Feb 19,2014 Grand Canyon

Wednesday, February 19

Woke early to 31 degrees and Greg couldn’t go back to sleep so we hit the road at 4:00, figuring it would give us a full day at the Grand Canyon.  They were predicting colder weather later in the week, so we plan to do Sedona after the GC.  We are finding that altitude is the biggest factor in nighttime temps and since we haven't winterized the Trek (anti-freeze in the water lines, etc.) we are seeking lower altitudes at night.

Temp dropped to a low of 20 degrees as we climbed towards Flagstaff.  At a little town called Strawberry we saw a herd of elk crossing the highway. Brown and grey shadows with buff rears scattered along both sides of the road.  There were some patches of snow along the highway, and a few more elk.  Stopped for coffee and gas in Flagstaff,  and arrived at the Grand Canyon just after sunrise – 7:25.  Parked at GC Village and walked (quickly - very cold and windy!) to Mather’s Point and a few other viewpoints along the canyon.

 Sunrise en route to Grand Canyon.

Decided to drive Hermit’s Rest Road, which is only open to vehicles from December to the end of February.  Beautiful overlooks every few miles and we had it to ourselves for the first two hours.  Even then it wasn’t crowded and we had no trouble with parking.  Got clearer as we went and we could see Mt. Trumbul which was 80+ miles away.

Saw a couple of elk.  Went back through the village and headed east, stopping at the trail to Shoshoni Point that we had discovered last visit (2005?).  Sunny and much warmer (54) by noon, but still windy.

We both like the sculpture of the twisted trees.

Shoshone Point. What a view!

A few more stops, then we exited the park around 1:00 and headed south towards Flagstaff and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument.  The wind was fierce and the dust in the distance was amazing.  Lots of tumbleweeds blowing across the road!

Colorado River about a mile below the rim.

 Dust in the distance. Greg wrestled a bit to keep the Trek on the road!

When we reached the Visitor’s Center at Sunset Crater, they said wind gusts were up to 40mph there.  This is an area which still shows signs of the volcanoes that erupted here long ago….lots of lava rock and cinders.  We walked a short trail and then continued South. The ranger at Sunset Crater suggested Cottonwood, so that is where we are headed.

Cinder covered mts.

Lava rock.

Came through scenic Oak Creek Canyon, 89A, and into Sedona, going from  over 7,000 ft elevation in the San Francisco Mts. to less than 4,000. Lots of southwest architecture, red rock, yellow rock, adobe, pinion pines, some ponderosa pines against a gorgeous blue sky. Beautiful. 

Continued south to Cottonwood and Dead Horse Ranch State Park. Nice campgrounds, we stayed in number 45 (close to the rest rooms and hot showers)! Long day…. Had dinner and called it a night.

Thursday, February  20

Had a leisurely wake-up, shower and breakfast before we set out to explore Sedona and the area they call Red Rock Country. 

First stop was a fish hatchery just up the road where we spotted this bald eagle – and his choice of breakfast!  It was on Page Springs Road, which had a lot of water and birds, something we haven't seen in a while.

 Next we did the Red Rock Lower and Upper Loop, which winds through some great scenery.  Some really nice homes too, many of which are adobe but far from simple.

 We continued up 89A to Boyton Canyon and Boyton Pass Loop.  Beautiful area with towering rock formations.  We were going to do the whole Loop, but part of the road was extremely rough so we called it quits after about a mile and backtracked to the Canyon.

Parked here and walked the Vista Trail.  Very busy place, lots of people hiking.  Beautiful day but very windy when you got up high – hold on to your hat!  A man in the parking lot gave me a red rock heart and told me this place has incredible energy and I could take the energy with me in this rock.   For those who believe in chakra and energy, vortex, and that sort of thing,  this is a very sacred place. 

 Next we went into Sedona and looked for a place for lunch.  We asked a young man for a recommendation and went to his suggestion – Wildflower Bread, which is very similar to Pannera Bread, and was quite tastey. We enjoyed eating outside in the warm sun. Visited a few nearby stores – quite a lot of art, clothing and other shops and galleries.  Bought a beautiful hummingbird at The Hummingbird House, which had this sculpture in front.  The restaurant we ate at is in the background.

 

 Headed southwest to a beautiful Chapel of the Holy Cross, built into the red rocks.  Beautiful, simple and very busy.  We parked and walked up a long drive with our heads on a swivel!

 

 Chapel of the Holy Cross.

 Greg walking up to the Chapel.

 Chapel interior.

Decided to head east after this and re-visit our boondocking spot at Flowing Springs.  This time we found 2 other campers – one, a couple from the Yukon, were planning to spend a few days and “air out” their dog which was recently “skunked”!  Ah! The outdoor life!

Greg built a nice fire .  We looked at pictures and snacked a bit.