The Killer Bee issue has been resolved. A few days after my previous post I was organizing the car for the day. Suddenly, I felt an itch in my beard; naturally, I scratched.
Out fell the biggest bee you've ever seen, right onto the passenger's chair. He looked fearsome, blood dripping from his fangs, ready to attack. How sad to have such a weakness that is perishing upon stinging.
I'll keep better care of my beard in the future to avoid these unnecessary stories.
9.02.2011
8.22.2011
A Side Story: Killer Bees
I left this out of the Yosemite post because it is just too unique.
The first morning in Yosemite we were heading into the Valley, windows rolled down, smelling the morning's new, clean air. Then suddenly my partner, out of nowhere, starts yelling, "Ow, my back, ow!" She hadn't felt anything except a sharp pain. We searched the car and found nothing.
This is what it did, whatever this phantom thing was. We reasoned it was a bee, but couldn't find it.
Later that afternoon, on our way to the overlooks, with windows still down, I heard something fly past my head and hit the back windshield. My companion says, "What was that?" I offered a nervous chuckle and said, "I think it may have been a bee; it sounded big. But it's fine, the back windshield probably killed it."
Then the bee flew into the front seat and rested on my seat belt. As fast as possible I pulled the car over, ripped off the seat belt and jumped out of the car. Then, after a moment or two, I searched the car again but couldn't find it. No stings this time.
We weren't allowed to keep the windows down anymore.
The first morning in Yosemite we were heading into the Valley, windows rolled down, smelling the morning's new, clean air. Then suddenly my partner, out of nowhere, starts yelling, "Ow, my back, ow!" She hadn't felt anything except a sharp pain. We searched the car and found nothing.
This is what it did, whatever this phantom thing was. We reasoned it was a bee, but couldn't find it.
Later that afternoon, on our way to the overlooks, with windows still down, I heard something fly past my head and hit the back windshield. My companion says, "What was that?" I offered a nervous chuckle and said, "I think it may have been a bee; it sounded big. But it's fine, the back windshield probably killed it."
Then the bee flew into the front seat and rested on my seat belt. As fast as possible I pulled the car over, ripped off the seat belt and jumped out of the car. Then, after a moment or two, I searched the car again but couldn't find it. No stings this time.
We weren't allowed to keep the windows down anymore.
California, Round 2, Part 2
We arrived back to the mainland around 5:00 p.m. but did not want to camp in the Los Angeles area again. So we decided to try to make it to Sequoia National Park. We got lucky and they had camping just inside the park border.
Sequoia National Park
We woke up on Day 31 in Sequoia National Park. Our plan was to quickly move through it as well as Kings Canyon National Park and head to the western boundary of Yosemite National Park, where we had reservations for the following three nights.
Sequoia was fun, and it smelled amazing! It was great to be back in the forest again (the first time since Rocky Mountain NP). We completed a few short hikes and the drive through the park. Like canyons, forests are difficult to photograph during the day. I'll leave you with the largest tree in the world.
Kings Canyon National Park
We moved quickly onto Kings Canyon. The Kings Canyon Scenic Byway was one of the coolest drives I have done so far, except the cool part was outside the park boundary in Giant Sequoia National Monument. It didn't make any sense. The roads within the park itself with rather boring. Thus, I am going to consider Giant Sequoia National Monument to be part of the park when I consider it in lists at the end of the trip. Here's a photo of the canyon (although not in the park).
Unfortunately, I've downplayed these parks a bit. We went fast and I was anxious to get to Yosemite. They are both deserving of national park status (if you can reach the canyon through backcountry trails in Kings Canyon). They are certainly overshadowed by their monstrous neighbors: Yosemite and Death Valley.
Yosemite National Park
We made good time getting to the park, but we could not find our campsite (in Sierra National Forest just outside the park). We had to go into the park to get directions. It turns out there isn't a single sign for the campground. Couple this with its four primitive sites on the bank of the Merced River, and you get a really cool campsite.
About Yosemite
Yosemite is a very large park with an array of landscapes. The Valley is by far the most popular, attracting 90% of all guests, or 14,000 people every day in the summer. But its alpine meadows and forests enable visitors to not be overwhelmed by crowds.
Day 32
With two full days to visit Yosemite (a rarity for me on this trip), we had trouble deciding what to do first. Because to experience Yosemite, you must be part of the mall-like atmosphere in the Valley, while also gettting out to remote locations. We landed upon going to the valley first.
To avoid finding parking spaces at every destination, we parked and hopped on the shuttle. We took a short, paved trail to Mirror Lake, which, in the summer months, dries out and loses its mirroring ability. We also took the popular and short stroll to Lower Yosemite Falls.
These two hikes ended up taking up most of the morning and early afternoon. We wanted to spend the next day in the alpine meadows, so we decided to do the overlooks before heading back to camp. The first overlook, the most popular Yosemite panorama, is Tunnel View. The other was Glacier Point.
I forgot to mention I have been to Yosemite and Death Valley before. I was 16 years old. What I remembered most about Yosemite was Tunnel View and Glacier Point. I've had a panoramic of Tunnel View hanging on my wall ever since. Are these views breathtaking the second time around? No doubt they are. We sat at Glacier Point, which many claim to be the best view in the Western Hemisphere, for quite awhile, knowing we had to get back to camp, but not wanting to (even with an Asian language being continually spoken loudly right behind us). Nothing I have ever seen (from a landscape perspective) has compared with Glacier Point. I'd built it up to an extreme in my head since my visit as a kid. Yet, it still lived up to my expectation.
On the way to these overlooks, we spotted a black bear.
Day 33
You may have noticed the tent at this campsite is different than the others. This is true. I purchased another, larger tent for when it was necessary (rainy days, long stays, etc.).
On Day 33, I was awoken by my partner, who said, "There's a hole in your tent." I went back to sleep. Fifteen minutes later, "[redacted], there's another hole in your tent!"
I got up and looked at the two holes. They weren't manufacturer's mistakes, they were chewed. It seemed as though we were camping with a tent-eating squirrel. Unfortunately, we did not eat squirrel for dinner that night.
We spent the morning in Tuolumne Meadows, just hanging out. The afternoon we did much the same, except we moved to Tenaya Lake. There isn't too much more to say about that day. We spent most of it out of the car, which was exceptionally nice. And it was very relaxing. Without a doubt, it was one of the best days of the trip so far (minus the tent-eating squirrel).
In the evening we sat on some rocks by the Merced River in our swim suits. The valley had actually reached 90+ degrees these two days, so we were going to take a dip. My companion made it all the way in; I got to my waist. But a small, water-filled divot in a rock did serve to keep my beer colder than my cooler was.
What Remains
We spent a lot of time in California. I still feel as though there is much to see in the gigantic and beautiful state. What is still missing is Bodie State Historic Park and Death Valley National Park. I may or may not complete these in the morning. If not, stay tuned; I'll finish them next week along with Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Feel free to make your way through the entire album until then.
California Album
Next Post: California, Round 2, Part 3
Sequoia National Park
We woke up on Day 31 in Sequoia National Park. Our plan was to quickly move through it as well as Kings Canyon National Park and head to the western boundary of Yosemite National Park, where we had reservations for the following three nights.
Sequoia was fun, and it smelled amazing! It was great to be back in the forest again (the first time since Rocky Mountain NP). We completed a few short hikes and the drive through the park. Like canyons, forests are difficult to photograph during the day. I'll leave you with the largest tree in the world.
Kings Canyon National Park
We moved quickly onto Kings Canyon. The Kings Canyon Scenic Byway was one of the coolest drives I have done so far, except the cool part was outside the park boundary in Giant Sequoia National Monument. It didn't make any sense. The roads within the park itself with rather boring. Thus, I am going to consider Giant Sequoia National Monument to be part of the park when I consider it in lists at the end of the trip. Here's a photo of the canyon (although not in the park).Unfortunately, I've downplayed these parks a bit. We went fast and I was anxious to get to Yosemite. They are both deserving of national park status (if you can reach the canyon through backcountry trails in Kings Canyon). They are certainly overshadowed by their monstrous neighbors: Yosemite and Death Valley.
Yosemite National Park
We made good time getting to the park, but we could not find our campsite (in Sierra National Forest just outside the park). We had to go into the park to get directions. It turns out there isn't a single sign for the campground. Couple this with its four primitive sites on the bank of the Merced River, and you get a really cool campsite.
About Yosemite
Yosemite is a very large park with an array of landscapes. The Valley is by far the most popular, attracting 90% of all guests, or 14,000 people every day in the summer. But its alpine meadows and forests enable visitors to not be overwhelmed by crowds.
Day 32
With two full days to visit Yosemite (a rarity for me on this trip), we had trouble deciding what to do first. Because to experience Yosemite, you must be part of the mall-like atmosphere in the Valley, while also gettting out to remote locations. We landed upon going to the valley first.
To avoid finding parking spaces at every destination, we parked and hopped on the shuttle. We took a short, paved trail to Mirror Lake, which, in the summer months, dries out and loses its mirroring ability. We also took the popular and short stroll to Lower Yosemite Falls.
These two hikes ended up taking up most of the morning and early afternoon. We wanted to spend the next day in the alpine meadows, so we decided to do the overlooks before heading back to camp. The first overlook, the most popular Yosemite panorama, is Tunnel View. The other was Glacier Point.I forgot to mention I have been to Yosemite and Death Valley before. I was 16 years old. What I remembered most about Yosemite was Tunnel View and Glacier Point. I've had a panoramic of Tunnel View hanging on my wall ever since. Are these views breathtaking the second time around? No doubt they are. We sat at Glacier Point, which many claim to be the best view in the Western Hemisphere, for quite awhile, knowing we had to get back to camp, but not wanting to (even with an Asian language being continually spoken loudly right behind us). Nothing I have ever seen (from a landscape perspective) has compared with Glacier Point. I'd built it up to an extreme in my head since my visit as a kid. Yet, it still lived up to my expectation.
On the way to these overlooks, we spotted a black bear.
Day 33
You may have noticed the tent at this campsite is different than the others. This is true. I purchased another, larger tent for when it was necessary (rainy days, long stays, etc.).
On Day 33, I was awoken by my partner, who said, "There's a hole in your tent." I went back to sleep. Fifteen minutes later, "[redacted], there's another hole in your tent!"
I got up and looked at the two holes. They weren't manufacturer's mistakes, they were chewed. It seemed as though we were camping with a tent-eating squirrel. Unfortunately, we did not eat squirrel for dinner that night.
We spent the morning in Tuolumne Meadows, just hanging out. The afternoon we did much the same, except we moved to Tenaya Lake. There isn't too much more to say about that day. We spent most of it out of the car, which was exceptionally nice. And it was very relaxing. Without a doubt, it was one of the best days of the trip so far (minus the tent-eating squirrel).In the evening we sat on some rocks by the Merced River in our swim suits. The valley had actually reached 90+ degrees these two days, so we were going to take a dip. My companion made it all the way in; I got to my waist. But a small, water-filled divot in a rock did serve to keep my beer colder than my cooler was.
What Remains
We spent a lot of time in California. I still feel as though there is much to see in the gigantic and beautiful state. What is still missing is Bodie State Historic Park and Death Valley National Park. I may or may not complete these in the morning. If not, stay tuned; I'll finish them next week along with Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Feel free to make your way through the entire album until then.
California Album
Next Post: California, Round 2, Part 3
California, Round 2, Part 1
My long-time followers know about my first trip to California which encompassed most of the northern part of the state. This round was to focus on the southern portion of the state.
Joshua Tree National Park
We had a bit of a dilemma: we had to catch a ferry the next morning to Channel Islands National Park, so we had to be in good position the night before. We decided to visit Joshua Tree National Park in a drive-through manner, and continue to the Los Angeles area.
Joshua Tree National Park splits the Colorado and Mohave Deserts down its center. We entered from the east, driving through the Colorado Desert first. At one point it reached 110 degrees. By the time we were on the main road in the park it was all the way down to the mid-90s. Neither one of us had any idea what to expect from the park, but we were pleasantly surprised. The Joshua Trees tower over all the other, low-lying desert vegetation. And no two Joshua Trees look the same. In addition, boulders sit in the middle of these flat lands, completely out of place. The boulders are super-grippy and, thus, super-fun to climb on.
We would have liked to give the park more time, but we had to continue. We found out later the park's attraction of containing nearly-equal parts of the two deserts is really the main attraction. And it is a stark difference (although I don't have any photos of the Colorado portion to show you). I do believe it deserves park status, but Joshua Tree is a bad name. There are Joshua trees all throughout southern California and Nevada. We read it was going to be called something like Desert Flowers National Park. Perhaps something along the lines of Desert Vegetation NP would have worked. It's a cool park with a bad name.
Camping In Los Angeles
Don't do it.
We found a campsite in Ventura, near the harbor that was first-come, first-served. Then we got there and saw there was a county fair right next to the campground! This bumped the tent sites (at which you could not park your car next to) up to $55 for one night. We declined and paid a few dollars more for a quiet hotel nearby.
Channel Islands National Park
There are three national parks in the lower 48 which require a ferry. I've chosen to omit two of them, Channel Islands being the exception. There is a big problem here. NPS does not run the ferry's directly. Therefore, they are expensive and communication is often lacking.
Although we booked our reservation a month prior, we were without a confirmation email. We were also without proper directions on reaching the harbor. We made it (with minutes to spare) to the building with matches 100 neighboring buildings on a street that makes several turns but maintains the same name. The lack of signage is a bit ridiculous considering the company's essential monopoly on Channel Islands ferry rides.
We had awoken around 6:00 a.m., the sky was overcast, and it took us twice as long as it should have to find the ferry. It was a rough start.
But it was still exciting to be going to camp on an island. When we arrived, about 3/4 of the people on the ferry exited, while the rest remained. We wondered what they were doing, but didn't ask.
When we exited the ferry we were greeted by an older gentleman, a park volunteer, who said we were the only ones camping on the island. Apparently everyone else was leaving that day. However, I saw the park ranger with a big pack and assumed she was staying. I also didn't trust the man because everything he said he either read from a paper or was factually incorrect. But it was an exciting idea anyways.
Channel Islands Overview
There are eight islands that make up Channel Islands. Five of the eight are part of Channel Islands National Park. The closest to the harbor is Anacapa Island, where the majority of those who leave the ferry visit. Anacapa is made up of three islets, only one of which you can walk upon. The island is essentially a plateau jutting out of the ocean, all sides of which are 300-500 feet sheer cliffs. We had to climb a ladder to get on the island. And the particular islet we could walk about walk about 2-2.5 miles long and about 0.5 miles wide.
Our Island
We hiked 0.5 miles to our campsite and set up camp. We decided if we were to be the only folks on the island later (those who got off the boat were leaving mid-afternoon), we should wait to explore the less-than-4 miles of trails. So we hung around camp for awhile.
At 3:00 p.m., the ferry returned and picked up everyone. Everyone. Except us. We checked the ranger station and, yes indeed, we were the only people on the island. Until 3:30 p.m. the following day. We explored the island on this overcast day for a few hours in the afternoon.
Wildlife
There was a lot of wildlife on the island. Up top, it's mostly seabirds - seagulls and the endangered brown pelicans. The pelicans are nice and quiet but the gulls are boisterous! And they never stopped. It was not easy sleeping. Below, the island supports Sea Lions and California Seals. We could see them from up top but couldn't get close.
The Sun
After exploring for a few hours, we returned to camp and rested in the tent for a bit. Almost immediately, the sun appeared, giving us a beautiful sunset (from Inspiration Point).
I could go on and on what it's like to have an island to yourself for 24 hours. It's incredible. No matter how bad the island smells.
This was the day I introduced my camping partner to Tortilla Stuffers, the greatest camping dinner ever.
The Ferry Back
I was very worried about the ferry returning. They told my partner it would be back at 3:30 p.m., but I wasn't so trusting. There was no one to check with. We waited nervously for about an hour, but it arrived right on time. We later found out we were famous - the captain announced they were going to the island to pick up two campers. When we got on the ferry, people's faces were pretty hilarious. Wow, they had that island all to themselves. That's really cool! A few passengers approached us about our experience and made up stories about how they would be interested in doing the same.
On the ride back to the mainland, the captain first took us around to the back of the island to view the sea lions closer. We were also able to go through two schools of dolphins. What I mean is he drove right over where they were swimming (an in-board motor won't hurt the animals). We were standing at the front of the boat at that time, watching the dolphins swim. They even seemed to be racing the boat at one point. What a cool experience. Here are a few dolphins.
California Album
Next Post: California, Round 2, Part 2
Joshua Tree National Park
We had a bit of a dilemma: we had to catch a ferry the next morning to Channel Islands National Park, so we had to be in good position the night before. We decided to visit Joshua Tree National Park in a drive-through manner, and continue to the Los Angeles area.
Joshua Tree National Park splits the Colorado and Mohave Deserts down its center. We entered from the east, driving through the Colorado Desert first. At one point it reached 110 degrees. By the time we were on the main road in the park it was all the way down to the mid-90s. Neither one of us had any idea what to expect from the park, but we were pleasantly surprised. The Joshua Trees tower over all the other, low-lying desert vegetation. And no two Joshua Trees look the same. In addition, boulders sit in the middle of these flat lands, completely out of place. The boulders are super-grippy and, thus, super-fun to climb on.
We would have liked to give the park more time, but we had to continue. We found out later the park's attraction of containing nearly-equal parts of the two deserts is really the main attraction. And it is a stark difference (although I don't have any photos of the Colorado portion to show you). I do believe it deserves park status, but Joshua Tree is a bad name. There are Joshua trees all throughout southern California and Nevada. We read it was going to be called something like Desert Flowers National Park. Perhaps something along the lines of Desert Vegetation NP would have worked. It's a cool park with a bad name.Camping In Los Angeles
Don't do it.
We found a campsite in Ventura, near the harbor that was first-come, first-served. Then we got there and saw there was a county fair right next to the campground! This bumped the tent sites (at which you could not park your car next to) up to $55 for one night. We declined and paid a few dollars more for a quiet hotel nearby.
Channel Islands National Park
There are three national parks in the lower 48 which require a ferry. I've chosen to omit two of them, Channel Islands being the exception. There is a big problem here. NPS does not run the ferry's directly. Therefore, they are expensive and communication is often lacking.
Although we booked our reservation a month prior, we were without a confirmation email. We were also without proper directions on reaching the harbor. We made it (with minutes to spare) to the building with matches 100 neighboring buildings on a street that makes several turns but maintains the same name. The lack of signage is a bit ridiculous considering the company's essential monopoly on Channel Islands ferry rides.
We had awoken around 6:00 a.m., the sky was overcast, and it took us twice as long as it should have to find the ferry. It was a rough start.
But it was still exciting to be going to camp on an island. When we arrived, about 3/4 of the people on the ferry exited, while the rest remained. We wondered what they were doing, but didn't ask.
When we exited the ferry we were greeted by an older gentleman, a park volunteer, who said we were the only ones camping on the island. Apparently everyone else was leaving that day. However, I saw the park ranger with a big pack and assumed she was staying. I also didn't trust the man because everything he said he either read from a paper or was factually incorrect. But it was an exciting idea anyways.Channel Islands Overview
There are eight islands that make up Channel Islands. Five of the eight are part of Channel Islands National Park. The closest to the harbor is Anacapa Island, where the majority of those who leave the ferry visit. Anacapa is made up of three islets, only one of which you can walk upon. The island is essentially a plateau jutting out of the ocean, all sides of which are 300-500 feet sheer cliffs. We had to climb a ladder to get on the island. And the particular islet we could walk about walk about 2-2.5 miles long and about 0.5 miles wide. Our Island
We hiked 0.5 miles to our campsite and set up camp. We decided if we were to be the only folks on the island later (those who got off the boat were leaving mid-afternoon), we should wait to explore the less-than-4 miles of trails. So we hung around camp for awhile.
At 3:00 p.m., the ferry returned and picked up everyone. Everyone. Except us. We checked the ranger station and, yes indeed, we were the only people on the island. Until 3:30 p.m. the following day. We explored the island on this overcast day for a few hours in the afternoon.
Wildlife
There was a lot of wildlife on the island. Up top, it's mostly seabirds - seagulls and the endangered brown pelicans. The pelicans are nice and quiet but the gulls are boisterous! And they never stopped. It was not easy sleeping. Below, the island supports Sea Lions and California Seals. We could see them from up top but couldn't get close. The Sun
After exploring for a few hours, we returned to camp and rested in the tent for a bit. Almost immediately, the sun appeared, giving us a beautiful sunset (from Inspiration Point).
I could go on and on what it's like to have an island to yourself for 24 hours. It's incredible. No matter how bad the island smells.
This was the day I introduced my camping partner to Tortilla Stuffers, the greatest camping dinner ever.
The Ferry Back
I was very worried about the ferry returning. They told my partner it would be back at 3:30 p.m., but I wasn't so trusting. There was no one to check with. We waited nervously for about an hour, but it arrived right on time. We later found out we were famous - the captain announced they were going to the island to pick up two campers. When we got on the ferry, people's faces were pretty hilarious. Wow, they had that island all to themselves. That's really cool! A few passengers approached us about our experience and made up stories about how they would be interested in doing the same.
On the ride back to the mainland, the captain first took us around to the back of the island to view the sea lions closer. We were also able to go through two schools of dolphins. What I mean is he drove right over where they were swimming (an in-board motor won't hurt the animals). We were standing at the front of the boat at that time, watching the dolphins swim. They even seemed to be racing the boat at one point. What a cool experience. Here are a few dolphins. California Album
Next Post: California, Round 2, Part 2
Arizona, Round 1 (Grand Canyon)
Grand Canyon National Park North Rim
Left Vegas the morning of Day 27 (August 11) with my new traveling companion and headed for Grand Canyon National Park's North Rim. We knew prior to leaving the North Rim campground was full, so our plan was to find a site on the way in, visit the park, return to camp for the night and head for the more-popular South Rim the following day.
It was a long drive from Vegas, especially after a later start, and we were left with only about an hour to visit the park. This turned out to be just fine as the North Rim really is not so spectacular. The North Rim sits about 1,000 feet higher than the South and the views we had were facing into the sunset. We left, unimpressed-but-excited for what the South Rim would have to offer.
Grand Canyon National Park South Rim
We entered the South Rim section of the park from the east and stopped at the first turn out.
My Grand Canyon Thoughts
Before I continue with the stories of the day, I would like to give you my overall thoughts on the Grand Canyon, as I believe they will help your interpretation of my mood in telling my stories.
Grand Canyon (note the lack of The) is massive, or grand. Walking up to the first overlook blew me away (different from took my breath away). The size in itself is really what makes it what it is. Does it look large in the photo? Well it's about a million times larger in real life. As I may have stated before, I like to think of what people on foot or horseback or boat had to go through before these nice, paved roads. The South Rim is funny because you are essentially driving through a forest and then BOOM, dead end. Early Spanish explorers could not find a way to the canyon floor.
Again, the size of the canyon is what makes it what it is.
Many of the photos I had seen of the canyon showed it as vibrant. But the combination of summer haze and an increasing concentration of air pollution from Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Mexico (because of air flow) makes the canyon somewhat dull (or simply not vibrant) in color and decreases visibility distance. Couple this with the precursors I'd had from people I know, and the overlooks become downplayed. Still overwhelming in size, not so breathtaking in nature.
Continuing
We hung out and had a picnic at the first overlook. While my friend did a watercolor painting of the canyon, I dove into my new book, The Waste Lands. We were sitting here, which was well off the path. We thought as though we had clearly established our picnic area; which is when I said, "See, you can find relative solitude in a place overrun with tourists."
That's when a group of Europeans, two-by-two walked right in front of us (in the sight line of the painter's view) and took a photo. A few even asked me to take their photo for them. The funny thing about it is the rim is wide open. The view was exactly the same ten feet to their right. But we had picked the best spot on the entire South Rim to sit. We were interfering with the public's rights.
This is when I thought of a character in a book I've recently read. This character's name is Jack Mort, and his hobby is pushing people to their deaths, be it in front of a train or oncoming traffic (yep, it's a mighty fine read). I could only think of how Jack Mort would have a field day at Grand Canyon.
Soon thereafter, we left the picnic spot and headed toward our reserved campsite. We were setting up the tent when my companion noticed a man running through the woods toward our somewhat-secluded site. I stood up and was ready to yell at him, when he said in a French accent, "There's a moose in the campground; I've been running around the entire park following him." He was doing a fine job of not approaching wildlife. I turned to my companion and said, "Take the camera and see if you can get it. Maybe it will have antlers!" I was running to the car to grab the zoom lens when it suddenly dawned on me, I'm in Arizona. It was an elk. Score two for the Europeans. We got a good photo anyways.
After setting up camp, we left to catch the shuttle (necessary to tour the western side of the South Rim). If Zion has a bad shuttle service, Grand Canyon has a horrendous service. It is a short route, like Zion, but has far more visitors. They have it figured so the most efficient way to run it is to send an empty shuttle every few shuttles. They aren't meeting the demand and it's retracting from visitors' experiences. We had to wait about 30 minutes to board, while listening to the park ranger with a girlish lisp say, "Okay, people, now there are like a bazillion people that want to see The [sic] Grand Canyon, so what the shuttle guys do sometimes is send an empty shuttle so those bazillion people can get off and on more easily. He he he he." Then a European boy cut in front of us in line.
We hiked the rim trail for awhile. It was quite lovely. Then we got beer. It was more lovely.
Grand Canyon Album
Next Post: California, Round 2, Part 1
Left Vegas the morning of Day 27 (August 11) with my new traveling companion and headed for Grand Canyon National Park's North Rim. We knew prior to leaving the North Rim campground was full, so our plan was to find a site on the way in, visit the park, return to camp for the night and head for the more-popular South Rim the following day.
It was a long drive from Vegas, especially after a later start, and we were left with only about an hour to visit the park. This turned out to be just fine as the North Rim really is not so spectacular. The North Rim sits about 1,000 feet higher than the South and the views we had were facing into the sunset. We left, unimpressed-but-excited for what the South Rim would have to offer.Grand Canyon National Park South Rim
We entered the South Rim section of the park from the east and stopped at the first turn out.
My Grand Canyon Thoughts
Before I continue with the stories of the day, I would like to give you my overall thoughts on the Grand Canyon, as I believe they will help your interpretation of my mood in telling my stories.
Grand Canyon (note the lack of The) is massive, or grand. Walking up to the first overlook blew me away (different from took my breath away). The size in itself is really what makes it what it is. Does it look large in the photo? Well it's about a million times larger in real life. As I may have stated before, I like to think of what people on foot or horseback or boat had to go through before these nice, paved roads. The South Rim is funny because you are essentially driving through a forest and then BOOM, dead end. Early Spanish explorers could not find a way to the canyon floor.
Again, the size of the canyon is what makes it what it is.
Many of the photos I had seen of the canyon showed it as vibrant. But the combination of summer haze and an increasing concentration of air pollution from Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Mexico (because of air flow) makes the canyon somewhat dull (or simply not vibrant) in color and decreases visibility distance. Couple this with the precursors I'd had from people I know, and the overlooks become downplayed. Still overwhelming in size, not so breathtaking in nature.
Continuing
We hung out and had a picnic at the first overlook. While my friend did a watercolor painting of the canyon, I dove into my new book, The Waste Lands. We were sitting here, which was well off the path. We thought as though we had clearly established our picnic area; which is when I said, "See, you can find relative solitude in a place overrun with tourists."That's when a group of Europeans, two-by-two walked right in front of us (in the sight line of the painter's view) and took a photo. A few even asked me to take their photo for them. The funny thing about it is the rim is wide open. The view was exactly the same ten feet to their right. But we had picked the best spot on the entire South Rim to sit. We were interfering with the public's rights.
This is when I thought of a character in a book I've recently read. This character's name is Jack Mort, and his hobby is pushing people to their deaths, be it in front of a train or oncoming traffic (yep, it's a mighty fine read). I could only think of how Jack Mort would have a field day at Grand Canyon.
Soon thereafter, we left the picnic spot and headed toward our reserved campsite. We were setting up the tent when my companion noticed a man running through the woods toward our somewhat-secluded site. I stood up and was ready to yell at him, when he said in a French accent, "There's a moose in the campground; I've been running around the entire park following him." He was doing a fine job of not approaching wildlife. I turned to my companion and said, "Take the camera and see if you can get it. Maybe it will have antlers!" I was running to the car to grab the zoom lens when it suddenly dawned on me, I'm in Arizona. It was an elk. Score two for the Europeans. We got a good photo anyways.
After setting up camp, we left to catch the shuttle (necessary to tour the western side of the South Rim). If Zion has a bad shuttle service, Grand Canyon has a horrendous service. It is a short route, like Zion, but has far more visitors. They have it figured so the most efficient way to run it is to send an empty shuttle every few shuttles. They aren't meeting the demand and it's retracting from visitors' experiences. We had to wait about 30 minutes to board, while listening to the park ranger with a girlish lisp say, "Okay, people, now there are like a bazillion people that want to see The [sic] Grand Canyon, so what the shuttle guys do sometimes is send an empty shuttle so those bazillion people can get off and on more easily. He he he he." Then a European boy cut in front of us in line.We hiked the rim trail for awhile. It was quite lovely. Then we got beer. It was more lovely.
Grand Canyon Album
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