in a RV park in Williams and have reservations at Trailer Village at the Grand Canyon on Tuesday. 

We would have loved to have been able to dry camp in the Kaibab NF but we know that at this time of year it is still too cold and the Forest Service roads are not ready for boondockers. Even the FS large campgrounds right up close to the GC are still closed till at least May 1. 

Now back at the RV park but still having high winds. At times I wanted to take the Internet dish down, but have not done so as it is rated to withstand 60 MPH winds. Just makes me a little nervious when a gust makes the trailer rock. 

Now thay are calling for AM snow showers as we move to the GC RV park in the morning. The weather is going to improve and we are going to have a great time. I just know it, me thinks. 
 
 

We made it to Williams but it was slow going. Had truck engine trouble...

I had been complaining of loss of power when the truck downshifted going up major hills. You know the ones where the trucks are required to use the left two lanes. Well we were right there with them a couple of times with our 4 way flashers going also. We were losing power.  Then the check engine light came on and I know. We were having engine shutdown to hold it below 2K RPM most likely due to clogged fuel filter. The Duramax is designed to do that with low fuel pressure so to not damage the engine. We stopped and Terry got out and primed the filter to clean it out but to no avail. We limped 15 miles to Williams when having to downshift going up long grades. It ran pretty good when under 2K RPM so we made it and checked into our RV park. There is a Car Quest in town but not open till Monday. Terry always said we should carry an extra filter, but Oh No me sez not us. So we never got an extra one in our travels. Ya know he didn't bring that up today. Very nice of him.

We had this happen a few years ago in Colorado. Did a little research on the internet forums and got advice as to what our problem was at that time.  Next day it did it again and we called ahead and found an auto parts store that would stay open late to help us out with a new filter which Terry replaced in their parking lot on a Sunday afternoon. That took care of all problems.

So this time we had a clue so we needed to get our act together and get this fixed on Monday. That works since we are here in the RV park in Williams waiting for our reservation in the GC Trailer Village RV Park on Tuesday. So if we are lucky the little parts store in Williams will have the filter and we can get back in business. The truck runs fine except under heavy load when it needs extra fuel. 
Now a little background to this story and our problem... It would have helped if we didn't have a full fresh water tank in the 5er. 70 gals. of water weighs how much pulling across northern AZ. No wonder our little trucky, truck was struggling. We hadn't been this route for a few years and forgot about the pull. We had been worried about maybe dry camping out in the desert in CA so had extra water on board. Shame on us. How long have we been doing this and still learning.

Anyway back to the blog... 

We are in Canyon Gateway RV Park.

They offer PassportAmerica discount for four days with a 48 hr advance reservation. 
Nice view overlooking the area. Very friendly to deal with. 

With 90 ft long pull throughs and level. Later when the trees leaf out it will be nice here. 

We went for a drive to look around and pick up few things at the Safeway store. It was a very nice store and filed with good deals.  Nicest Safeway we have been to in a long time. 

The town is nearly empty as this is early for the season. No crowds just the way we like it. 
But you could feel they were getting ready for the tourists and hoping for a good season this year. 
I bet what could be a better place than the south entrance to the Grand Canyon to be recession proof. People on vacation are going to visit the GC no matter what. 

This town has a double draw, Old historic US Route 66 and the Grand Canyon. 
No to mention the GC Train that will take you to the rim and back. 

This is a tourist town and all is geared to, how shall I say, service the people heading to the GC.
The gas prices are very high as you can imagine in a tourist town but the RV parks and others, will give you a coupon for 20 cents a gal. off when you need to fuel up to get out of town. If you stay and spend money you get a break. But if you just stop for gas passing through, you get screwed so to speak.

And yes there is still snow in them there hills.  Tad you didn't see this. 

We are comfy in our home on wheels and Terry is all excited about making chicken noodle soup tonight. I think the weather is to be a little cool for a couple of days and then warm up while we are camped in the Park. We were getting used to the 80s but now that we are at 6700 ft. I guess we need to adjust to the conditions. I'm watching my breathing at this altitude. So far doing good. 
Next week on the rim we are talking about temps 60-70 and lows in the high 20s with partly couldy and clam winds. I think that can work , No I'm sure it will work for us.
 
 

It tends to happen...  I just keep on going and going. 

We left Mary and her little RV park at Desert Center and drove on some rough blacktop roads all the way up to Needles, CA.  I had printed out camping sites at Needles and Kingman but it was only 1:30 PM when we passed Kingman on I-40 so why would we stop so early, me thinks. We did stop at the Pilot truck stop for fuel at the trun off to Lake Havasu City where I had a Wendys #1 and Terry had to have their Chili... as he sez it's good stuff. He said it would take care of his chilli fix for a few days. I just rolled my eyes. He did eat most of my fries don't ya know. We even left a bunch that we didn't eat. 

We kept on going as I had Terry get on his cell phone and Google 411 for other options. 
If you don't know how that free service works check out the link. 

We found a good stop might be at Ash Fork, AZ. 

So we did, and here we are at The Flagstone Capital of the USA.

We landed at a RV park right off the interstate at Ash Fork.  Price was right at $20 

On a drive through town before we landed at the RV park we spotted remnants of how the old Route 66 shaped this town. This was a big stop on that route we could tell from many landmarks in this forgotten burg. 

We found this closed truck stop and if you have been to Quartzsite there is another one just like this one that is also closed. It was a chain, so to speak, me thinks. 

An early Flying J that didn't make it. 

Our next agenda now that we have landed was we needed to see if we could get into Trailer Village RV park at the Grand Canyon. I hadn't made advance reservations as I didn't know when we would get here. And I hate to be on a timetable. As soon as the dish was up and locked on I checked the Xanterra web site and found they were booked-up on Monday but the rest of the week was open. I had been checking every few days and the GCTV campground always has had open sites. But not today it was filled on Monday. So I called Canyon Gateway RV park in Williams so we could get a spot to wait it out till our GC Trailer Village campsite opened up on Tuesday.  That was a challenge as they normally require two days notice to reserve under PassportAmerica. I was lucky to get a site for two days with one day at 1/2 price. Things are looking up now as we have reservations at Williams, AZ for two days (lots to explore right there) at $55 and 6 whole wonderful days at the Grand Canyon for about $215. Me thinks we lucked out big time and now time to relax on a Saturday night and watch a little HBO.  It's only about 20 miles to Williams so we can sleep in, web it, check email and cruise to Williams on our time frame. That's what fulltimers are supposed to do aren't they? 

Terry was really excited about spending time at the Grand Canyon and I didn't want to disappoint.

I think I did good... Got on the phone and net and got us in.

We have been here together before but never staying in the big rig Trailer Village RV campground. 
We tried to stop a couple of years ago but it was full and we had to stay in a RV park just outside the park. We did stay many many years ago in the Mather campgroud in a tent in cold pouring rain and I got very sick from the wet and cold and later Terry got air sick big time, when we took a flight to view it all. 

I have done the big time float trip from Lees Ferry all the way through it, many years ago. Me thinks one of the the best things I have ever done in this life. That was pre Terry, so life just go better after that. I have seen it from below and above and still am looking forward to this and every time we can spend time at this wonder of the planet.

We have seen and camped at the north rim, not at the main toruist site mind you, but at the best site to view it all if you have the guts to get off road. 

This is where you find in the guest book it sez ... Scotty beam me up, it doesn't get any better than this... For that you need to go to the Toroweap/Tuweep Area    or  At the Edge of the Tuweep Wilderness  Now that you are into Tuweep check out this site with a bunch of pictures.

Now that I have listed  the Tuweep info I long to go back to that area. But you can. I hope I gave you a few hints to explore this out of the way point as they say. Now don't tell anyone as we want to keep it pristine ya know. The road to Tuweep is not improved (not fit for RVs) and it was a NPS choice with local input a few years ago to keep it a primitive road to discourage it from becoming a tourest trap. The idea was you had to work to get there. Do a Google Earth on it and you will see why. I kind of got off topic but why not, it's the GC after all. 
This year we are going to be thrilled to camp for 6 days on the south rim and just experience it again, like it was the first time we saw it. 
 
 

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