Day 3 - The Canyon

 Sunrise from my tent

 Watchtower at the Desert View

Day 3 seems like just a continuation of Day 2 since I didn't get much sleep last night. Number of issues: I was 2 hours ahead and was bone tired at 8pm canyon time so  I went to bed. Their was still a lot of camp noise for the next two hours and I didn't have any ear plugs. I do now. I was comfortable in my sleeping bag but my head sticking out had my ears and nose cold. Finally in the middle of the night I pulled the sheet up over my head and that provided some relief. And I was just "awake" for some reason. I think I got about 2-1/2 hours sleep total and was awake at 5:30 when it started getting light. Needless to say I didn't make the Easter sunrise service but viewed the sunrise from my tent. Wish I had brought my muscle relaxers for tonight.

I fixed my coffee and ate an oatmeal bar and around 8am headed out to the rim to walk the rim trail. It was in the fortys and I had worn layers. About half way through my trek from the Verkamp visitor center to the Mather outlook I had to shed my outer long sleeve shirt as the temp was warming into the 50 by 9-9:30. I finished my 2.5 mi trek around 10 and caught the shuttle bus to the Canyon Cafe for some refreshimnt.

One of the things bothering me today besides the lack of sleep is that my thighs are sore as all get out from wrestling with the campsite set up yesterday. 10 days of sitting in a hospital room followed by two long days driving causes the muscle tone to go downhill fast. The altitude doesn't help with the exertion walking. I got a little sunburn/windburn on the trail which makes my face feel a little warm so maybe that will keep me warm tonight.

I went back to the campsite around noon and just as I got in the tent it started raining and rained a little over an hour. I tried to take a nap but to no avail. When the rain stopped I headed back to the Canyon Cafe for lunch and to post yesterday's entry. After lunch I took a drive to the Desert View 25 miles east of the Village with some stops and scenic overlooks and the Tusayan ruins. I'm now back and again at the Canyon Cafe (since they have wifi) and posting this then headed back to the campsite with a possible detour to the rim to see the sunset.

Tomorrow I have to break camp by 11am and have a helicopter ride at 3pm. Tomorrow night I stay at the Yayapi Lodge next to the Canyon Cafe and Tuesday head to Las Vegas for stopover on my way to Death Valley. Death Valley is in the 90s this next week so getting cold will not be an issue.

When I get to San Francisco next weekend I will see about getting a Flickr account set up to post pictures. Also I may need to get a new camera as this one is starting to drain batteries quickly and I'm not even using a flash.

No bug count today and I forgot to post the trip mileage which was igsignificant since it was touring around the park, etc.

Day 2 Marathon

I wrote this last night but couldn't post it until today once I found a wi-fi connection

 Happy Camper!

 What a view!

 Ditto

 Ditton

Day 2 Stats. The mileage is the total trip. Still getting pretty good MPG

Day 2 - Saturday April 23, 2011

Today’s Bug Count: 30

Drove from Albuquerque to the Grand Canyon today arriving early afternoon after a stopover in Flagstaff  at the Cracker Barrel to partake of some chicken-n-dumplings, green beans, fried okra, cornbread and the piece de resistance – double fudge Coca-Cola cake and wash it all down with some ice tea.

Got to my campsite and commenced to try to set up my tent. I had to move my location three times before I found an area where I could drive most of the stakes into the ground. Maybe it’s the altitude and two days of marathon driving, but I was beat by the time I finished. Took me over an hour to get it all set up, but now it’s done. The tent went up easy once the site location was set. Expecting some rain showers tonight and tomorrow with possible gusty winds so I guess I’ll see how well it holds. Actually we got a little sleet just a while ago.

Ventured out to the canyon rim to get my first view of the magnificence of this place and check in at the Ranger office and one of the visitor centers. Went to the Friend of the Canyon bookstore and picked up an National Parks Passport so I can get it stamped at all the park locations I am visiting. Joined the organization since it will get me discounts at all the parks, etc. Came back to the campsite and decided to see how the showers were and wash off some of the grime from my work out today (campsite set up). Nice hot water! $2 for eight minutes which turned out to be ample time to get washed up, etc. Returned and made some coffee and had some beef jerky and a granola bar for supper.

Checked on a sunrise service tomorrow which is scheduled for 5:30 am. I will have to get up at 4 am if I am going to make it. Not sure how that’s going to work out. Low tonight around 30F, so I hope I don’t freeze by buns off.

Samantha and I are getting along just fine so far. She’s sleeping in the car and I’m sleeping in the tent.

Day 1 Marathon

Finished Day 1 of my road trip adventure, which was all about the drive as will be tomorrow to get to the Grand Canyon tomorrow afternoon. Made it to Albuquerque this evening from Dallas. 11 hours total and over 9 hours driving. Lots of sunshine on the road and the wind was really blowing.  Made it to Amarillo around 2:30 and had a great lunch at Cracker Barrel - Chicken Tenders, Turnip Greens, Hash Brown Casserole, Cornbread, Tea and top it off with blackberry cobbler and Blue Bell. If I hadn't had to drive to Albuquerque I would have looked for a place to take a nap after all that food.

Will get some much needed rest tonight and head out tomorrow morning stopping for lunch in Flagstaff and then on in to the canyon campground.

Today's bug count: 53. There were three when I gassed up in Witchita Falls (See Pic Below). When I gassed up in Tucumcari, I tried counting them but there were too many and most of them were just little smears, not nice splats, so I estimated them at 50. Oh I clean  them off each time so I can count only the new ones.

Oh, did I mention that I have a female traveling companion. Her name is Samantha and she is quite mysterious. (I know they all are!) She doesn't say much, but when she does she commands your attention with statements like "In 1 mile take exit so and so on right" etc. She also gets a little annoyed when you don't do what she says and issues warnings like "Recalculating!" or "Make a U-turn at the nearest intersection!" etc. Other than that we get along just fine and should have a amicable relationship during the trip, and I don't have to stop and ask direction!  ;-D

Below are a few "car shots" I took on the way today.

Distance and Stats for The First day

Not bad gas mileage considering the car is loaded up and the speed limit went up to 75 in NM.

 Odometer Reading Starting Out - I'll see what it reads when I get home

 Got to follow this bad boy and three others in front of him from Denton to Decatur

 First Bug Splat between Decatur and Wichita Falls

 Interesting old building in Chilicothe TX

 A warning at a rest stop in West Texas

Only 3 hours to go from here to Albuquerque

Heading Out

Well, I'm packed and ready to go. All that's left is posting this entry and shutting down the laptop and putting it in the car and head out. Amazingly it all fit. A few things will be dropped off in San Francisco at my daughter's home, but not that much. Somehow I feel like I have over packed, but I have clothes for warm weather (Death Valley) and cold weather (Jackson, Yellowstone) since those last two places are still reporting snow. Today is Earth Day and I am heading out to discover some of it.

So, I bid you farewell and will see you on my next post from Albuquerque. Can't wait for that first bug to go "splat".

Ready To Leave (Almost)

Tomorrow I leave on my road trip adventure albeit 3 days later than planned. I had to spend 10 days in Houston on a family emergency and returned home yesterday. To stay on schedule, so to speak, I dropped my first three days locations and will drive directly to the Grand Canyon. I drive to Albuquerque tomorrow (10 hours), then to the Grand Canyon Saturday (6 hours) arriving as originally scheduled to be there for Easter. I have a helicopter tour scheduled for Monday and I will leave the Grand Canyon Tuesday on my way to Death Valley with a stop over in Lost Wages, I mean Las Vegas. Still have some packing to do, then load up the car and hope it all fits. 

Getting Ready

There is just a little over a week until I start out on my road trip adventure. Today I am making a test run on setting up my tent in the back yard and the things that will be used with it.

 The case said it sets up in 10 minutes. It took me almost that long to unpack it and figure out what everything was for. Even then I made some mistakes, since the instructions were pretty vague in some areas. Maybe if two people are putting it up you might get it in 10 minutes. The wind didn't help either, but I need to plan for that contingency anyway. Even with keeping the access way zipped up, an ant managed to get inside. Will have to plan for that too. The good news is I made all the mistakes on this try so I now know what not to do. It was a good experience. Experience is the ability to recognize a mistake the next time you make it. ;-D

 I plan to sleep in the tent tonight and then break it down in the morning. The next challenge will be getting it all back in the carrying case.  It is going to be warm tonight (low of 70) so getting cold is not going to be a problem. Actually I wish is was going to be at least 10 degrees cooler, but it is what it is. I even plan to make my coffee on my little propane burner system to heat water and then brew some Starbucks "Via" instant coffee. Now that's what I call roughing it!  11 days and counting......

Counting Down The Days

My road trip starts on April 19 and will take me to the following locations over a period of seven weeks and over 6,000 miles:

Carlsbad NM

Santa Fe (visit Seeds of Change Farm for last time and turn in my gate pass)

Flagstaff AZ for overnight stay prior to

Grand Canyon. I will arrive Saturday and be there for Sunday (Easter) and Bitsy Day Monday, leave Tuesday

Hoover Dam on the way to Las Vegas for an overnight stay

Death Valley National Park

Sequoia National Park

San Francisco for a week with Kristen and family and celebrate Mary Judah's 8th birthday. (Is she really going to be 8 already?)

Yosemite National Park

Reno for overnight stay with some friends that just moved from Garland

Bryce Canyon National Park

Salt Lake City for overnight stay

Jackson Hole Wyoming and Grand Tetons National Park

Yellowstone National Park

Billings MT for overnight stay

Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse Memorial Monument

Badlands National Park

Then start the trek home through:

Sioux Falls SD (overnight stay)

Omaha Ne (visit to the Pettitt Bakery for some goodies)

Kansas City MO for overnight stay

Fayetteville AR for overnight stay and possibly visit with friends

Home Sweet Home.

I get tired just thinking about it.