After fueling up at Starbucks in Flagstaff we headed to highway 89A – a winding drive through Oak Creek Canyon, where eventually the Red Rocks of Sedona started poking their rugged edges out of the more forested and lush Oak Creek Canyon.
Both Caleb and I were feeling especially good – perhaps a result of the “energy” that is known to surround the Sedona area (technically called vortexes, Sedona is supposed to be one of the most “charged” places on earth). Sedona is a beautiful, colorful, unique place. The Red Rock formations most of which loom from high above the Canyon all have names that are supposed to be likened to their actual appearance – Cathedral Rock, Bell Rock, Courthouse Rock, Snoopy Rock, etc. Really, I wonder who named the rocks and what state they were in at the time because it’s tough to tell why some of the rocks are named the way they are. I guess it’s kind of like seeing shapes in the clouds – everyone has their own perception. Take a look at this photo – one of the formations is Bell Rock and one is Courthouse Rock – can you tell which is which? 
The village of Sedona itself, while surrounded by some gorgeous work by Mother Nature is tourist central. To avoid the tourist trap in town we stopped at an organic supermarket and picked up some cold salads for a Canyon picnic. We drove out to Bell and Courthouse rocks, parked, set up our chairs, and ate lunch with a view.
After lunch we made one final stop at the Chapel of the Holy Cross. It’s a small chapel set in one of the hillsides designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright’s. The position of the chapel itself and the incredible views from its perch are the real highlight.
Oddly, we were also able to see a monstrosity of a house being built in the neighborhood below. Check this thing out: 
The drive to the Grand Canyon was pretty uninteresting. There is a smallish town just outside the entrance to the park, but really not much. We arrived in the park and registered at our campground with enough time to set up our tent and head to one of the many heavily populated look outs for sunset. Dodging a million other people I was able to get my first view of the enormity that is the Grand Canyon. We’ve all seen it in pictures, but nothing can capture actually standing at the rim and looking into the gargantuan carving that the little old Colorado River has made (and really I think that fact paired with the Canyon itself is what makes it so incredible).
When you’re dealing with the National Park Service, I’ve learned it doesn’t really leave many options for dining. Within the park there are really only three restaurant options that aren’t cafeteria style. We opted for the Arizona Room in the Bright Angel Lodge. After an hour wait (we played cards and drank 20 oz. beers) we were lead into a dining room, that although it’s situated so that in daylight it’s close enough to the rim to have views of the Grand Canyon, had absolutely no atmosphere (large turquoise cut out horses glued to the walls no doubt contributing to the negative vibes), terrible food, a totally uninterested waiter, and a ring tailed cat running through the dining room (literally it jumped through the rungs of both our chairs). We decided we would rather eat PB&J at our campsite than dine at the restaurants again. On our way back to the car, I was startled by a huge bull elk feasting on the grass outside the Lodge – this not being and uncommon occurrence as we had seen a few others (not bulls) before dinner. These animals were very used to humans. Too used to them. Back at the campsite we redeemed the evening with smores, wine out of paper Pepsi cups and a roaring fire a la Caleb.
The next morning we were up early and getting coffee at the café (literally a senior citizen breakfast scene – besides us there was one person under the age of 35, and she was 6). We then hit the one supermarket in the park for provisions. Kevin and Jermaine were manning the deli where grabbed sandwiches to pack away for lunch. Right away Caleb and I were drawn to Kevin (the guy making Caleb’s sandwich). You could tell he was a cool guy, he gave out a great vibe, felt like someone you would want to hang out with outside of the supermarket deli, he proudly held up Caleb’s sandwich after slicing it in half to display his sandwich making abilities. As Kevin is whipping up Caleb’s sandwich Jermaine saunters over and starts making my sandwich (Turkey, no mayo, Dijon mustard). All the while I am wishing that Kevin was making my sandwich because he just seemed like the better sandwich maker (this long explanation about Kevin and Jermaine will all make sense a little later).
We fueled up on yogurt/granola and bananas and made the last few preparations for our hike (The Bright Angel Trail) at a sunny picnic table. With 12 miles of hiking ahead of us (the first 6 miles all the downhill, the last 6 obviously all uphill) we were told it would take us about 6-9 hours. Somehow (and we’re not really sure how) we did it in 4 hours and 40 minutes (minus an hour for lunch at Phantom Point). We were booking.
The views were incredible. I really felt like we were experiencing the Canyon because we were in it. 4 hours and 40 minutes of – passing people, dodging mule shit (some people ride mules to Phantom Point and back), never-ending switchbacks, dust, echoing voices, blaring sun, and heavy breathing. At Phantom Point we could see the Colorado River including rafters (an 8 day trip that Caleb previously did with his family). We had amazing panoramic views of the Canyon, including where we had just come from.
This picture is from near the top. I am pointing to Phantom Point.
This picture is from Phantom Point. Caleb is pointing to where we came from at the top of the rim:
We settled down at Phantom Point really hungry and excited for our sandwiches. Caleb pulled out his sandwich to find exactly what was expected a perfect Canyon Club made by Kevin. I, on the other hand pulled out a ham sandwich (I had asked for a turkey sandwich), with no condiments. None. A totally dry ham and cheese sandwich. Thanks a lot Jermaine. Is there such a thing as deli meat dyslexia? Very disappointing – but soon gotten over. Anything tastes good after you’ve just hiked 6 miles into the Grand Canyon.
We really set the pace on our way back up the Canyon. Near the top we passed the guy manning the mules (the people had disembarked from their mules at this point), and upon hearing that we had gone to Phantom Point exclaimed, “You’re rolling!”.
We were beat when we finally made to the rim and after stretching and resting a bit we headed directly for the showers. Easily, Best shower of the trip.
Clean and a little sleepy we drank a victory beer at the cocktail lounge in the El Tovar hotel. Learning from our dining experience the previous evening, we stopped at the supermarket to pick up some food for camp side grilling. After a dinner of brat’s, veggies, and smores we retired by nine. We were awoken at one point by the park rangers scolding the camp site next to us for not fully putting out their fire. Other than that little hiccup we slept very well.
The following morning we had a laundry session at the National Park facilities before leaving the Grand Canyon behind for CALIFORNIA
No comments:
Post a Comment