Hiking The Cape Final Trail

I am don't normally have Wednesdays off, but this week I traded days off so one of my co-workers could spend time with visiting family members. Since my friend, Gaelyn from Geogypsy was also off, we decided to go for a hike.

(The beginning of the Cape Final Trail)

When she asked me where I wanted to hike, I had originally suggested the Arizona Trail. The part of the Arizona Trail that goes from the entrance station of the North Rim to the developed area is 12 miles. She thought was too ambitious for me, and she was very right. I don't know what I was thinking! So, we hiked the 4 mile round trip of the Cape Final Trail instead.

(A Horned Toad hiding in the pinestraw)

We got started bright and early at the crack of 10:00 a.m., and got to the trail head about 11:00 a.m. To get there, you drive up the Cape Royal Road until you see the sign. There is a small dirt parking area there. We got out of the truck, and tried to take pictures of ourselves, but my camera didn't do so great. Finally, we were on our way.

(Fire burned a hole between the trunks of these two Ponderosa pines, but they are both still living)

The trail starts off on a gentle incline, through Ponderosa forest. It is rocky, which makes walking a bit hazardous until you get used to it. Although I took enough water with me this time, I think I wore the wrong shoes. Next time, I'll wear my work boots for the support they give.

(the view from the edge where we ate our lunch)

And speaking of water, it was a hot, dry, windy day out there. I was surprised by the number of visitors who were out there hiking with NO WATER AT ALL! People were out there hiking with children, carrying NO water, no food, no nothing.

(amazing!)

The views up here are some of the best in the canyon, but I say that about every trail I go on. I keep telling people, "I can't see it enough!" Every eyefull of this place is gorgeous.

(More ponderosa forest)

After eating lunch, we started hiking again. The trail turned to the right, and went up and down through ponderosa forest again. We didn't meet many people on this trail, unless one of had to use the bathroom. But, every time I started to go visit Mrs. Murphy, I'd see someone coming down the trail.

(Gaelyn on the edge.)

At last, we made to the end of the trail. The views up there, again, were amazing, gorgeous, fabulous, every way you looked was a new and different wonder!

(precariously perched pile of rocks)

There were quite a few people up at the top. We had to step around people to get to the view points. We rested some more, and took lots of pictures, before turning around to hike back.

(Notice the layer in the rock--Gaelyn says it an ancient algae layer. I say gorgeous!)

We walked out on top of this overhang, which is where Gaelyn is standing near the edge in a previous photo. I still can't get my head around how all these layers were formed.

(Me on the way down, at the Cape Final sign)

I have heard lots of people say they are afraid of heights, but I am not. I love going close to the edge and looking over. Last year, I was talking to a visitor, who said it was not that she was afraid she might FALL, it was that she was afraid that she might JUMP! I had never heard that before. So, if it were you, would you be more afraid you would fall, or that you would jump?

Guess Who Is In Town?

The bull bison I saw last week was scoping out the territory for his family. This morning when I went out to the entrance station, there they all were. And I had my camera this time:


When I drove up, they started running. What an amazing sight to see them all turn in unison and stampede across the meadow!



The whole herd stayed out there most of the day. They caused a "Buffalo Jam", with tourists stopping to take pictures, parking all over the place, even leaving their cars in the road to get out and get closer.



The buffalo wandered around the meadow, sometimes going all the way over to the trees, sometimes coming back close to the road. Here they are all bunched up by the entrance sign:


When I had no cars coming, I watched them with binoculars. They really are amazing animals. I got lots of questions from visitors:

Are they wild? yes. Do they stay up here all winter? no. Where do they go when it gets cold? I have no idea, but probably down in the canyon. Have they birthed their young yet? I think so, because when I was out there this morning I saw some calves. How many are there? About 80 of them. Are they dangerous? yes, if you make them mad, they can charge you.

I hope I get to see them again soon.

We Have Arrived

A balanced rock in Marble Canyon

Just wanted to come by here and let you all know we arrived safely at the Grand Canyon on Saturday afternoon. The wind died down a bit in the morning, so we left Flagstaff. Everything was fine until we rounded the bend in Marble Canyon, and were in a head wind. It was blowing about 45 miles per hour, and made it feel like the brakes were on. I have never experienced anything like it! That was the worst of it though, for about 20 miles, then it was fine the rest of the way. The trip up the plateau went smoothly.


There was one tree blown over and lying in the road, but we went around on the other side with no problem. There was not nearly as much snow on the ground as last year when we got here.


The weather has been warmer, too. I started working on Monday, after sitting on my behind all winter long. Let me tell you, with the high altitude (8800 ft) and the lazy winter, I am wiped out when I get home! Add to that the 15 pounds I gained over the winter, and well, I have to get into better shape. My pants are way too tight! Training the newbies starts this coming Monday. Can't wait to meet all the new co-workers. It is going to be another fun season, I just know it.

I had ordered our telephone service way back on April 14th, with a requested installation date of April 24th, our planned arrival date. When we got here on Saturday, the 25th, the phone wasn't working. Repair service told me there was "trouble on the line". So when they sent someone out, they discovered they had installed the service at the wrong address. They fixed all that yesterday, so now I have my telly and am back on line. Yay! But why on why can't a telephone service get it right???

Scenic Sunday

This is the entrance station at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The photo was taken on May 9, 2008. The park opens on May 15th each year. I was there because this is where I work. I am a seasonal park ranger there. I just love my cubicle!

For more Scenic Sunday photos, click here.

Scenic Sunday

Snow at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. This was taken last year on April 26. To see other photos from Scenic Sunday, click here.

Project 365 Day 15

Surprisingly, I was up before sunrise this morning. I was standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon, watching the sun come up. There was this beautiful cloud formation, making it all just exquisite. I love my life.

Grand Canyon Star party

Ever been to a Star Party? Well, last night we went to one here at the Grand Canyon. George , a volunteer here at the North Rim, hosted this party over by the rim of the canyon. What a beautiful night!


Of course there was food first, and we all got a chance to practice our social skills. I took chicken and rice so there would be something I knew I could eat. MMMM, lots of good stuff . I have to find Andrea and get her recipe for spinach artichoke dip.




Then as the sun was setting we went over to where George had his huge telescope set up, and we all star-gazed. We had been down to the lodge a couple months ago when he had his telecope set up there for looking at the moon. Wow, what a great view it was, too. But last night, we were viewing Jupiter and Venus. You could see Jupiter's moons all lined up. It was gorgeous!



Here I am with the campground hosts, Bill and Dee, and Adam. He brought his telescope, too so we could all take a look. I have never seen such huge telescopes. And you know, aside from the Big Dipper and the moon, I have always had trouble finding the different stars and constellations up there. I am truly in awe of anyone who can read the sky like that.



Here is Jim taking a peek at Venus. And look at that fabulous sunset behind him! While we have had some really great sunsets here, this one is definitely one of the best.



One last view of that great sunset. I am really going to miss this place when we leave here. And not just for the canyon and the sunsets, either. The peole we work with here truly are the best!

Hiking The Cliff Springs Trail

If you ever get to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, the Cliff Springs Trail is one you are definitely going to have to hike. FabGrandpa and I went on that trail today. The day was beautiful, with blue skies, a gentle breeze and the temperature around 65 degrees.

(The beginning of the trail)

The trail starts at the Angel’s Window overlook. It is a half mile to the springs, but you can go beyond that point if you want to. We went about a mile out, then turned around and came back. The views were breathtaking, absolutely beautiful.

(A huge boulder at the side of the trail)

The springs are more like a “drips”, as the water was dripping out of the cliffs onto the ground, making a small pool. Lots of plant life was taking advantage of the moisture there, so it looked cool and green. I can see why ancient Indians sought out this place in the summer as a respite from the boiling sun down in the canyon below.

(The cliffs, wow!)

The drive up the Cape Royal Road to the Angel’s Window Overlook is about 30 miles from the entrance to the park. There are four or five paved parking areas on the drive up so you can take advantage of the awesome view up there. At the end of the road is Cape Royal, where you can take a paved hiking trail out to the gorgeous viewpoints. You can see the Colorado River from this trail.

(Looking up. The cliffs hung over life a roof in places)

I’m going back up there in two weeks, because the Aspens are just starting to change to their blazing gold color, and I want to get some pictures of them at their peak. Of course, I’ll be putting some pictures up here for you to see.

(Looking across the canyon to the other side)

In other news, Becca and Ken have moved into their new apartment in Denver. She has already found a job, just two miles from home at the Williams Sonoma. She worked for them in Norfolk for years, so it was just a matter of interviewing with the manager there. Today they went sightseeing in their new hometown. I can hardly wait to make use of their guest room!

(Taking a rest on a stump)

The FabGrandson Owen had his first birthday on Friday. Judging from the pictures his mother sent me, he loved his birthday cake! And his Dad, Seth, told me he is feeling better than he has ever felt in his life since having his surgery for sleep apnea. His exact words “I feel high just from breathing”.

(Cliff Spring. Indians came here as early as 1100 A.D.)

Emily has gone back to school to get her master’s degree in education. She has her hands full with her teaching job, her own school homework, and her son, The FabGrandson Spencer. He is in first grade and doing pretty good this year.

(Another view across the canyon)

And my stepdaughter, Becky just got back from Mexico on a business trip, a two-day training class. Lucky dog!

(Click on this picture to see the tiny little people up ahead of us, to get an idea of the size of these cliffs)

(In some places, the cliffs where so low you had to crouch down to walk on the trail.)


(A gnarled tree on the edge of the canyon at Walhalla Overlook)


(A bee on a dried thistle flower.)

Fun Monday-Where I Blog

Janet from "The Planet of Janet", one of my bloggy friends, wrote about her blog space today for Fun Monday, which is hosted by a different person each week. This week, Gattina of "Writer Cramps" is the host. I have never participated in Fun Monday before but thought this was a good time to start. So, here it is folks, the place where I blog:

Here it is, my space at the dinette table. Since I live in a travel trailer, there is no separate room for an office. The kitchen/living area/office/TV room is all in one space. But, it is quite comfy, and the coffee is always just a step away.



Here, you see FabGrandpa's office space, which, by the way, is right next to mine. He doesn't blog, he doesn't e-mail, he doesn't pay bills by computer. No. All he does is read the news, check the weather, and play Halo. Loudly. Until I tell him I can't take it anymore and please put on your damn headphones!!!!!


Here is a view of my blog space from the outside. This is my home, fulltime, and I have to tell ya, I love it. We have lived in this one for a year and a half now. It is bigger than the first one by two feet. We lived in the first one for 6 years.


Here is a picture of where we are right now. I took this picture yesterday. We had thunderstorms most of the weekend, with loud, crashing thunder, that seemed to roll all around the canyon before it stopped. Even on a cloudy, stormy day, the canyon is awesome.


And, just because I love this picture, I am sharing it with you. This is at the picnic area on the side of the road, right across from the entrance to the employee residential area. Yeah, some people just see weeds, but I see beautiful wildflowers. What do you see?

Just To Let You All Know:

I got an email from my cousin, Brenda, asking if I was ok, and I had no idea what she was talking about. She said she heard about a dam breaking at the Grand Canyon, and wondered if we had been evacuated.

So, I googled and found this. The dam that broke was near the village of Supai, where members of the Havasupai Indian Tribe live. It is about 30 miles northwest of the Grand Canyon Village at the South Rim. FabGrandpa and I are on the North Rim, and are in no danger of flooding, even though it did rain quite a bit on Friday night and then again on Saturday.

We are in Page, Arizona right now, spending the night so we can have the truck serviced at the Ford Dealership in the morning and buy a refrigerator. We went to a couple of scenic viewpoints today and got some great pictures, some of which I will be posting here later. But, there was a thunderstorm in the area so we didn't stay long.

So, thanks to all of you who were worried about us, we really appreciate the love.

You Never Know What You Might See

While working at the gate this week I have seen some things....

I saw a very young guy, who was traveling with some friends of his, who was knitting a scarf! I found that to be quite interesting as 1. he was actually knitting in front of his friends, and 2. he said he learned how to knit so he would have something to do to pass the time while he was on this long road trip. When I asked him about it, all of the guys in the car were telling me how they loved to knit!

I saw a VERY COOL Volkswagen Karmann Ghia. It was very obviously loved by its owner. Yellow, convertible, and occupied by an old hippie. I didn't think there were any of them on the road anymore. (the car or the hippie, ha ha)

I saw a little girl, with blonde curly hair, sitting in the back seat of a car. She was watching everything I did, and when they pulled away from the gate, she smiled a big smile and waved at me.

There was a Japanese family, who when I asked how many people where in the vehicle, the father said 5, and a very cute little boy in the back seat shouted "Five! I'm five!"

I saw a raven land in a tree top across the road from my station. He was very vocal that day, and cawed in count (it seemed) for each car that came by during his stay there.

Then there was the lady who cried when she asked me where she could find a certain hotel, and I had to tell her it was 220 miles away on the other side of the world. I felt so bad, but there was nothing I could do. She really thought she was on the right side.

A little boy who showed me his Jr. Ranger badge with pride, asking me if it would get his family in for free. His dad had a pass, so I told him it would. He was grinning ear to ear.

And on the way home, a deer family, a doe and two fawns. It was dark, but lightening lit up the sky. It was raining, and smelled so good out there. I just love my job.

Some More Wildflowers

I didn't have time to upload all these yesterday, so here are:

Indian Paintbrush on the Cape Royal Road

Another view of the meadow with the aspen trees:

I don't know what this one is called but it looks like a coreopsis:

And this one most people would say is a weed, but I still think it's pretty:

Wildflower Paradise

I love wildflowers. I go on driving trips just to see them and take pictures of them. I had no idea that the North Rim of the Grand Canyon would be a wildflower paradise, but they are everywhere up here. If you drive slower than the speed limit you will be able to see tons of them. Whenever I drive anywhere it makes me think of easter, with all the pastel colors on the roadsides and in the meadows. Here are just a few of them:

Asters

Daisies

Thistle

Don't know what this one is called but it is pretty.


A pastel meadow with aspens in the background.