We made it to Arizona on Saturday July 7th. The road was rough across the state with very few towns to stop in for gas, etc. Most of the villages were crude houses or trailers that we assumed were Native American because of all the kivas next to them. There were many roadside souvenir stands selling turquoise and dreamcatchers.
Finally, we began to see the start of the Grand Canyon. It was amazing from the road and we couldn't wait to enter the East side of the park. Once we got to the rim and looked over, you could see the Colorado River in the distance and layers of colors in the distance. We spent the day driving to lookout points around the South side until late afternoon.
Having made no camping reservations in advance, we started to ask at the various RV parks only to find out that they were all full. We drove South out of the park about 7 miles to Camper Village which had plenty of spots.
That night around midnight, a neighboring Mexican bar, started what sounded like karaoke. This lasted most of the night so we didn't get much sleep.
On Sunday, we asked to be moved to the other side of the RV park and informed them about the loud music. We were tired but had planned to hike into the canyon that day.
Carrying two backpacks of water, snacks and other miscellaneous supplies, we started down the crude hiking trail that only was 3 miles roundtrip.
Going down, it was hot and our packs were heavy but it wasn't so bad. The path was a little slippery due to loose soil and the steep grade. We passed Ooh Ahh Point (.9 miles) and headed around Windy Ridge then had to move aside for a tour group on donkeys. One donkey stepped right on the edge and we were afraid it would fall over the side of the steep cliff. Finally we made it to Cedar Ridge (1.5 miles) and sat down for some PB&J sandwiches. A begging squirrel quickly approached for a handout.
Two female rangers were there to check on hikers and make sure everyone had food and water. One warned us that two storms were approaching from opposite directions and it would be wise to head back up soon.
The trip back up was very rough with little shelter from the sun until we got closer to the top. Jason Jr. and SamBob pulled away from us several times and it seemed that they could keep going all day. I had to hold Wesley's hand to make sure he kept away from the edge or didn't slip on the loose gravel path. Big Jason ended up carrying both backpacks to the top since I was so exhausted. A slow, steady pace and lots of water breaks helped us finish the hike. Once at the top, we all were relieved and proud of this accomplishment.
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| view going back up |
That evening we were all tired and dusty so a trip to McDonald's and some quick showers were just what the doctor ordered. Our new campsite didn't have working electricity so we decided to leave that night and drive a few hours towards our next destination.
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