We left Kanab early in the morning with a quick stop at trusty McDonald's for a McBreakfast meal. Our destination was the south rim of the Grand Canyon, and to get there we had to take a long and very scenic route through Navajo Nation. We arrived at the Grand Canyon rather quickly because the roads were vacant of all the summer travelers. There was plenty of sunlight left for picture taking and enjoying the beautiful views from the rim. After a few stops we ate lunch, checked into our hotel and then walked to the Rim Trail. Plenty of good viewing areas along the way and the picture taking was non-stop. Just after sunset we decided to eat at one of the nicer restaurants, but even in the winter, there was a 45 minutes wait. The fish I ate was a little dry, but the beer sure tasted good after spending the last four days in Utah where all the brews were 3.2 beer.
After dinner we realized that we had over a mile to walk back to the hotel - in the dark! We walked along the main road, following the white stripe on the right side of the road which was visible only by the light from the brightly shining stars. It was very cold and as people drove by us on the street, blinding us with their headlights, they probably wondered who those crazy people were walking in the dark. Once we got to our rooms, I fell asleep very quickly. The next morning it was a blustery 8 degrees outside as we headed off to breakfast. Our goal was to hike the South Kaibab Trail down to Cedar Point. Once again, because it was winter, traffic was light and parking was available at the trailhead. The beginning of this trail takes you straight down the side of a cliff - at least it seems. From there the trail descends more gradually along switchbacks to a place called Ohh-Ahh Point.
I don't think I could have made it any farther because my knees were hurting pretty bad. The hike to this point was 1.5 miles and included almost 1000 feet of elevation decline. We rested, took more photos, and then started our hike back up. Even though it was very cold, we quickly unzipped our jackets as we got very hot, as can be seen by this photo of me near a sign warning hikers not to attempt to hike down to the river and back in one day (Yes, more people gave us strange looks as I posed for this shot). It took us about an hour to hike down and not much longer to hike back up. This was a very rewarding hike. The views down inside the canyon are uniquely different than those from the rim, plus it was good exercise. This concluded our eventful trip to the Grand Canyon, which was actually just my second time visiting the South Rim. The first time was way back in 1983 with my brother and father!
We left Kanab early in the morning with a quick stop at trusty McDonald's for a McBreakfast meal. Our destination was the south rim of the Grand Canyon, and to get there we had to take a long and very scenic route through Navajo Nation. We arrived at the Grand Canyon rather quickly because the roads were vacant of all the summer travelers. There was plenty of sunlight left for picture taking and enjoying the beautiful views from the rim. After a few stops we ate lunch, checked into our hotel and then walked to the Rim Trail. Plenty of good viewing areas along the way and the picture taking was non-stop. Just after sunset we decided to eat at one of the nicer restaurants, but even in the winter, there was a 45 minutes wait. The fish I ate was a little dry, but the beer sure tasted good after spending the last four days in Utah where all the brews were 3.2 beer. 
After dinner we realized that we had over a mile to walk back to the hotel - in the dark! We walked along the main road, following the white stripe on the right side of the road which was visible only by the light from the brightly shining stars. It was very cold and as people drove by us on the street, blinding us with their headlights, they probably wondered who those crazy people were walking in the dark. Once we got to our rooms, I fell asleep very quickly. The next morning it was a blustery 8 degrees outside as we headed off to breakfast. Our goal was to hike the South Kaibab Trail down to Cedar Point. Once again, because it was winter, traffic was light and parking was available at the trailhead. The beginning of this trail takes you straight down the side of a cliff - at least it seems. From there the trail descends more gradually along switchbacks to a place called Ohh-Ahh Point. 
I don't think I could have made it any farther because my knees were hurting pretty bad. The hike to this point was 1.5 miles and included almost 1000 feet of elevation decline. We rested, took more photos, and then started our hike back up. Even though it was very cold, we quickly unzipped our jackets as we got very hot, as can be seen by this photo of me near a sign warning hikers not to attempt to hike down to the river and back in one day (Yes, more people gave us strange looks as I posed for this shot). It took us about an hour to hike down and not much longer to hike back up. This was a very rewarding hike. The views down inside the canyon are uniquely different than those from the rim, plus it was good exercise. This concluded our eventful trip to the Grand Canyon, which was actually just my second time visiting the South Rim. The first time was way back in 1983 with my brother and father!
1 comment:
Beautiful pics, Keith!
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