East Entrance and Desert View

4:50 p.m.
We reached Cameron and bought gas, then drove west on Highway 64 between the Little Colorado River Gorge and the Coconino rim of the Coconino Plateau. As we approached the park it became obvious that the smoke we had seen was indeed coming from a forest fire. It was now obvious that there were at least two, the larger one to the north, and a smaller one to the south. My fear was that there would be one on each side of The Canyon, either keeping us from our plans, or smoking up the air so that we had to breathe smoke during our stay.

5:30 p.m.
We entered the east entrance to Grand Canyon National Park. We asked the Ranger at the entrance station about the fires. He said that the large one was indeed on the North Rim, near the Lodge, but that the road was still open and there was no danger to the Lodge area. He told us that the fire was caused by lightning, but it was now a controlled burn. I felt a little better, but was still concerned about the amount of smoke we might have to inhale when we moved around to the north side tomorrow. As long as the wind continues blowing from the west we would probably be okay.

We drove to the Desert View area (elevation 7,438 feet, or 2,267 meters). We were surprised. It had only been a couple of years since we last drove through this area and visited the South Rim. But there is a new parking area, with a new approach. You can no longer drive to Babbitt’s store, which is no longer Babbitt’s store. It seems strange not to see “Babbitt’s Store.” They must have lost their concession.

We walked to the Tower Overlook and Mirek and Hana got their first view of the Grand Canyon. However, the view was obscured some by the smoke and the low angle of the sun. In addition, there were a lot of tourists out on the observation deck.

We then walked through the Tower Gift Shop and up into the highest level of the tower and peered out through the windows. Anne and Hana each left messages in the guest book. Other Czechs had visited earlier in the day.

6:15 p.m.
We left the Desert View area for Grand Canyon Village. We did not stop at the overlooks along the way because of the time and the low angle of the sun. We will try to catch a few on the way out tomorrow morning.

6:56 p.m.
We spotted four mule deer bucks with velvet on their antlers grazing along the side of the road.

Grand Canyon Village

6:57 p.m.
We reached Grand Canyon Village (elevation 6,860 feet or 2,091 meters). There were three female mule deer grazing near the railroad tracks. We found a good parking place right away, right up front, near the entrance to the Bright Angel Lodge. We were able to check in with only one small group ahead of us. Each room cost $72.08 per night.

We went to our rooms in the first building to the west of the main lodge. Our rooms are across the hall from each other (6104 and 6105). We brought our bags into the rooms then walked back along the patio to take a quick look into the Canyon. The Sun was about to set, and we could see the gray plume of smoke billowing up from the forest fire behind the North Rim Lodge. It was an unusual sight.

We then walked to the small restaurant in the Lodge where we have eaten so many times before. After dinner we returned to our rooms by walking out along the rim on the patio. We could still see the amazing glow of the fire mingling with the gray smoke, and in front of that we could see the lights of the Lodge on the north side.

After that we turned in. It was late and we were all tired from the long hot drive. By the time we went to dinner the air temperature had dropped considerably. The high tomorrow is supposed to be about 85 degrees F. At Phantom Ranch, at the bottom of the Canyon, the temperature is supposed to be 104 degrees F.

Our rooms are very nice. Kind of a rustic, cabin-like setting. Very western. There is no air conditioning, but we can open a couple of windows, with screens, if we like, and there is a large fan in the room to keep the air moving. There is lots of space for suitcases, and enough drawers for a whole family to find room if they were staying for several days.

Grand Canyon Village

I got up an hour earlier than necessary. Anne had set the alarm for 6:00 a.m. Utah time, but forgot to delete the other earlier alarm which was set for 5:00 a.m. Oh well. I could have used the extra sleep. We are both very tired. Today will be hectic, but tomorrow will be more laid-back.

We ate breakfast in the Lodge Cafe. After breakfast we walked along the South Rim Trail to Maricopa Point (1.4 miles, or 2.2 km), where we picked up the free shuttle bus. Along the way, in the area of the Trailview Overlook, we saw several large gray squirrels, a couple of turkey vultures, and eight California condors. These were our first Condors. Two of them were sitting on a rock tower not too far from the rim. We could read the ID tag of one of them (#50) without binoculars. The other one’s number was either 23 or 26. It was difficult to read, even with binoculars. The other condors were circling around, riding on the updrafts coming up the canyon. They have distinctive white markings under their wings, and they hold their wings in a different way than the vultures. It was difficult to guess their wing span, but their wing span was at least twice that of a vulture. These guys also had furry looking heads. We determined that they must be immature birds. We’d never seen one before, now we’ve seen eight.

Shuttle to Hermit's Rest

We rode the shuttle to Mohave Point, where we were able to see rafts entering a large rapid down on the Colorado River. Then we took the shuttle to The Abyss, where it was very windy. Then we rode the rest of the way out to Hermit’s Rest. However, we could not spend much time there because we had not checked out, and check out time was 11:00 a.m. We decided that we had better catch the next shuttle back, which would be the one we rode in on, but there would be a ten minute delay before returning to the Village.

So we used the restrooms and looked out over the canyon from the closest view point. When the shuttle was ready to return we jumped on and rode it back to the Village. Of course it moved very slowly, and had two stops to make along the way. When it did get to the Village we made a mad dash for our rooms.

Market Plaza

11:00 a.m.
Mirek and I moved our luggage into the hallway while Anne and Hana went to the front desk to check out. Before we knew it the women were back and everything was fine. We loaded up the Trooper and drove to the Canyon Village Market Place to pick up ice, water, chips, and snacks. We also stopped at the U.S. Post Office there to buy stamps.

11:54 a.m.
We left the Market Plaza and headed east along the canyon rim on Highway 64 toward the Desert View area and the east entrance.

12:05 p.m.
We stopped at an unnamed overlook to take photos of the Canyon.

Grandview Point

12:20 p.m.
We stopped at Grandview Point (elevation 7,399 feet, or 2,256 meters) and walked out to the overlook to take photos. There were quite a few people at this location, and the parking lot was nearly full.

Desert View

We had planned to picnic, but the wind had come up and we decided that it would be unpleasant to attempt a picnic when we had to fight the wind to keep our food from blowing away. It also looked like it might rain. Since Mirek and Hana wanted to stop at Desert View to pick up a t-shirt that they had seen the day before, we decided to eat in the small quick food cafeteria near the Tower.

After eating we walked over to the Tower gift shop where we all purchased few items. On the way back to the Trooper it began to rain lightly. It was windy and, obviously, cloudy.

Heading Out

1:54 p.m.
We got back into the Trooper and headed east on Highway 64 toward Cameron. The dark clouds kept rolling in from the west.

2:30 p.m.
We reached Cameron, Arizona and stopped for gas. Gas was $1.939 per gallon.

Heading north on Highway 89 we ran into strong winds accompanied by blowing sand. At one point I checked the GPS and found that we were about 35 degrees latitude south and 111 degrees longitude west.

3:07 p.m.
We ran into strong rain near The Gap, along the Echo Cliffs, but it let up a short time later. At Bitter Springs we took Alternate 89 north.

Navajo Bridge

4:00 p.m.
We stopped at Navajo Bridge over the Colorado River as it passes through Marble Canyon. Jurisdiction is kind of confusing in this area. I believe the bridge is within the boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park, but Glen Canyon National Recreation Area and Vermillion Cliffs National Monument all come together in this area. We walked out onto the bridge and saw a string of rafts, kayaks, and dories drifting down the river.

4:20 p.m.
We spotted what looked to be another condor flying along the Vermillion Cliffs as we drove west. This is our ninth big bird of this type. We were also passing near the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument.

Vermillion Cliffs and the Kaibab Plateau

4:34 p.m.
We stopped at a scenic overlook as we climbed up to the Kaibab Plateau. The view looked out over the desert below the Vermillion Cliffs, and off to the east toward Navajo Bridge. Across the road I noticed a sandstone monument that had obviously been set there after being moved from some other location. I walked over and saw that it was the commemorative marker for the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition. I believe the dates were 1776 to 1976. I took a couple of photos.

4:55 p.m.
We reached the intersection with Highway 67 at Jacob Lake. Driving south, the sky was becoming darker with clouds, and more threatening.

5:20 p.m.
We spotted about a dozen wild turkey on the side of a hill in a meadow near the road.

North Rim

5:29 p.m.
We entered the north rim area of Grand Canyon National Park. Almost immediately it began to rain. It then hailed so badly that the road became covered and icy. The hail collected along the road and covered the ground enough to give it a white tint. We could also smell smoke from the controlled burn. There were signs along the road that indicated that the Point Imperial and Cape Royal road, and all points branching off from that road, are closed due to the fire. Bummer. That pretty much restricts us to the Lodge area.

There were cars everywhere in the Lodge area. We had to park at the north end of the long parking lot, a long way from the Lodge. It was raining lightly. We walked to the Lodge and were able to get our cabins right away. While Anne and Hana checked in, I made reservations for dinner. The earliest available time was 9:00 p.m.

When we got back to the Trooper we used our walkie-talkies to find a better parking place. I walked along the parked cars and when I found a better spot, closer to our cabins (which were on the north end of the cabin complex) I radioed Anne who drove the Trooper to the new spot.

Our log cabins have two doors, one on the south and one on the north. We shared a bathroom, which was situated between the two rooms. The bathroom had its own door, and each of our rooms had a door. Anne and I were in room 147, on the north end, and Mirek and Hana had room 149, obviously, on the south. Our room has two single beds, while their room has one double and one single. Their room has a desk and a phone, while our room has a sink and a round table. Each room has two large windows with screens. The cabin is on the edge of the cluster of cabins, so our western windows open onto the forest and the edge of a side canyon.

In the evening we walked through the Lodge and out onto the patio where we could see the lights of Grand Canyon Village on the south side, where we had stood the night before looking this way. There were flashes of lightning on the horizon, which gave the scene almost as eerie and effect as the glow of the forest fire the night before.

We slept in and are shooting for going to breakfast at 8:00 a.m. The expected high today is 80 degrees F., and sunny.

The Lodge

8:00 a.m.
We had breakfast at the Lodge, in the dinning room. They set us at a table for four right near the windows so that we had a great view of the Canyon and the morning sun playing across the ridges. We wanted to make sure that Mirek and Hana had at least one meal in the Lodge, because its log structure is so interesting and amazing and the views are so exciting.

After breakfast we walked around the Lodge a bit, then out onto the patio to look over the edge. We then walked to the post office where Hana mailed her postcards. We then looked around in the gift shop, bought several t-shirts, and other items.

Laundry

9:00 a.m.
We decided to do the laundry first, before we hike into the Canyon. The sky is clear blue and the air is cool. We drove to the laundromat near the General Store and while Anne and Hana started the laundry Mirek and I walked to the General Store to get quarters for the machines. It took 1.5 hours to do the laundry, but it didn’t seem that long.

We drove back to the rooms and changed to go hiking into the canyon. But when we got to the trailhead there were no parking spots available. We had to drive back to the laundry to park and walked along the bridal trail to the trailhead. That probably added an extra half-mile to our day’s hike. Along the way we spotted a young female mule deer just off the trail. She didn’t seem too concerned about our presence.

North Kaibab Trail to the Supai Tunnel

The North Kaibab Trail going down from the North Rim is rocky and broken by the hooves of the mules. The trail also seems to be covered in more mule dung and urine than I remember from previous hikes along this route. There was some wind, but the air was warm, especially when we were in the sun. We walked down to Supai Tunnel (1.7 miles one-way). There is a set of composting restrooms down there, and drinking water. It is the spot where the mules from the North Rim turn around to head back up.

We walked to a point just through the tunnel. We took a few photos and returned to the north side and had a quick snack break then headed back up. As expected, the going up was tougher than the going down, but not really that bad. We saw squirrels along the way, and two mule trains coming down. We also met a 78 year old man who has walked across the canyon 25 times, but is on his first rim-to-rim-to-rim hike.

There were many day hikers, a few backpackers, and some tourists along the trail. At the trailhead we were interviewed by a woman who is working for the park. She asked us questions about our hiking habits and the trail.

We drove back to the main parking area where we had a hard time, once again, finding a place to park. We gathered our things, cleaned up and changed our clothes, then returned to the Trooper and had a picnic on a blanket nearby, along the rim.

Picnic

3:00 p.m.
The picnic went well but for a large camper. The owners had left their diesel engine running. And, of course, the noise and fumes drifted our way, spoiling the quiet and fresh air. The owners weren’t even around. Eventually they came back and let their four dogs out to poop and then put them back in and left the engine running and walked off again.

Lodge Patio

After we put our things away we walked to the Lodge patio on the east side and found a bench where the four of us could sit and watch the Sun go down across the canyon. This normally would have been a peaceful experience, but there had been a wedding at the Lodge and another group of cross-canyon hikers was there from Phoenix. Between the two groups there was an exceptional amount of noise and loud talking, especially once they all got to drinking. There was just too much noise to make it relaxing, and the group from Phoenix didn’t seem to care that the rest of us were there to enjoy some peace and relaxation.

We did see a small chipmunk on the patio wall a couple of times. And the view was spectacular, of course.

Anne and I left Mirek and Hana for a short while, at one point, to go to the Visitor Center. We wanted to talk to the rangers about the condors, to make sure we were right about our sightings. The woman behind the counter confirmed our information, and mentioned that number 50 had been sighted on this side of the canyon earlier today. She gave us a brochure that talks more about the birds.

7:00 p.m.
After the sun set on the canyon we walked back to the rooms and turned in for the night.

The day had turned out to be clear and warm, with some occasional breezes. We noticed that gas is $2.43 per gallon at the park gas station. It’s a good thing we don’t need gas.

Heading North

7:40 a.m.
We loaded up the Trooper, then walked over to the Rough Riders Saloon for breakfast. The Saloon opened at 6:00 a.m. They serve coffee and juices and fresh rolls and a few other Continental breakfast type items.

After we ate we checked out at the Lodge. Then we walked along the patio one last time to catch the morning view. The morning sky was clear and the air was cool. There was no breeze. On the way out, near the campground area, we finally spotted a black and white Kaibab squirrel.

On the drive between the Park and Jacob Lake, along Highway 67, we spotted several female mule deer and wild turkeys in the big meadows. A nice end to our stay in the Grand Canyon.