TRAVELING TO THE SOUTH RIM OF THE GRAND CANYON

We backtracked North from the Park and headed East and down off the plateau. Next planned stop HAD BEEN a Forest Road near the entrance to the South Rim. It was pretty obvious to me that Carol was ready for a real campground with hookups and people. So we headed to Cameron, AZ to rethink our options.

After descending about two thousand feet we drove along the base of Vermilion Cliffs.

We stopped in Cliff Dwellers, AZ for fuel and noticed a group of people walking around what looked like a dirt parking lot with really big rocks on it. There was a couple under a tarp selling souvenirs and "authentic Native American jewelry". We were on reservation land and had seen dozens of these people so that didn't attract us. But the rocks did.  We were at House Rock Valley, AZ.

The main attraction is a house built on, around and under a huge boulder.

There were other interesting boulders. No explanation of how they got there. That's the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in the background.

This is a second "House Rock"

Inside - - sleeping platforms.

We crossed the Colorado at Lee's Ferry and stopped at Cameron Trading Post to spend the night. It's an interesting place. A small version of Wall Drug.

Here's a picture from 100 years ago.

Over the years it's grown to a huge store, restaurant, hotel, gas station and RV Park. Sort of an RV Park. It's across the street from the complex. Check in is at the hotel front desk. Show them a driver's license, give them $25.00 and they say, "Great. Put this receipt in your front window. Go across the street and find a spot you like." I asked if I should come back and tell them which number spot we were in. They said that it really didn't matter. Because of flash flooding issues, the sewer connections were in concrete raised about 12" above the ground. Unfortunately, my Airstream's sewer outlet is 8" above the ground. I went back across the street and asked what I should do because I had spent my entire business career trying to get it to flow uphill and had never succeeded. They said to find another spot. Back across the highway. There were no spots that would work. If I went the wrong direction into a spot I could hook up to the downhill one but it was for the next spot over. It was empty at 3 in the afternoon but if someone pulled in there I'd be using their sewer connection. BACK across the highway to explain my solution. "No problem. Do whatever you need to. If someone pulls in there they'll see that and just go somewhere else." I've found a new definition of "laid back."

 With boondocking crossed off the list, I had hoped to get space in the Grand Canyon Park campground. Nope. All spots reserved (like a year in advance) and they had not had any cancellations. When I googled for commercial campgrounds I learned that the nearest with space available was 30 miles south of the south gate. We were 30 miles east of the east gate at Cameron. The drive to the south gate is through desert and sagebrush. The drive from Cameron is along the Marble Canyon, which is what the Colorado River canyon is called before it enters the park. Quick decision. BACK across the highway AGAIN.  "Can we stay another night or two?"  "Sure. No problem." Without consulting the computer or even a calendar to see if they had spaces.

Early bedtime. Well, not so early after all the time spent trying to solve sewer challenges.

Tomorrow morning we'll be up and out early to catch those early morning rays.

NEW ADVENTURES ON THE NORTH RIM

We had spent the night in a Walmart parking lot. That is NOT "boondocking."

Also at Devil's Tower, WY. A step closer - no water, sewer or electric - but in a campground with other people. Still not boondocking.

My definition of "Boondocking" is parking for free in the wilderness with no one within 5 miles or more.

I've been wanting to introduce Carol to it and the best opportunity so far was the North Rim. National Parks generally do not allow it because they have campground space to rent. But many National Parks, including Grand Canyon, are surrounded by Bureau of Land Management land or National Forests.

At Arches a lady from Texas RAVED about parking in Kaibab National Forest. She said they found  a spot on Forest Road 611 that was right on the rim. Sit in your lawn chair with your coffee and watch the sunrise. Later sit in your lawn chair with your glass of wine and watch the sunset. I told her that "Forest Road" sounded a lot like what we back east called "Fire Road". And that I wasn't excited about taking our 34' Airstream on one.

She assured me that the road was excellent for a dirt road. That they had a 30' rig and had lots of room so she was sure we'd be fine. I didn't ask her if her "30' rig" was a truck with a 30' trailer or was it a 30' motorhome. An oversight I will not make again.

We missed FR611 and went to the entrance of the Park. The kind lady told us it was about 4 miles back north at the intersection that said SR22.  We found it easily and went on paved SR22 for about 200 yards. Then it turned to FR610 and the worst washboard road I had ever been on. At 10mph I could just imagine the rivets popping out of the Airstream's skin. About 3 miles in we started seeing big spaces between the trees and Carol started saying, "That one looks really good." But we were in deep forest with no canyon anywhere is sight. Further along we found a pull off along the road that was on the rim but somebody was parked there so we kept going.

At a fork in the road we went to the right and after another half mile or so found what appeared to be the perfect spot. It was a loop that we could pull through and out and it was level. It was not ON the rim but the rim was 20' away across the road. I pulled in and started to unhitch. Carol looked around at the trees and asked, "Can you get out of here?" "Of course, dear. and if I can't pull out, I can always back out the way we came in."  "If you do that, you'll be facing the way we drove in and it doesn't look like there is any place else to turn around."  "OK then, I'll pull on through."

I knew we would not enjoy our time there if all we did was worry so I decided to leave then and go back to one of the big spots.

EXCEPT a minor problem was a small tree that the driver side rear section was going to scrub against when the trailer pivoted. Carol helped with that by pulling the tree out of the way.

A not so minor problem was a very big tree on the street side that the trailer was to going to hit big time. The solution was to back up a foot (remember Carol's "little" tree) and edge left slightly so I could swing wider. Several times. Now all I had to do was swing as wide as possible and I was sure the trailer would clear. Piece of cake.

What I did not see, Carol told me later was that she had stopped holding the small tree and was jumping up and down waving her arms screaming "You're going to drive into the canyon."  I didn't. Got straight on the road out and Carol joined me in the truck still showing signs of pure panic. Trying to pick between passing out and throwing up. She didn't do either, but she did tell me that we were never going to do THAT again. Women just worry too much. We went back later with just the truck and I looked at the tire tracks. The left front wheel never got within a foot of the rim.

Uneventful ride back to a big beautiful clearing among the Ponderosa pines. Bright blue sky, birds singing, NO other sound. Except Carol saying, "What if...... or what if....."  And my only answer was, "You'd walk 10 miles to the highway and flag down a car to come help." That was not a solution that pleased her.

It was a great experience. The quiet and solitude were wonderful. The stars were unbelievable. And the little Honda generator worked great so we had all the comforts of home. Except contact with other people.


The lesson learned is that Carol is a City Girl. Or at least a Townie. I suggested that we would not go into the woods again until we got a satellite phone so we could get in touch with someone if one of us got hurt or critically ill. Or I drove off a cliff. That also was not a solution that pleased her.

THIS was the view from the road at our original spot.

And this.

These are the views from where we did park.

The next morning we drove into the Park to catch the early sun. As it turns out it really doesn't matter, geography wins out over photography. Any time of the day, from the NORTH rim, you are looking SOUTH. DUH.

Even so, Carol was able to get some great shots.

This is not the Grand Canyon. It is a "small" canyon the goes into the Grand Canyon.

The "Window".

Checking out another camping spot.

This is the South Rim of the Grand Canyon - WAAAAY over there.

Evening clouds again stop us from the real burst of color that sunset brings to the red sandstone.

We'll try again on the South Rim.

But a beautiful sunset anyway.

Alive and well, in spite of my best efforts. A day of travel and then we'll go to the South Rim.

PS: When we went back to the rim campsite we did determine that there was no place else to turn around. So if I had not pulled in there to begin with, I would have had about 5 miles to back up the truck and trailer on a narrow dirt road lined with trees on one side and the rim on the other. I could have done it with Carol's help. But we might not have ever spoken to each other again.

With the information I had available when I pulled into that spot it looked like a good idea.

It wasn't. I almost didn't get out.

I did have a plan B which was to unhitch the trailer and go find a tow vehicle with a much shorter wheelbase.

But it looked like I had really made a bad decision.

ONE MORE TIME. Are you getting this folks?  Turns out it was the best decision. Which we made for totally wrong reasons. Again.