Heading North to the Grand Canyon (Days 8 and 9)

Doe Mountain Hike and Nate

       “So where are the hikes?” Nate asked as we drove through Sedona.

        I googled some hiking sites and we turned onto Dry Creek Road.  Wow!  The kids wanted to get to the top of one of those mountains and they did!  We chose a trail head that took a steep climb up Doe Mountain.  The kids had their water backpacks and off we went.  The hike up was strenuous and the view was rewarding.  A perfect fit.  I enjoyed photographing the cairns, dead trees and cliffs.  Nate and Gabe spotted the black chinned sparrow, a special sight.

        After hiking and a second stop at the art gallery, back by popular demand, we spent the afternoon at our camper.

Saturday marked our last leg as we journeyed toward the Grand Canyon.  We made 2 pit stops in Flagstaff.  I got a henna tattoo (as has become my tradition) and Gabe and Luke discovered that they love Vanilla Chai.  After our walking tour of the historic district we headed to Lowell Observatory.

        Begun in the late 1800’s by Percival Lowell, this site is home to the discovery of the Red Shift (the expanding universe), and the dwarf-planet Pluto.  The “P” and “L” standing for Percival Lowell.

        We enjoyed our guided tour of the grounds.  Everyone liked learning about how the enormous telescope worked, with no electricity and a handful of undersized scientists to move its massive frame into position.  The dome that houses the beast was built by bicycle mechanics from flagstaff (then a town of 200 people).  The lens of the finder’s scope is protected by a pan stolen from the kitchen of Mrs. Lowell.  She was furious and refused to bake a pie until her husband replaced it.  His diary notes that this was the hardest two weeks of his life.  The trials were worth it though as his wife’s pan ended a string of nebula discoveries that turned out to be dust.

        Two more hours north and a brief battle with our camper’s potty later, we arrived at Grand Canyon National Park.  We stopped at the park airport before entering and made reservations for a Helicopter tour for the next day, then we settled into our campsite (1/2 mile) from the rim and raced through dinner in order to join the masses for sunset.

        The goal was to arrive by 7:00 and choose our spot for the big moment.  It was only a mile walk to the coveted Yavapai point with its great westerly view, but our progress was slow.  There was so much to see on the way, mostly birds and canyons.  When we finally found our rock we made it home for the next hour.  

        People were swarming to the area, each staking their claim and setting up tripods or steadying their iPhones.  We had hundreds of pictures by the time that we got back to our camper.  Who walks to see a sunset and doesn’t take a flashlight?  It was a pretty dark walk.

        On Sunday morning we headed for historic Grand Canyon Village.  We enjoyed fine dining at the El Tovar, an old hotel on the rim and then sought out the Kolb Studio.  It was on our list as soon as we learned that it was built in the early 1900’s by a pair of brothers from Pittsburgh.  They were photographers of the most daring nature.  Gabe enjoyed seeing them lower themselves through crevices with their old-fashioned cameras, which he said looked like accordions.  

GC at sunset

        The older of the two brothers arrived in the Grand Canyon on one of the first trains to the area with only 2 dollars in his pocket.  When he was joined by the younger brother, they bought a small photo shop near Flagstaff and began selling their amazing black and whites.  The beauty of their home, which hugs the southern rim, is tribute to their successes.

        By 4:00 we were ready to be belted into our helicopter, life jackets and all.  The unexpected news that the cost was four times what we were expecting caused an initial shock.  Luke decided that he would make it all worth it by creating a video memory of the event.  I am so excited to see his work.

Maverick Helicopters, Grand Canyon

        We shared our ride with three other people, whose flight would have been cancelled if we had backed out.  Two were from New Zealand and one from England.  Our Pilot, Matt, was great and narrated throughout our journey.  The most amazing moment is when you are flying over the Ponderosa pine forest and all of the sudden the ground falls away, dropping a full mile to the bottom of the canyon.  It was better than a roller coaster and all onboard were yelling with excitement.

        Another amazing site from the air was the Confluence.  The Little Colorado River, which I am following even as I write, joins the Colorado River and the difference in water color is incredible.  Due to the Calcium Carbonate in the rocks, the Little Colorado River is bright turquoise and the larger is greenish brown.  The Little Colorado River is the only northern flowing River in the USA.

        We spent our evening photographing a deer and sitting around our picnic table as the sun set.  All were in agreement that we loved camper camping.  The kids said they loved being outside as soon as they stepped out the door.  Gabe mentioned the short walk to the bathroom, two steps from his chair and bed.  As we talked, the air of thankfulness made a good end to an exciting day.