Fall 2016
The arid southwest gets very wet when a hurricane makes landfall on Baja California. When we stopped at Mesquite, NV, the thermometer briefly reached 100° and the humidity was less than 10%, but by the time we got to the North Rim, the rain was coming down so hard that the sidewalks were flooded with the runoff from the Lodge roof and the Grand Canyon was hidden behind layers of thick clouds.Fortunately, as the weather cleared, we quickly had Ansel Adams' views from an entirely new perspective. The southern edge of the Kaibab Plateau finally allows the Colorado River to begin its western flow and the North Rim Lodge sits high above the river at this point on the plateau--1000 feet higher than the South Rim.
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| Grand Canyon with South Rim Beyond |
The Glen Canyon Dam keeps the Colorado River itself from cutting any deeper but the side streams continue their work. The Transept and Bright Angel Creek continue to cut deeply creating some great close-up canyon views. And when the weather cleared we could see across the 10 mile width of the Grand Canyon. With binoculars we could just make out El Tovar Lodge and the steep portion of Bright Angel Trail leading to Phantom Ranch.
When the Grand Canyon Lodge was first built it provided rooms, but today after being rebuilt following the 1932 fire, it is just a day lodge and overnight lodging is provided in nearby rustic cabins. Ours was advertised as having a partial canyon view, but the clouds took care of that for most of our stay. Nevertheless, the weather cleared enough for us to hike the easy Transept Trail and we saw the three best-known of the North Rim fauna.
Common mule deer were all along the trail and one kindly posed for a photo. And while we have been to a number of places that were wild turkey habitats, this was our first time actually seeing any. A 'rafter' of turkeys (I would have guessed 'flock' and I have heard 'gobble') had crossed the road in front of us earlier, moving like long-legged chickens and looking exactly like the bourbon logo.
But the most remarkable sighting was a Kaibab Squirrel. The visitors' center had a display about these creatures which are unique to the Kaibab Plateau and they are described as having tufted ears and a white tail. Now, I have seen white-mantled squirrels and I assumed that this white tail would be the same light gray color, so when one ran through the woods in front of us with a tail that was nearly pure white, I was quite pleasantly surprised.
Vermillion Cliffs and Cliff Dwellings
The road from the Grand Canyon Lodge to Page, AZ and the Glen Canyon Dam is a long journey along the base of the Vermillion Cliffs. This is a National Monument, but there isn't a visitor's center or other natural stopping point, so when we saw signs for Cliff Dwellings, we decided to take a look.
Most petroglyph sites have signs prohibiting graffiti, probably because people recognize graffiti even if it is of the ancient variety, so why not add something for the future. I was reminded of this at this Cliff Dwelling site.
These weren't truly cliff structures but strange brickwork surrounding fallen boulders. It turns out these cliff dwellings are quite modern, built by a Mormon family when their car broke down during a journey in 1927 and they decided to stay.
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| Modern Cliff Dwellings |
Glen Canyon Dam and the Colorado River
Hoover Dam and Glen Canyon Dam are similar in size. Hoover is just 17 feet taller and Lake Mead has only a slightly greater capacity than Lake Powell. Of course both are considerably below capacity due to the continuing drought. The primary difference is that the two dams were built 30 years apart and construction techniques changed dramatically during those years and the older Hoover Dam required nearly twice as many workers.
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| Glen Canyon Dam |
We took a raft trip from the base of the Glen Canyon Dam and while it is possible to raft all the way down the Colorado to Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam, few people actually combine flatwater and whitewater rafting. Flatwater rafting ends at Lee's Ferry where the Paria Riffle gives a first hint of the rapids to come and most Grand Canyon rafting begins there.
To get to our rafts we were driven through a two mile tunnel down 500 feet to the base of the dam, but it wasn't until we were beneath a river overlook that we realized just how deep the canyon really is. Our guide pointed to specks at the top of the canyon and when we looked closely we could see these were people risking a horrible death to get a glimpse of us floating down the river.
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| Cheyenne - Our Navajo River Guide |
From Page we drove across the dam bridge north to Wahweap Marina where we boarded the Canyon Explorer for a two hour, 50 mile trip up Lake Powell to the National Monument. Because of the drought, the bridge is a mile and a quarter hike from the floating dock. When the lake is near capacity, there is only a short, easy walk, but before the dam was built, there was a strenuous 7 mile hike from the canyon base, so I'm not complaining.
Although the canyon entrance to the floating dock is far too narrow for a houseboat, smaller private boats can tie up at the floating dock and explore the area. And a Ranger came in on a Zodiac from the NPS station at Dangling Rope Marina and gave us a presentation about the monument.
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| Wahweap Marina Houseboats |
I was curious as to why this particular arch receives so much attention. Arches occur naturally as part of the erosion in this part of the country. Natural Bridges National Monument has three relatively well-known bridges and Arches National Park is full of arches. Rainbow Bridge is neither the tallest nor the longest (two arches in Utah have greater spans and one bridge in Chad and two in China are taller and longer).
But how this one became a National Monument is a fascinating story.
Rainbow Bridge is a true natural bridge, a type of arch that bridges a river or stream which was instrumental in its development. Native Americans have known about the bridge for quite a long time (although 'centuries' seems an exaggeration since there is no evidence that the Ancient Puebloans were aware of it). The bridge was given an Indian name meaning "rainbow turned to stone", but no one is sure if was the Paiutes or the Navajos who named it, and now, five different tribes claim it as their sacred site.
Word about Rainbow Bridge circulated among mountain men, prospectors, and settlers throughout the 1800's and some were assumed to have actually seen it. But suddenly, in 1909, two different expeditions set out to locate it. Each group was seeking to be the first 'literate whites' (now there's a phrase I've never encountered before) to reach this site which was being described as 'legendary'. The rivalry became a little unpleasant but in a bit of an anti-climax, they joined forces and when they reached the remote site the two leaders walked under the bridge together. Just a few months later President Taft designated it a National Monument and celebrities such as Zane Grey and Theodore Roosevelt were soon making the journey to see it.
It all makes for a somewhat ludicrous story, but, in truth, as I approached and got my first glimpse of the monument, I immediately realized it transcends any silliness about it. Rainbow Bridge is an arresting sight, sculpted from solid rock with a height of 290 feet. But that isn't nearly as telling as the fact that at its apex it's 42 feet thick and 33 feet wide. It is a massive structure that has a very real majesty to it. I'm glad I got to see it.
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Our ride home took us completely across Nevada from East to West through the center of the state. I have read that Nevada is the most mountainous of the contiguous states and this trip confirmed it. Up over winding passes and back down into the flat basin become a real déjà vu experience.
We also traveled the entire length of the Extraterrestrial Highway (NV 375) which passes just north of Area 51. The only strange things we saw were the Ale Inn at the eastern end (which has a statue of an alien on its roof and a very bad pun for a name) and the tiny town of Rachel, NV, which caters to UFO buffs with souvenirs and annual events.
NDOT has posted a sign at about the midpoint warning motorists to "Watch for Low Flying Aircraft." The official reason for the sign is that Nellis Air Force Base conducts exercises in the area, but those in the know are watching for other things.
For more photos, go to: Grand Canyon/Rainbow Bridge
