Tuba City, AZ to South Rim Grand Canyon, AZ
The good bike spirits are following us again as the weather made for a perfect day of cycling. It was a nice sunny day in the mid 80’s with low humidity. The best thing is again we had little or no wind to torture us.
The slightly bland landscape again started to change for the better. Mountains, valleys and plateaus of pastel colors started to appear. You could tell something big was just around the corner.
After a relatively flat ride out of Tuba City we started a steady 30-mile climb up to the Grand Canyons south rim.
We had expected this stretch of road to be busy with lots of tourist traffic. To our surprise it was not. Even after we entered Grand Canyon State park traffic was very light with long periods with no cars at all.
Once we entered the park out first thoughts were for fluids. Not any sight seeing. Tim was completely out of water and Joe and Ken were low, only having a couple mouthfuls very warm water left to quench their thirst.
As we approached the park store we could see “something” just ahead. Obviously part of the Canyon. After drinking a belly full of cold juice and Gatorade we filled our bottles and headed to the rim.
I have enough trouble just typing theses blog reports, so I will not even bother to try and describe one of the 7 greatest natural wonders of the world. Also our photos are just for proof that we were actually there. This, as Monument Valley is something you need to see with your own eyes. Photos by even the best photographers cannot show the enormity of this place.
We stopped a German couple that had a rented RV to ask how they liked it and how much it cost to rent and operate. This would be the way to bring our families to see the west.
The park road is over 25 miles ling and follows the south rim. All along the way you have openings in the trees and other areas to see the Canyon. These “interruptions” slowed our forward progress. Now remember we are not on a sight seeing tour. It would be nice but was not our plan. All total we only spent about an hour gazing into the canyon from various points. A mule trip to the bottom, helicopter ride or raft tour would have been a blast. We even missed the best part of the day to view the canyon’s beauty …sunset. We were in our usual panic to shower, eat, do chores and get to bed when this happened….next time.
We ended our day at a Park Lodge. While waiting for a table at dinner some people had recognized us as the three guys on the bikes climbing the big hill. As with everyone we meet they had questions about out journey. I remember asking the same questions to the first person I met who rode cross-country. We never get tired if answering the questions. It seems like this kind of adventure is almost everyone’s dream.
Once seated the people at the table next to us spotted our Wild West Tour t-shirts. They also had seen us on the climb. After a few questions we found they had visited Eugene O’Neil Theater in Waterford, Connecticut. Our waitress had a distinctive New Your accent. She looked at our shirts asked what is the Wild West Tour. When we told her she replied she was a welder once at Electric Boat In Groton, Connecticut. Small world…..
The good bike spirits are following us again as the weather made for a perfect day of cycling. It was a nice sunny day in the mid 80’s with low humidity. The best thing is again we had little or no wind to torture us.
The slightly bland landscape again started to change for the better. Mountains, valleys and plateaus of pastel colors started to appear. You could tell something big was just around the corner.
After a relatively flat ride out of Tuba City we started a steady 30-mile climb up to the Grand Canyons south rim.
We had expected this stretch of road to be busy with lots of tourist traffic. To our surprise it was not. Even after we entered Grand Canyon State park traffic was very light with long periods with no cars at all.
Once we entered the park out first thoughts were for fluids. Not any sight seeing. Tim was completely out of water and Joe and Ken were low, only having a couple mouthfuls very warm water left to quench their thirst.
As we approached the park store we could see “something” just ahead. Obviously part of the Canyon. After drinking a belly full of cold juice and Gatorade we filled our bottles and headed to the rim.
I have enough trouble just typing theses blog reports, so I will not even bother to try and describe one of the 7 greatest natural wonders of the world. Also our photos are just for proof that we were actually there. This, as Monument Valley is something you need to see with your own eyes. Photos by even the best photographers cannot show the enormity of this place.
We stopped a German couple that had a rented RV to ask how they liked it and how much it cost to rent and operate. This would be the way to bring our families to see the west.
The park road is over 25 miles ling and follows the south rim. All along the way you have openings in the trees and other areas to see the Canyon. These “interruptions” slowed our forward progress. Now remember we are not on a sight seeing tour. It would be nice but was not our plan. All total we only spent about an hour gazing into the canyon from various points. A mule trip to the bottom, helicopter ride or raft tour would have been a blast. We even missed the best part of the day to view the canyon’s beauty …sunset. We were in our usual panic to shower, eat, do chores and get to bed when this happened….next time.
We ended our day at a Park Lodge. While waiting for a table at dinner some people had recognized us as the three guys on the bikes climbing the big hill. As with everyone we meet they had questions about out journey. I remember asking the same questions to the first person I met who rode cross-country. We never get tired if answering the questions. It seems like this kind of adventure is almost everyone’s dream.
Once seated the people at the table next to us spotted our Wild West Tour t-shirts. They also had seen us on the climb. After a few questions we found they had visited Eugene O’Neil Theater in Waterford, Connecticut. Our waitress had a distinctive New Your accent. She looked at our shirts asked what is the Wild West Tour. When we told her she replied she was a welder once at Electric Boat In Groton, Connecticut. Small world…..
2 comments:
CAR 54 WHERE ARE YOU?
Looking for Helen's western division in California.
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