DVD
Adventurer
It wasn't about grief. That's the last thing she would have wanted. Rather, a few weeks after my Mom's death, I wanted to just get away from household obligations and give myself the opportunity to think and reflect. She would have been delighted to know that I found this peace, quiet and solitude immersed in the grandeur of the Grand Canyon. As a stoic Midwesterner (...we wither and perish as leaves on the tree), she also would have been pleased that, rather than moping away the weekend, my wife and I interspersed a great little adventure trip.
This is what I was looking for
In their younger days, my parents both taught and enjoyed summers off. When I was young, they took up the recreational pursuit of sailing on the Great Lakes and were especially drawn to multi-day/week trips, where we would make plans according to the wind and surroundings. This little "overland" trip we took to the Grand Canyon shared much with countless sailing trips to islands and bays in Lake Michigan -- from the mundane, such as making sure we had maps, navigation skills, and emergency preparedness, to the sublime experiences of expansive solitude and natural beauty.
Some specifics about this trip. We left at noon on Friday, with tentative plans to camp at the Havasupai Point backcountry area of the Grand Canyon. I say "tentative" because rather than apply for the National Park backcountry camping permit via mail (with 3 weeks minimum processing time), we stopped at the National Park office in Flagstaff on Friday afternoon, hoping to pick up a permit - pending availability.
Whew, no problems. Permit in hand. Proceed with plan A.
As the saying goes, "where the pavement ends, the fun begins," and after about 4 hrs of highway travel and stops for lunch and permit, we turned onto gravel and started our adventure.
This was technically an international trip because the trail to this backcountry section of the Grand Canyon passes through Havasupai tribal lands.
There is a staffed gate, and we had to pay a $25 land use fee to cross tribal land
The high-clearance trail wends through pinion trees as you approach the canyon
We had enough time to check out Havasupai Point before setting up camp. The Grand Canyon always wows you!
You can drive right to the edge of the canyon (it would be fun to photoshop a view of the speedo showing 60 mph)
Looking down from just in front of the vehicle, you can see the river rapids way below
The "wow" factor made me recollect a conversation with my daughter when we took a family trip to the Grand Canyon years ago. We stopped at the visitor center to use the bathroom or something, and pointing toward the hordes of people disgorging from newly-arrived tour buses, she commented, "I wonder if anybody ever takes a first look at the Grand Canyon and thinks 'Meh, is this all?'"
We could have spent hours soaking in the views, but daylight was getting short, so we headed back to set up camp.
Kitchen with a view
After a great dinner with spectacular ambiance, night descended with a full moon bathing the canyon in soft light and full-throated crickets serenading us.
Full moon rising over the canyon
This is what I was looking for
In their younger days, my parents both taught and enjoyed summers off. When I was young, they took up the recreational pursuit of sailing on the Great Lakes and were especially drawn to multi-day/week trips, where we would make plans according to the wind and surroundings. This little "overland" trip we took to the Grand Canyon shared much with countless sailing trips to islands and bays in Lake Michigan -- from the mundane, such as making sure we had maps, navigation skills, and emergency preparedness, to the sublime experiences of expansive solitude and natural beauty.
Some specifics about this trip. We left at noon on Friday, with tentative plans to camp at the Havasupai Point backcountry area of the Grand Canyon. I say "tentative" because rather than apply for the National Park backcountry camping permit via mail (with 3 weeks minimum processing time), we stopped at the National Park office in Flagstaff on Friday afternoon, hoping to pick up a permit - pending availability.
Whew, no problems. Permit in hand. Proceed with plan A.
As the saying goes, "where the pavement ends, the fun begins," and after about 4 hrs of highway travel and stops for lunch and permit, we turned onto gravel and started our adventure.
This was technically an international trip because the trail to this backcountry section of the Grand Canyon passes through Havasupai tribal lands.
There is a staffed gate, and we had to pay a $25 land use fee to cross tribal land
The high-clearance trail wends through pinion trees as you approach the canyon
We had enough time to check out Havasupai Point before setting up camp. The Grand Canyon always wows you!
You can drive right to the edge of the canyon (it would be fun to photoshop a view of the speedo showing 60 mph)
Looking down from just in front of the vehicle, you can see the river rapids way below
The "wow" factor made me recollect a conversation with my daughter when we took a family trip to the Grand Canyon years ago. We stopped at the visitor center to use the bathroom or something, and pointing toward the hordes of people disgorging from newly-arrived tour buses, she commented, "I wonder if anybody ever takes a first look at the Grand Canyon and thinks 'Meh, is this all?'"
We could have spent hours soaking in the views, but daylight was getting short, so we headed back to set up camp.
Kitchen with a view
After a great dinner with spectacular ambiance, night descended with a full moon bathing the canyon in soft light and full-throated crickets serenading us.
Full moon rising over the canyon
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