Tag Archives: vacation

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Frozen fog and more man eating squirrels.

February 22, 2019 Rivergirl 27 Comments

Is it strange that one of my favorite parts of the Grand Canyon was the section where we couldn’t see a damn thing?

Our last stop was the Desert Watchtower, and by the time we got there at the end of the day….

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Everything was touched by frozen fog.

It was like walking into a sub zero fairyland.

Misty.

Quiet.

And utterly enchanting.

But also cold AF.

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Inside as well as out.

Seriously, you could see your breath in there.

Hello?

Large fireplace…

How about filling it with those overpriced books you’re trying to sell in the gift shop and lighting those babies up?

Tourists be shivering!

As you can see, we couldn’t see.

Anything.

The canyon is right there, outside the windows… but you’d never know it.

And thank you once again government shutdown for interfering with our vacation, we couldn’t even climb to the top.

While the husband went outside to document some info on a plane crash…

I found a reflectoscope….

And more psychotic squirrel warnings.

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Leaving the tower…

We walked back through the frozen fog…

And marveled.

At all the sugar coated flora..

Still freezing…

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But glad to have experienced it.

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Oh, deer.

February 21, 2019 Rivergirl 24 Comments

Because it’s not always about rocks.

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(I have no idea what that means, but I’m running out of rock memes)

As we started to drive out of the Grand Canyon National Park…

We passed a mule deer.

And then a whole herd.

They’re sweet little things.

Much smaller than what we have here in Maine….

Did you know there’s a village inside the park?

Complete with lodges…

And cottages…

That need carpet cleaners?

I didn’t. It never occurred to me that there would be anything other than natural, pristine wilderness.

But there was a train station…

And studios, an amphitheater and a market.

There were also some pretty impressive icicles.

Told you it was cold!

Having been dutifully warned of the traffic…

We turned on Desert View Drive, where we didn’t view any desert….

But did run into frozen fog….

Which, when it sticks to the trees and bushes?

Is almost magical.

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Monument Creek Vista and hermit reunions.

February 20, 2019 Rivergirl 31 Comments

This was the last scenic pull off we visited on the Hermit Road at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

Don’t get too excited, the saga isn’t over yet.

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This particular spot was stunning.

The grandeur…

The colors…

The hermits.

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But it was cooooold.

So cold.

And though there were captivating things to read about rocks…

I took my last picture… and jumped into the warm car.

But wait.

Could it be?

Had I really found it…?

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The official site of Hermit reunions!

Who knew.

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The abyss….

February 19, 2019 Rivergirl 26 Comments

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Creepy meme aside, I meant this abyss.

South Rim, Grand Canyon.

Was it deeper than any of the other chasms we saw that day?

I don’t know.

When you’ve seen one giant gaping hole….

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I have to admit, as grand (and impressive, and majestic, and awe inspiring, and wondrous) as it was… and it really was! After an entire day ducking in and out of scenic vistas and taking pictures of holes and rocks in the frigid wind, my mind’s eye was looking elsewhere.

Trees?

Sure…

Placards about ravens?

Why not.

Obligatory cell phone panoramic?

Check.

Husband walking?

Yeah, I only have 11,786 of those.

Short video clip?

Sorry, that too.

Because Hell, when it feels like 4 below and you can no longer feel your feet? Sometimes rocks are just…

Rocks.

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Well, yes.

There is that.

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Chatting up an elk at Hopi Point

February 18, 2019 Rivergirl 24 Comments

Did I mention the Grand Canyon was cold that day?

Well, it was.

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And hour after hour we were jumping in the car… not nearly long enough to warm up…. and then jumping out of the car to explore the next site.

When we hit Hopi Point?

I sat in the car for a while and conversed with an elk while I got some circulation back in my fingers.

Not the greatest conversationalists, elk.

But to be fair, this one had his (her?) mouth full, so I might have missed key parts of the witty repartee..

After a while I ventured out…

And was struck speechless by the sheer grandeur.

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Alright, I wasn’t speechless.

But there was no one around and the elk wasn’t listening… so cut me some slack.

This section of the canyon was majestic.

If you’re into wide open, vast chasms of rock that could swallow you whole.

It wasn’t pretty, per se….

But raw, stark beauty is striking in its own right.

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A guy named Powell….

February 17, 2019 Rivergirl 16 Comments

Powell Point Memorial.

At the end of Powell Point.

Named for a guy named Powell.

Who says my posts aren’t educational?

Well…okay.

But they do have pretty pictures.

Walking out to the end of Powell Point was a frigid experience….

The wind was frigid, snapping my hair into my face like a whip. It felt like it was 4 below.

And I could no longer feel my nose.

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Whew.

Red… but still there.

I scurried around, taking pictures.

Thinking, yeah… if it was 50 degrees warmer I’d sit a spell.

But the husband was happily climbing around.

Exploring every last square inch.

And that’s the thing about the Grand Canyon….

There are lots of inches to discover.

Including this fuzzy elk butt that was pointing at the car window when I got in.

Damn.

I love nature.

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Man eating squirrels and elk poo.

February 16, 2019 Rivergirl 22 Comments

Next stop at the Grand Canyon was Powell Point, where we were greeted by a miniature snowman…

And a terrifying sign.

Most dangerous creature in the canyon?

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Who knew…

Powell Point is like a small park.

With spectacular views.

Which apparently the elk like as well….

As evidenced by their footprints…

And their…

Well, just watch where you walk.

Powell Point is aptly named as it juts out into the canyon like a point.

And even there…

The husband couldn’t escape the machines that plague his every waking hour at work.

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Don’t tempt him Heston.

Really…. don’t.

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And then there were elk.

February 15, 2019 Rivergirl 53 Comments

Because there’s more to see in the Grand Canyon than just rocks…

There are elk.

We were driving down the road, and there they were.

Happily munching away.

And not paying us a bit of attention.

So close I could have reached out and touched one.

But they tend to frown on that…

So I just happily took pictures.

Sometimes of myself.

Elk are impressive, if somewhat goofy creatures.

Though hard to take seriously when they have that giant target on their butts.

Roads and fences don’t stand in their way…

So neither did we.

But come on….

Those big fluffy butts are really begging for a pat.

I could have happily spent all day watching them…

But there were more rocks up ahead.

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It’s still grand….

February 14, 2019 Rivergirl 31 Comments

Do you ever have those silly arguments with your significant other? (You know the ones… they’re always wrong, but don’t want to admit it.)

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When we left Mather’s Point at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon I wanted to turn right and explore various points on the rim trail. He wanted to turn left and drive 20 miles to the watchtower, then 20 miles back to explore the rest and then repeat the first 20 miles because we’d be exiting that way. This made no sense, but he did it anyway because he was driving.

A mile or so down the road?

Even the weather knew I was right.

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We turned around.

If you’ve never been to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon (Go! What are you waiting for?) it’s set up something like this – long main road with lots of pullouts for scenic views. Some are large with parking lots, monuments and information placards… some just small vacant outcrops.

We hit them all…. and the husband was like a kid in a candy store.

Awed.

The experience makes you feel small, insignificant.

And that’s not always a bad thing…

At Maricopa Point we read some history…

Climbed a lot of stairs.

Admired the view.

Not bad.

Not bad at all…

Read some more history…

And I answered…

When the husband asked if I wanted to go down and join those hikers on the trail.

See those little specks?

Hikers.

Hell, with his habit of always wanting to go the wrong way?

We’d never find our way back out.

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It was aptly named….

February 13, 2019 Rivergirl 32 Comments

Day 9 of our trip arrived and we headed north west out of Sedona.

Which pretty much looked like this….

For miles on end.

Our destination?

And I was seriously hoping we wouldn’t find the golden arches at the bottom.

It was a little over a 2 hour ride, and then we saw…

Hey, Fred. Long time no see…. say hello to Wilma for us.

And finally, we were there.

The Grand Canyon has always been on the top of husband’s bucket list. Me? Not so much, but he was happy… which made me happy.

And that’s what marriage is all about.

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Well, yes.

That too.

Our first stop at the Canyon was the visitors center because…. well… a 2 hour ride and a quart and a half of Gatorade do not mix.

Naturally, it was closed due to the government shutdown and I had to pee behind a bush. (Not like it was the first time, and no… there aren’t any photos)

Let me take a minute to give a shout out to all the Park Rangers and volunteers who kept the Grand Canyon National Park open for tourists like us who had traveled a long way to be there. We appreciated it.

You rock!