Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Day 31.
That evening I pulled out of death valley and once on the higher plateau pulled off for the night and in the process of parking had my second reversing accident of this trip. The first was back in new mexico - I was looking for a place to wash, racing down a road towards a dammed up lake. Before I got there I passed the river coming from the run-off, so slammed on the breaks and backed up the road, only to wipe out my rear side light on a road marker, and scratch up the side of the van. But this evening I crushed the rear bumper into a poll that was stronger than it. These things happen.
The next afternoon we cruised into Vegas. I'd heard a few descriptions of it but nothing prepared me for what i saw. Here must be the most unnatural place on earth! A desert oasis offering casino's and women - thats pretty much Vegas. The hotels and casino's were impressive to say the least - a couple with roller coasters built around them, one with a live circus going on inside surrounded by slot machines, another had a choreographed fountain show to music, and finally one with a full fledged "sirens and pirates" production out front in a small pond, complete with cannon fire, ships sinking and scantilly dressed sirens singing and dancing.
We cycled around and I grabbed myself a ticket to a show that night - a meddly of music, dancing girls, comedy, and just for the hell of it throw in a motor dome where four motorcycles ride inside at once. Afterwards I went out to see the casinos without the burden of a dog. I can't say I lost a lot that night. In fact I didn't lose anything. Wandering around watching people staring at the thousands of slot machines didn't really have any appeal for me, but it was when i watched this big sorry looking guy sitting by himself at the roulette table and over and over putting stacks of 4 chips on as many numbers as he could and losing each time, that i really felt sick. The minimum for the table was $25 so this guy was losing about a grand each roll. I went back to the van to sleep, and was woken and moved on at about 3am.
Days 32 + 33.
With a bad taste in my mouth I got out of Vegas and headed down to lake Meade, which was created when the Hoover Dam was built. We spent the night there and the next day headed down over the dam and back into Arizona. The goal was to make it to the grand canyon before the weekend. That night I met a couple of trigger happy guys at a bar in the town of Kingman. Despite seeming very reasonable when i argued with them about why they shouldn't have guns, they wouldn't change their view.
Day 34.
A bit worse for wear (thanks to the beer, not the guns), we moped around Kingman for the day, read a lot, bought some clothes at the local Sallies, and fixed the problem with my reverse lights which hadn't been working since i installed the second battery. Late in the afternoon we headed off on Route 66 and passed through some of the most beautiful country I've seen. Nothing dramatic, just huge prairies, rolling from one to the next, the sun low in the sky making everything more golden. We rolled into a national forest on the road leading up to the canyon and made that camp for the night.
Day 35.
The Grand Canyon. It is pretty impressive, though for the folk back home save your bread for the airfare and just check it out on google earth! Seriously though, it did not disappoint. We pulled in before 8am hoping for the longshot of getting a backcountry camping permit for the night, but instead got one for the following night. So that day we mounted the bike and cruised around the southern rim path checking out the sites. Once more taking the bike paid off, as we didn't have to be around the tourists hopping on the shuttles from one overlook to the next. That afternoon I betrayed Forrest. As my hike would begin early the next morning I had to take forrie into the kennels that afternoon and pick her up two days later. I, on the other hand, went to check out the sunset over the canyon. This brought back memories of sunset over Uluru - if you don't like crowds it's best avoided.
Day 36.
I went out of the park that night to free-camp in the national forest feeling quite lonely without a dog, and at 4.15am the next morning got myself back for a 5am shuttle to the trailhead. The South Kaibab trail was steep and spectacular, spending most of the descent on ridges. I had all day so I stopped for an hour or so at a couple of points and read my book, but I still couldn't fill in the morning and was down at the Colorado river by 11.30am. At a mile lower in elevation the temperature was also about 20 degrees warmer than at the rim, so I jumped into the colorado. My god it is cold! The rest of the afternoon was spent reading, walking, and in the evening having a cold beer at the mule supplied Phantom Ranch - a lodge where mules carry the sick or injured down for their canyon experience... ok, the fat and lazy too!
Day 37.
I couldn't stop feeling guilty for leaving forrie in the kennel, so at 6.15am I was on the trail, this time the Bright Angel trail, and making a break-neck pace up the canyon. 4 1/2 back breaking hours later I was at the rim and thoroughly stuffed! I picked up the dog, found a shower, then headed out of the park heading east. We drove down into the painted desert of the Navajo Nation, and pulled into Tuba City. With horses roaming freely on the streets, this must be the most laid back city in America. I stocked up the van with food but had to leave my well earned beer for another day - no alcohol on the reserve. This was a tremendous failure in my planning!
That evening I pulled out of death valley and once on the higher plateau pulled off for the night and in the process of parking had my second reversing accident of this trip. The first was back in new mexico - I was looking for a place to wash, racing down a road towards a dammed up lake. Before I got there I passed the river coming from the run-off, so slammed on the breaks and backed up the road, only to wipe out my rear side light on a road marker, and scratch up the side of the van. But this evening I crushed the rear bumper into a poll that was stronger than it. These things happen.
The next afternoon we cruised into Vegas. I'd heard a few descriptions of it but nothing prepared me for what i saw. Here must be the most unnatural place on earth! A desert oasis offering casino's and women - thats pretty much Vegas. The hotels and casino's were impressive to say the least - a couple with roller coasters built around them, one with a live circus going on inside surrounded by slot machines, another had a choreographed fountain show to music, and finally one with a full fledged "sirens and pirates" production out front in a small pond, complete with cannon fire, ships sinking and scantilly dressed sirens singing and dancing.
We cycled around and I grabbed myself a ticket to a show that night - a meddly of music, dancing girls, comedy, and just for the hell of it throw in a motor dome where four motorcycles ride inside at once. Afterwards I went out to see the casinos without the burden of a dog. I can't say I lost a lot that night. In fact I didn't lose anything. Wandering around watching people staring at the thousands of slot machines didn't really have any appeal for me, but it was when i watched this big sorry looking guy sitting by himself at the roulette table and over and over putting stacks of 4 chips on as many numbers as he could and losing each time, that i really felt sick. The minimum for the table was $25 so this guy was losing about a grand each roll. I went back to the van to sleep, and was woken and moved on at about 3am.
Days 32 + 33.
With a bad taste in my mouth I got out of Vegas and headed down to lake Meade, which was created when the Hoover Dam was built. We spent the night there and the next day headed down over the dam and back into Arizona. The goal was to make it to the grand canyon before the weekend. That night I met a couple of trigger happy guys at a bar in the town of Kingman. Despite seeming very reasonable when i argued with them about why they shouldn't have guns, they wouldn't change their view.
Day 34.
A bit worse for wear (thanks to the beer, not the guns), we moped around Kingman for the day, read a lot, bought some clothes at the local Sallies, and fixed the problem with my reverse lights which hadn't been working since i installed the second battery. Late in the afternoon we headed off on Route 66 and passed through some of the most beautiful country I've seen. Nothing dramatic, just huge prairies, rolling from one to the next, the sun low in the sky making everything more golden. We rolled into a national forest on the road leading up to the canyon and made that camp for the night.
Day 35.
The Grand Canyon. It is pretty impressive, though for the folk back home save your bread for the airfare and just check it out on google earth! Seriously though, it did not disappoint. We pulled in before 8am hoping for the longshot of getting a backcountry camping permit for the night, but instead got one for the following night. So that day we mounted the bike and cruised around the southern rim path checking out the sites. Once more taking the bike paid off, as we didn't have to be around the tourists hopping on the shuttles from one overlook to the next. That afternoon I betrayed Forrest. As my hike would begin early the next morning I had to take forrie into the kennels that afternoon and pick her up two days later. I, on the other hand, went to check out the sunset over the canyon. This brought back memories of sunset over Uluru - if you don't like crowds it's best avoided.
Day 36.
I went out of the park that night to free-camp in the national forest feeling quite lonely without a dog, and at 4.15am the next morning got myself back for a 5am shuttle to the trailhead. The South Kaibab trail was steep and spectacular, spending most of the descent on ridges. I had all day so I stopped for an hour or so at a couple of points and read my book, but I still couldn't fill in the morning and was down at the Colorado river by 11.30am. At a mile lower in elevation the temperature was also about 20 degrees warmer than at the rim, so I jumped into the colorado. My god it is cold! The rest of the afternoon was spent reading, walking, and in the evening having a cold beer at the mule supplied Phantom Ranch - a lodge where mules carry the sick or injured down for their canyon experience... ok, the fat and lazy too!
Day 37.
I couldn't stop feeling guilty for leaving forrie in the kennel, so at 6.15am I was on the trail, this time the Bright Angel trail, and making a break-neck pace up the canyon. 4 1/2 back breaking hours later I was at the rim and thoroughly stuffed! I picked up the dog, found a shower, then headed out of the park heading east. We drove down into the painted desert of the Navajo Nation, and pulled into Tuba City. With horses roaming freely on the streets, this must be the most laid back city in America. I stocked up the van with food but had to leave my well earned beer for another day - no alcohol on the reserve. This was a tremendous failure in my planning!
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
just a reminder that you can click on a picture to enlarge it - the small pics are pretty crappy
sunset over death valley
FORRIE DOES VEGAS
treasure island's siren's and pirates show on the sidewalk of 'the strip' in vegas
camping at lake meade
inspection of hoover dam
an old saloon on route 66
the grand canyon, arizona
forrie in the grand canyon
sunset
the camera is pointing pretty much straight down at the trail down the canyon
a mule-train on the ridge below
nearly at the river
