Saguaro National Monument

it’s like heaven with cactus.

Your first morning at the resort.  You wake up and hear an angel singing.  Conveniently disguised as a cactus wren, perched atop a nearby saguaro.

You feel light, and soon you’ll be feeling joyous.  Especially after you stretch your fairway wood to its limit and shoot an eagle on the tenth hole.  There are 3,000 more hoes beckoning.  And in a place so celestial, it might be possible to play them all.

Tomorrow you’ll be drawn to explore mystical wonders.  The Grand Canyon, Saguaro National Monument.  The White Mountains Monument Valley.  The view by the pool from the vantage point of your lounge chair.

Outside your window you see Arizona.  But you know where you really are.  Don’t you?

visual source:  homeexchange

Thanksgiving is my second favorite holiday. Easter is the first, but Thanksgiving runs a close second with Administrative Assistant Day running a close third (*wink*).

At the beginning of the month during small group English conversation at IFH I asked the students to share their favorite thing about the month of November. I responded saying that re-setting my 100 goals was my favorite part of November. Not only that, but I think it helps make Thanksgiving one of my favorite times of the year.

Of course there are the staple Thanksgiving experiences like pumpkin everything (see the Twitter feed), family around the table (we’ve missed this so much the last two years when we were abroad), turkey, leftovers, talking and watching football even if you don’t care about the game, the autumn colors, the size of the meal, sweet potatoes, corn bread, pickles and olives, cranberry sauce and of course decorating for Christmas soon afterwards.

With all of this, no wonder I love Thanksgiving.

However, I think the one thing that pushes it over the edge to number two is the fact that each year around Thanksgiving I re-do my 100 life goals.

Back in November 2001 in my AP Art Class I had a incorrigible teacher named Bruce Kanegai. He wasn’t so much hopeless, but persistent. I mean, the man was and is a machine. The guy is a karate black belt, an accomplished artist on his own right, he’s walked on the Parthenon, survived a rattle snake bite and competed on Survivor (he only left when he was deemed unable to compete physically…he disagreed – so hardcore). Well, Mr. Kanegai had our art class write up 100 life goals as a class project. Until we had 100 goals he would not accept our coming art projects. I filled the list with some serious goals and then some pretty silly ones, but I completed the project.

Kanegai, the he-man himself competing on Survivor:Panama. If you Google his name in images you will come with black belt photos, him wrangling a crocodile and kicking some serious butt on Survivor. Sheesh.

Over the next three years of my high school career I ended up completing 57 of those 100 goals. Mr. Kanegai’s 100 goals list not only inspired me, it drove me to write goals and be purposeful about the goals I set, the goals I accomplished and how I devised them.

The following year in 2002 I looked over my goals list and marked the ones I completed that year. There were something like 23 completed that first year. I gave thanks to God that Thanksgiving and laid before Him my other goals asking that if it be His will that I complete them in my life.

Since then, every Thanksgiving I look over my goals list and take off the ones I completed and any others I either did not complete (so far, only one was out of reach since it was time bound to high school…oh well) or I no longer feel are good goals for my life.

To date I have accomplished 129 goals (with 15 a year as a benchmark). The goals accomplished range from silly things like “read a book” and “drive the Oscar Meyer mobile” to other more serious ones like “run a marathon” or “marry the girl of my dreams.”

Over the years I shared this goals list with a lot of different people. Many thought it was cool, others thought it was inspiring and still others started their own. My friend Alyssa shared one year that at CUI her 100 goals list was the single most life changing thing that happened to her in university. Praise Jesus.

Maybe you can start your 100 goals list this year. Call it a bucket list, a 30 goals before 30 or whatever. Just get it started, give thanks to the LORD and set before Him your desires and conform yourself to His will.

From November 30 2008 until November 25 2009 I completed a total of 10 goals. I removed three others and so this year I am setting 13 new goals. They are goals 88-100:

88. Place a cross on the hill of crosses in Latvia
89. Run the LA Marathon
90. Profit from my professional writing
91. Have a book published
92. Visit South Korea
93. Get inside the Arctic Circle
94. Have a formal spiritual director
95. Obtain a doctorate
96. Complete the “Recreative” project
97. Read 125,000 pages in a year
98. Backpack in the Grand Canyon w/ Elizabeth
99. See Elizabeth happy and full time in work
100. Go on a pilgrimage

Who knows how many I will accomplish, who knows how many of these will last on the list.

Of all the things I don’t know I do know this – I am thankful for every moment the LORD gives me on this earth. I am thankful for every blessing He’s given me, whether I’ve recognized it as such or not. I am thankful for the goals He sets on my heart and the goals He’s given me to accomplish. More importantly I am thankful that His greatest goal was the salvation of our souls and the redemption of His creation (Hebrews 12:2).

Thank you Jesus for my life, my wife, my family, my friends, my career, my talents, my gifts, my goals, this world, its people and thank you most of all that it is all redeemable and usable in your Kingdom through your re-Creative power in and through the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Le circuit proposé dans ce billet se déroule sur plusieurs états des USA et nous amènera à parcourir, partiellement il est vrai, le Colorado, l’Arizona, le Texas et le Nouveau-Mexique sur environ 5500 kilomètres.

Un minimum de trois semaines, voire quatre, sont nécessaires pour sillonner ces états mythiques hauts en couleurs et en surprises de tous ordres. Préparez vos cartes photographiques SD ou CF !

L’atterrissage a lieu le lundi 3 août 2009 à l’aéroport de Denver, capitale du Colorado, dans la vallée de la rivière South Platte sur le flanc ouest des Grandes Plaines.

Denver (566 974 habitants – 2 408 750 si l’on intègre la zone métropolitaine de Denver-Aurora) est surnommée la Mile-High City car son altitude officielle exacte est d’un mile (1609 m) au-dessus du niveau de la mer. L’artère principale est piétonne et il y fait bon flâner et se reposer sur ses terrasses bruyantes avant de récupérer son véhicule (idéalement un RV ou motorhome).

Le 4 août nous récupérons notre camping-car de 29 pieds de long (environ 9 mètres) auprès de notre loueur favori, “road bear”. Une fois les formalités accomplies (très rapide en raison de notre habitude à louer ce genre de véhicule) nous nous dirigeons, après un arrêt ravitaillement dans un des hypermarchés locaux (Albertsons Inc), par l’inter state I70 vers la sortie est de la ville, en direction des Montagnes Rocheuses que nous affectionnons tant.

Leadville, co, constitue le lieu de notre première étape. La petite ville de Leadville est située non loin de Denver à une altitude de 3094 m et abrite 2688 habitants. Une cinquantaine de bâtiments de l’époque victorienne (de 1880 à 1905) composent la ville. Cette bourgade est l’une des dernières villes minières des Etats-Unis qui se situe au milieu de décors somptueux de montagnes, de rivières sauvages de de lacs paisibles. C’est ici que Doc Holliday (1851-1887), dentiste, joueur invétéré est as de la gâchette, a tué son dernier homme. Il est célèbre pour sa participation au combat à Ok Corral en compagnie de Wyatt Earp.

La nuit se passe au campground (camping) RV Coral ($33). A cette altitude il vaut mieux s’être équipé d’une bonne couverture (rarement fournie par les loueurs) ou avoir pris la précaution d’avoir acheté un duvet supplémentaire…

Le lendemain matin, 5 août, nous reprenons la route par la US 24 South en direction de Great Sand Dunes National Monument où nous arrivons à 10 h 30.

Great Sand Dunes est un parc national et une réserve américaine, situé dans le Colorado. Il protège un ensemble de dunes, en fait les plus hautes d’Amérique du Nord (210 m). Nous y séjournons au Pinon Flats campground ($14 la nuit).

Le 6 août lever à 5 h 30 et départ vers Durango à 7 h 30 où nous ne séjournerons que quelques heures, ayant déjà visité la ville au cours d’un précédent voyage. Nous profitons de l’occasion et du cour du dollar très bas pour y acheter un appareil photographique Canon (un autre boitier de plus…). Nous poursuivons notre route pour arriver à Cameron (environ 60 miles de Grand Canyon) vers 20 h 30. Nous avons parcouru environ 486 miles (781 kms) dans la journée et un repos est bienvenu après un petit tour dans le village, histoire d’acheter quelques denrées alimentaires ; sans plus car l’endroit est un piège à touristes… Nuit au Cameron campground motel ($14). En route nous avons délaissé Monument Valley, déjà visité à plusieurs reprise.

Le 7 août nous nous dirigeons vers Grand Canyon Village South Rim.  Nous arrivons à destination vers 11 heures et nous nous installons au seul campground (Mather campground, AZ – $18 la nuit) existant au sein du village (ce sera la seule réservation faite depuis l’Europe, en raison de l’affluence prévisible et vérifiée). Nous y passons deux nuits et profitons du séjour pour revisiter Grand Canyon, du moins le South Rim : Desert view et sa watch tower, Yaki Point (coucher de soleil) et aussi la nouvelle route “Hermit’s road (utilisation d’une navette gratuite obligatoire), ouverte depuis novembre 2008.

Grand Canyon est un endroit fabuleux où les points de vue s’enchaînent les uns derrières les autres et nous émerveillent toujours plus.

Le 9 août lever à 5 h, petit déjeuner et départ, à regret,(mais il faut poursuivre le périple) vers le sud en direction de Sedona où nous arrivons, après une halte de quelques heuresà Flagstaff, à 16 h 30. Camping à Page Springs à 10 miles de Sedona au Lolo Mai Springs campground ($36). Le campground vaut le détour : calme, sérénité, piscine et… moufettes !

Sedona est une petite ville de l’Arizona, à une centaine de kilomètres au sud de Flagstaff, et constitue le deuxième haut lieu touristique de l’Arizona, connu quasiment uniquement des touristes américains. La petite ville de 11 200 habitants est entourée de roches rougeâtres et le spectacle est époustouflant. L’attraction principale de Sedona est son choix renversant de formations de grès rouge : nous sommes dans la “red rock country” est le détour valait vraiment la peine. Nous nous sommes promis d’y revenir et d’y séjourner plus longtemps…

La police est accueillante et bon enfant et nous n’avons écopé que d’un “warning” (avertissement) pour avoir légèrement enfreint les règle de circulation… On se demande d’ailleurs d’où ils sortent quand malencontreusement vous ne respectez pas involontairement un panneau de signalisation…

Une petite visite à Jerome, ville fantôme de l’Arizona recyclée en dortoir et échoppes à artistes de tous ordres, s’impose ainsi que de Boyton Canyon à Sedona.

Départ le 12 août à 11 h 30 vers Tucson/Marana, AZ, où nous arrivons vers 19 heures sous les orages et après avoir passé quelques heures au fameux casino “cliff Castle Mantezuma”, sans avoir perdu grand chose heureusement…

Petit conseil : si vous êtes piqué par des moustiques ou autres insectes ayez toujours un oignon dans votre placard… Croyez moi cela sert !

Le prochain arrêt programmé, le 13 août,  est le parc national de Saguaro à l’ouest de Tucson (une partie se trouve également à l’est de Tucson).

Le parc de Saguaro, côté oriental du désert de Sonora,  est un parc national d’une superficie de 370 km² au sein duquel on peut y admirer le fameux cactus Saguaro que nous avons découvert dans les westerns traditionnels. Un décor magnifique, très peu de touristes, et des Saguaros à perte de vue ! Un lieu qui aura marqué notre périple. La faune y est abondante et avec un peu de chance vous y verrez un bobcat (lynx).

Le 14 août à 8 h 30 nous nous dirigeons vers Alamogordo, Nouveau Mexique, pour visiter White Sands National Monument. Nous arrivons vers 18 h 30 pour séjourner au Roadrunner campground ($26 la nuit).

Le 15 août départ pour visiter le Space Museum puis White Sands Dunes National Monument.

White Sands est l’un des joyaux du National Park Service. C’est un désert de dunes blanches (le plus étendu au monde, environ 50 km de long sur 15 km de large).

Le sable des dunes est en fait du gypse blanc. Marcher dans ces dunes au moment du coucher du soleil est une expérience inoubliable.

White Sands National Monument est entouré par la base militaire de White Sands et son espace réservé aux tests de missiles (White Sands missile range). L’accès au parc peut être interdit pour des raisons de sécurité pendant une courte période (de 1 à 3 heures). Les tests sont assez fréquents : environ 2 fois par semaine.

Plus on descend vers le sud et la frontière mexicaine plus il fait chaud… Nous quittons vers 9 h le 16 août Alamogordo pour nous diriger vers le Texas et son fameux parc “Big Bend National Park” où nous arrivons vers 20 h 30 sous une chaleur encore oppressante.

Le parc se situe dans une cuvette et nous recherchons un camping ombragé.

Vu la longueur de notre véhicule, il nous faut nous diriger au fond de la cuvette, au bord du Rio Grande qui fait office de frontière naturelle entre les Etats-Unis et le Mexique. Nous y trouvons facilement un endroit puisque nous sommes seuls… En fait, en raison de la chaleur la majorité des infrastructures sont fermées entre juin et début octobre… Mauvaise pioche ! Il fait trop chaud et les moustiques nous assaillent en permanence hors du motorhome. Malgré le fait que le parc est magnifique, nous décidons de repartir dès le lendemain matin pour remonter vers le Nouveau Mexique. Nous ne regrettons néanmoins pas ce détour d’environ 400 miles qui nous aura fait découvrir en route El Paso et nous aura fait entrevoir les merveilleux paysages de ce parc et nous nous promettons de revenir l’année suivante, au mois de mars ou avril…

Nous quittons donc Big Bend National Park le 17 août à 12 h 30 pour Fort Stockton, Texas, où nous ne faisons que séjourner au Fort Stockton Campground ($25) avant de poursuivre notre périple en direction de Calsbad (à 138 miles de Fort Stockton) au Nouveau-Mexique, où nous arrivons vers 14 h 30.

Le lendemain matin lever à 7 h et départ à 10 h pour une visite sous terre, dans les fameuses Carlbad Caverns.

Le parc national de Carlsbad Caverns s’étend sur 189 km² et comprend 83 grottes, dont les plus célèbres sont donc celles de Carlsbad Caverns. Ce sont les grottes les plus profondes du pays (486 mètres). Le parc est listé au patrimoine mondial de l’Unesco.

La découverte de ces grottes se fait à pieds et il vaut mieux se munir d’une torche, d’un chandail malgré qu’il n’y fait pas vraiment trop frais ; il y règne toutefois une humidité importante. Question photographie, abandonnez le flash pour un trépied. Les grottes ont servi de base photographique pour le film “Voyage au centre de la Terre”.

Les jeux de lumière ont été subtilement organisés et révèlent des stalagmites et stalactites impressionnantes.

Notre prochaine étape est la ville de Roswell, NM, célèbre pour avoir été le lieu d’un supposé crash d’un OVNI en 1947 ; c’est le lieu de rencontre obligé de tout ufologue américain qui se respecte. A vrai dire la ville ne présente guère d’attrait, hormis son musée de l’ufologie qui, soyons honnêtes, ne nous a pas emballés…

Aussi nous décidons de n’y séjourner qu’une nuit et de nous diriger vers Ruidoso, NM, où nous avons bien l’intention de nous détendre un peu en nous rendons sur le champ de courses hippiques avec un détour obligé dans l’un des nombreux casinos que renferme la ville.

Ruidoso est une petite ville active d’environ 7600 habitants qui jouxte la Lincoln National Forest et où les activités sont nombreuses.

Après ce contact avec la civilisation, départ le 21 août vers Cedar Crest où débute la Turquoise Trail qui nous mènera vers la mythique Santa Fe où se déroule une importante manifestation d’exposition d’œuvres d’environ 1200 artistes indiens.

Nous séjournons à Cedar Crest une nuit, puis repartons vers Santa Fe en empruntant le Turquoise Trail avec un arrêt à Madrid, NM.

Madrid est une ancienne ville minière (charbon) où se sont réfugiés de nombreux artistes (ou pseudo artistes) et de nombreux marginaux, anciens du Vietnam notamment.

Cette petite bourgade est fort agréable et il y fait bon déambuler dans l’artère principale en y découvrant les réalisations des artistes locaux.

Santa Fe nous accueille le 23 août. Ce weekend est effectivement dédié aux artistes indiens ; les rues regorgent de stands d’artistes de tous ordres et la ville est noire de monde ! Trop à notre goût ! Photographier les superbes monuments est quasi impossible car ils sont occultés par les nombreux stands des artistes.

Le lendemain matin nous nous dirigeons vers les montagnes Rocheuses et la ville de TAOS, NM, via la High Road, une scenic road fort agréable et très escarpée. En route nous nous arrêtons à Chimayo pour y visiter l’église de “El Santuario de Chimayo”, la Lourdes américaine.

La ville de Taos est située à proximité du pueblo Taos, village de la tribu amérindienne dont elle porte le nom. Taos a été établie en 1615, à la suite de la conquête espagnole des villages indiens tiwa de la vallée dès les années 1540. Durant les années 1770, Taos fut l’objet de raids incessants des Comanches qui vivaient dans les plaines de l’actuel Colorado oriental. On y trouve de nombreux musées et galeries d’art, dont le musée et la maison de Kit Carson. La première fois que nous avons visité Taos (il y a 10 ans) nous avons découvert la tombe de Kit Carson avec des inscriptions à la peinture rouge “Indians killer”…

Le 26 août, il est temps de partir tout excités vers Cripple Creek, Colorado, dans les Rocheuses, non loin de Colorado Springs. Nous savons, pour y avoir déjà séjourné quelques années auparavant, que nous allons trouver une ville pittoresque, où foisonnent les petits casinos accueillants avec une ambiance formidable ! Rien à voir avec les casinos tenus par des indiens…

La ville est située à l’emplacement d’une ancienne mine d’or et culmine à 9494 pieds d’altitude (environ 2878 m).

L’animation y est constante et l’ambiance bon enfant. L’exploitation des casinos y est autorisée en raison du passé minier (or) de la région. Nous adorons cet endroit que nous quittons à regret le 29 août pour nous rendre à l’aéroport de Denver où nous attend un grand oiseau de fer qui nous ramènera à Luxembourg…

We’ve been in Vegas since Saturday morning…having a blast!

Last Monday we were at the Grand Canyon.

All our photos can be viewd here.

I’ve heard a lot from paranormal freak friends of mine who either love or hate Rense.com.  All I know is I’ve found some great articles there, true or not.  Definitely food for the imagination.  Check this story out.

click the pic

“Wanna go to the Grand Canyon?” Steve asked. “Sure. Sounds great!” I responded.

Neither of us had any idea of the improbable chain of events our casual decision would unfold.

We were on the road by about 9:30 a.m., winding our way through Sedona’s hills. We took 89A north into the mountains and quickly left the red rocks behind for dense alpine forests. The scenery reminded us of Oregon. For about 10 miles, I tried not to look out my window at the precipice that lay beyond the two-foot guardrail.

Eventually the road flattened out, and an hour later we were in Flagstaff. We stopped for gas in a desert prairie and I took the wheel. About an hour later, as we were approaching Bedrock, we saw two guys along the road with their thumbs up. “Should we pick them up?” I asked, as I slowed down and pulled over. “They don’t look like too much trouble,” Steve said.

Steve was right: Nick and Mark were no trouble at all. Nick was an adventure tour leader who was between trips. His friend Mark—whom Nick had known since their elementary school years in Pennsylvania—was an environmental engineer. They had a tradition of meeting up once a year to travel together.

Unfortunately, during this year’s trip, Nick’s car had broken down in Bedrock. They’d decided to hitchhike while the car was being fixed. And so it was that our paths intersected.

To make a long story short, Steve and I ended up spending the whole day with Nick and Mark. They were perfect travel companions: funny, educated, well-traveled, easygoing, considerate, and nimble as mountain goats. The latter freaked me out on more than one occasion as they leaped across a 2,000-foot divide from one stony outcrop to another.

But everyone survived. And along the way, we got to walk up to a group of resting elk cows, watch a pair of ravens playfully lock talons and plummet a hundred feet, hike for miles along the canyon’s rim, and take goofy pictures of each other at every overlook we encountered. Steve and I had a blast.

As the sun faded behind the hills, we dropped Nick and Mark off in the same parking lot where we had first seen them almost six hours earlier. We waited to make sure their car would start. When we got the thumbs-up, Steve turned toward the highway and we drove off. I was sad to leave them behind.

It still hasn’t quite sunk in that I’ve finally seen the Grand Canyon with my own eyes. It defies any description I can muster—either through words or photographs. But I will say this: Hiking its rim is one of the best ways to make new friends.

So, a few moments ago I was trolling through the internet looking to see if I could see any info about my sister’s friend who was just the other day one of the luckiest people on the planet – she was an Olympic torch bearer in our home province of New Brunswick. I didn’t find anything (yet) about Christine, but I did find something that made me proud & at the same time very angry (on 2 fronts)

I found this article written by what in my estimation is some pompous jerk from Toronto, where he refered to New Brunswick as a “Have Not” province. I take real offence to that, Mr. Roy McGregor of the Globe & Mail - I bet you have never been to New Brunswick. While its residents may not be as rich as those from Toronto, have you ever given thought to why that part of the country is poorer? Historically, Upper Canada raped Atlantic Canada of its wealth to take care of itself & Atlantic Canada has paid the price ever since.

Ok, so that was part of what made me angry – the other part is that they would even think about harnessing the tides in Fundy. As the article points out, the area is incredibly diverse in marine life & anything that would upset that balance can, in my eyes at least, be seen only as a catastrophe. LEAVE FUNDY ALONE!!!

Now, what made me proud? This: “…….That reality could even get stickier if some of the people gathered here this day – Rick Flanagan included – are able to get their beloved Bay of Fundy named one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature.

“New7Wonders of Nature” is an international website campaign that began in 2007 and has whittled down 440 nominations to a list of 28, with final voting and decision due in 2011. (Canadians can vote by going to www.votemyfundy.com.)

The Bay of Fundy is the only Canadian entry to survive the cuts, but is up against such formidable competition as the Grand Canyon, Ayers Rock, the Amazon, the Galapagos, Mount Kilimanjaro and the Great Barrier Reef.”

How cool is that? The Bay of Fundy – the source of so many happy memories of growing up in New Brunswick, is the sole Canadian representative in the finals of the “New 7 Wonders of Nature” Sad that I sit here knowing that it probably won’t be voted one of the 7 wonders, but what an achievement to make it to the final!

So, to you my fellow Canadians, I say “GO VOTE!!” Bay of Fundy, please!

The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided gorge carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, one of the first national parks in the United States. President Theodore Roosevelt was a major proponent of preservation of the Grand Canyon area, and visited it on numerous occasions to hunt and enjoy the scenery.

The canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, ranges in width from 4 to 18 miles (6.4 to 29 km) and attains a depth of over a mile (1.83 km) (6000 feet).  Nearly 2 billion years of the Earth’s geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted.  While the specific geologic processes and timing that formed the Grand Canyon are the subject of debate by geologists,  recent evidence suggests the Colorado River established its course through the canyon at least 17 million years ago. Since that time, the Colorado River continued to erode and form the canyon to the point we see it as today.

Before European immigration, the area was inhabited by Native Americans who built settlements within the canyon and its many caves. The Pueblo people considered the Grand Canyon (“Ongtupqa” in Hopi language) a holy site and made pilgrimages to it. The first European known to have viewed the Grand Canyon was García López de Cárdenas from Spain, who arrived in 1540.

Exploring the Grand Canyon

There are many overlooks accessible by car that offer spectacular views of the canyon. Desert View Drive (Highway 64) follows the canyon rim for 26 miles/42 km east of Grand Canyon Village to Desert View – the east entrance to the park. Desert View Drive is open to private vehicles throughout the year. Hermit Road follows the rim for 8 miles/13 km west from Grand Canyon Village to Hermits Rest. Hermit Road is closed to private vehicles much of the year, but the park runs a free shuttle bus to provide transportation to overlooks.

A hiking trail, known as the Rim Trail, follows the rim from Pipe Creek Vista to Hermits Rest. The section of the Rim Trail between Pipe Creek Vista and Maricopa Point is paved, and mostly wheelchair accessible. Unpaved portions of the trail, between Maricopa Point and Hermits Rest, are narrow and close to the edge. Bicycles are not permitted on the Rim Trail.

Yavapai Observation Station at Yavapai Point offers panoramic views of the canyon, including the Colorado River and Phantom Ranch. The Yavapai Observation Station is located in close proximity to the Grand Canyon lodging on the rim.

For viewing and photographing the canyon, the best light is early or late in the day. Mid-day sun tends to flatten the view and soften the colors. Remember that days are short in the winter and long in the summer. If you plan to see the canyon at sunrise or sunset, it is recommended that you be on the rim at least an hour before.

The Colorado River flows along the bottom of the canyon, 5000 feet/1524 m below the rim. Because of the enormous depth of Grand Canyon, the river is visible only from certain viewpoints. It is a two-day hike to the river and back from the South Rim. It’s a longer trip from the North Rim. It is possible to drive to the Colorado River at Lees Ferry (near Marble Canyon, Arizona), a 2.5 hour drive (one way) from the South Rim. Lees Ferry marks the official beginning of Grand Canyon.

Most visitors make a stop at Bright Angel Point, at the southern end of the entrance road. From the parking area it is a short, easy walk to Grand Canyon Lodge and a classic view of the canyon. This facility is wheelchair accessible. A paved, half-mile (round-trip) trail leads from the lodge, out the spine of the ridge, to the point. This trail is steep in places, with drop-offs and stairs, but provides dramatic views into Roaring Springs and Bright Angel Canyons.

See that little black clump on the far right edge of the rim? That's a group of fifteen tourists.

The Grand Canyon.  How can you possibly convey with words, cameras or paintbrushes the jaw-dropping immensity and intensity of this geological wonderland? Sue and I spent two chilly nights on the south rim last week and wore out  the word WOW in the first ten minutes.  Some thoughts: 1) On the overcast morning when we first viewed the canyon, the far walls looked almost artificial — like a well-executed trompe l’oeil. 2) How did the first lensless explorers possibly explain to others the overwhelming beauty they had encountered?  Of course, they were most likely distracted by hostile Indians and the plague — a disease that still lingers here in mountain lions.  3) What would they call this canyon  had it been discovered more recently?  Certainly not “Grand” which is such a quaint expression of magnitude.  Probably something like “The Super Humongous Ultra Mega Canyon”.   Or perhaps they would have just sold the naming rights to Verizon, Staples or Budweiser.

Over Halloween weekend, I had my first visitors!  We decided to maximize my time in Arizona and visit the Grand Canyon.

We drove up on Friday, stopping in Sedona along the way.  The red rocks were basking in the sun and as the first brisk day of the season ( < 70 degrees ) the sunshine felt great on us too.  We walked through the downtown and stopped at the World of Jerky and Oaxaca Restaurant, which despite the haunted house decorations served up some great margaritas and guacamole.  Before leaving Sedona, we stopped at the Oak Creek Brewery for a drink which we enjoyed on their relaxing outside patio.

Our goal was to arrive at the Grand Canyon by sunset.  I am used to the beautiful sunsets I see everyday, but surprisingly the beautiful colors fail to make their way north.  We arrived at our hotel, the Maswik Lodge and set off for some dinner.  It was dark and there wasn’t much light, and the flashlight the website recommended to bring was still shrink wrapped back in our hotel room.  As we were walking to the restaurant at the Bright Angel Lodge, my eyes finally adjusted to the darkness and was alarmed that the Grand Canyon was right there!  My friends mistook my enthusiasm for thinking that we were at the Grand Canyon.  “No, ” I explained “Look closely its right there!”  We then stood in awe…for a few seconds until our stomachs began growling again.

The next morning, I convinced my guests to wake up for sunrise.  I’m surprised we actually made it and the joke of the morning was that the ring tone on my alarm sang “watch the sunrise…”.  The sunrise was not as spectacular as I was hoping.  The sun did not rise above the canyon as we, and the many people waiting outside with us, expected.  Instead it rose behind us and behind the canyon.  The colors cast on the canyon were indeed beautiful, but whether it was worth it for a 6am wake up call is only up for you to decide.

We had breakfast at the El Tovar dining room which was delightful.  The menu was a bit upscale and the waiter was incredibly friendly, even though he kept catching me in a manners faux pas each time he came by the table.  One time commenting: “We may be formal here, but we’re not stuffy.”

The rest of the day we spent hiking the Bright Angel trail.  We bundled up in plenty of layers (the high was only 50 degrees that day) and packed backpacks with water bottles, apples, and granola bars and started our journey.  The trail was steep at first but we quickly got into a groove.  We made it to the first 1.5 mile stopping point and decided to keep going.  We were definitely aware that we had to walk uphill whatever amount we were walking downhill, but we weren’t ready to turn around yet.  However, at the 3 mile marker we definitely hit our limit and turned around for the way up.

Overall, the 6 mile hike took about 3 hours.  It was certainly a fun accomplishment and we met lots of friendly folks along the way.  The most memorable was the 70 year old couple who we started the hike off with.  They joked that they were racing us to the bottom and we laughed in return.  Until they told us it was the husband’s 70th birthday and we realized we were being out hiked by 70 year olds when we were 40 years younger.  At that point, we all vowed to make health a priority in our lives.

Check out the Animoto video above and to see the rest of my pictures from the trip click here.

Retell: On the way to a pow-wow Old Bear teaches his nephew Little Turtle about the legends connected to the sacred places of other Native American tribes.

Topics: legends, Native Americans, sacred places, Wampanoag, Seneca, Niagara Falls, Navajo, Cherokee, Papago, Hopewell, Cheyenne, Hopi, Abenaki, Walapai, Grand Canyon

Units of Study: Content-Area, Nonfiction, Talking and Writing About Texts

Tribes: mutual respect

Reading Skills: envisionment, interpretation

My Thoughts: This is a great read aloud for integrating map skills.  Using the clues in each legend, students could try and figure out which place is being described.  A copy of the map in the back of the book could be distributed to students during the read aloud and partners could work together to locate each sacred place on the map.

Arizona’s first archeological Park is Homolovi Ruins State Park, situated along the river Colorado. This place is an ancient one (1200 ‘ 1425 AD) that used to be home to the Hopi Indians.

The Spanish were the first ones here (after the natives that is!) and started spreading Christianity among the Indians. After the Spanish, Kino’s death there was a War between the US Forces and Mexican Forces which ended in 1848 and the area divided.

Many Forts were erected by different people seeking wealth here, in order to defend against attacks by fierce Indians.

Many minerals like Silver, Gold, Copper and other minerals were found in the initial development of Arizona. All this helped Arizona develop at a fast rate.

Majority of people who bought farmlands got economically better by keeping cattle and farming.

Law & Order did not catch up quickly at the same pace. Many fights used to take place between the cattle grazers & sheep grazers for acquiring land for grazing. Last, but not the least a Marshal was assigned the job to stop these fights.

In 1912, Arizona became the 48th State of USA and the more development began.

There are many Historic Sites in Arizona for tourists.

Fort Verde Historic State Park is where the base of Captain Cook’s forces was used to fight the Apaches. The old quarters of soldiers are still there. Exploits of frontline soldiering are exhibited at the old Fort’s Museum.

The old home of James Douglas, Jerome State Historical Park used to be a house of all Copper Miners before the Great Depression and was closed thereafter. In it you can see the ‘Douglas’ Family’s aristocratic style of living. It is in the Town of Jerome off the State Route 89A.

Built in 1904, Riordan Historic Park, tells about Arizona’s Timber Merchants, Timothy & Michael Riordan. They were the leading logging experts in 1900. A look at the wooden furniture will tell you about the richness of their exterior craftsmanship. It is located in the heart of Flagstaff.

Located near the Community of Tubac is the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park that served as a Spanish defense against the Apache Indians. It was built as a Fort in 1752. It has a Picnic area, an 1885 School House and a visitor Center exhibiting the glorious Tubac Past.

Having a prison life of 33 years stands Yuma Territorial Prison State Historic Park. Seeing it you will start believing that the West was really wild. The Prison cells, the Guard Tower and its Gate are still there. Adjoining it the Yuma State Historical Park, is the South West’s most significant historical site.

A giant Green House called Biosphere 2 was made in 1991. It is an airtight, glass container in which eight people could live on their own was experimented. It is now a tourist destination.

Grand Canyon is a place which every visitor to Arizona must see.

This valley is 277 miles in length and one mile in depth. Mostly visitors choose the South Rim to explore this Natural World Wonder.

Grand Canyon Railway is a spectacular way of seeing the Grand Canyon while traveling by train and not worrying about parking. This 1920-vintage Coach joins Williams with the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

This week, three environmental groups sued the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for approving uranium mining just north of the Grand Canyon. In addition to endangering the Native American people of the area and threatening the Canyon’s fragile desert ecology, pollution from the Denison Mines Corporation’s 207-acre Arizona 1 mine could contaminate the Colorado River, a drinking water source for 25 million Americans.

Canadian-based Denison, a member of the extractive industries conglomerate the Lundin Group, was refused permits by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality for two other mine sites just a year ago, based on the company’s failure to provide adequate information on its pollution control methods and for its proposal to use antiquated technology to capture uranium-contaminated runoff. Despite the company’s track-record, the BLM is not requiring a new environmental impact assessment, but is allowing the company to reopen the Arizona 1 mine based on a review from more than twenty years ago.

In 2006, Denison merged with the International Uranium Corporation (IUC); IUC’s White Mesa uranium mill in Utah was built on land sacred to the Navajo and Ute people, and has been the target of environmental justice and indigenous rights’ advocates for the health and environmental hazards the company created. Last year, Denison was charged by regulators with exceeding the daily limit of uranium ore hauled from the site.

Earlier this year environmentalists revealed that, despite a Congressional resolution banning new mining on 1 million acres near the Grand Canyon, the Interior Department authorized exploratory drilling for Quaterra Alaska, a U.S. subsidiary of Quaterra Resources, a Canadian mining company holding 2,400 mining claims near the Grand Canyon.

In a promotional company profile, Quaterra’s CEO is hailed for his previous experience in the mining industry, including work with Rio Tinto, a company notorious for environmental havoc, human rights violations, and harsh labor practices. His bio also notes a successful sale of his prior firm to Glamis Gold, a U.S. firm bought by Canada’s Goldcorp in 2006 to form one of the world’s largest mining companies.

Glamis is notorious for its dirty mining operations in Honduras and for opposition to its Guatemalan mining plans. Earlier this year, in a NAFTA first, the southwestern Quechan Nation won its dispute with Glamis when an international tribunal ruled that U.S. and state governments were within their rights in regulating the company’s mining in recognition of Native American cultural and land rights. However, Glamis retains mining rights in the area, despite the tribe’s longstanding opposition to mining on its sacred Indian Pass site, an area designated as one of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in 2002 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

For the past four years my family has gone to a co-op for science. This has been a fun experience. Each year changes a little more. This year is earth science. Right now, they are all studying the 7 natural wonders of the world. 

Their teacher and fellow mom is doing a fantastic job and has lit a fire under my kids to learn more to get points so they can get a stamp in their ‘passport’ as they “travel around the world”. Some of the things they can do to earn points is: draw pictures of the different wonders, create a game to play, read/bring in a book on a wonder, calculate the distances from point A to B, and other research. My kids have really been going at it. Lovely!

J is in the process of creating a 7 wonders game based off the game Fact or Crap. Our wall map has a route from PA to the Grand Canyon, Az to Paricutin Volcano in Mexico, to the Rio de Janeiro Harbor, to Victoria Falls in Zambia/Zimbabwe, to the Aurora Borealis in the North Pole, Mount Everest in China, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and ending with an ice cream party in Hawaii. (Dad will help with the distance calculations.) Internet searches are being made, and pictures of being drawn. Overall, this has been fun and I’m learning a lot as well.

I began thinking of the all the wonders they are studying and the fact that they are natural, not man-made. So this is what I came up with and looked in awe at the wonders God has made in children.

1. Like the Grand Canyon, children are deep and profound (thinkers) and have many layers to them. Searching out each layer takes time and gentleness. And like the river that runs south to north through the canyon, sometimes kids just have to be different and go against the flow; whether it be strong-willed, super-smart, or painfully shy.

2. Kids grow FAST! Paricutin volcano was seen growing by a farmer (b/c it began in his corn field) and then by the town a short time later. Within the first year of its life, the Paricutin volcano had reached 3/4 of its height. That’s some fast movin’! And I’m always telling my kids to stop growing (you know I wouldn’t miss watching them grow for anything in the world)! 

3. Have you tried looking at things from your child’s perspective lately?The harbor at Rio de Janeiro is said to best be seen from all the different perspectives offered in the area. Sugar Loaf mountain and Corcovado offer two unique views of the harbor.  God gave children the ability to see with eyes that we adults usually forget about. Remember the movie BIG? He made a difference in a huge toy company b/c he saw things from a child’s point of view. And like the unique views from the mountains of the harbor, kids have several ways of looking at things. I know my children WOW me on a pretty regular basis.

4. Kids are NOISY! But look at them and listen to them like you might if you were seeing Victoria Falls in Africa – awe-inspiring beauty and deafeningly loud. There have been times when I hear the kids making lots of noise for no apparent reason. But when I go to ask them to stop I listen to what is being said. There have been some awesome worship songs being sung, some prayers being sang and sweet communion going on with the Lord. A couple of times I have walked away smiling and praising God – and there may have been a tear or two – but don’t tell anyone.

5. Kids are just plain fun to watch! The Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) is fun to watch – even if it’s just on TV or the internet. To quote a website we’ve been using to get some information for school, ”The best ways to experience the aurora or northern lights is to stand in amazement and watch them dance across the sky.” The things my kids come up with in their imaginations are crazy and then to watch them put on a show for you. Maybe it’s not Broadway material, but hey, it’s free and definitely entertaining.

6. Reach for the stars! Capture the moon! Go out of this world! OR maybe it’s just to reach the summit of the highest mountain in the world – Everest. Do kids know how to dream or what?! Dream big – you could change the world – even if you fail. What are the dreams of your kids? Mine go back and forth from many things, but I am building their strengths and letting God add what he needs to. When I was in college and doing my student teaching, there was a 5th grader who wanted to be an astronaut. I don’t know if he’ll make it that far (he’d only be out of college now a couple of years), but I sure wasn’t going to discourage him that dream. A friend of mine has an autistic daughter whose dream is to be the first Christian autistic film director. I have seen some of the strengths in her that she would need to accomplish this feat – and her parents are doing what they can to cultivate this dream for her.  

7. Finally, the Great Barrier Reef. I go back to Psalm 139:14 “I am fearfully and wonderfully made”. The Reef is the largest eco-system in the world. Think of all the coral and plants and fish that can be found there. The sand bars and the deep parts. What a fantastic place to visit (one day). Scientists are still learning things about the Reef. Now, think about the complexity of the human body and how great it is. Cells and cell division, organs that work precisely at the right time in conjunction with other organs, eyes that see upside down to be turned around so we see right-side up, hair that grows, but is really dead, and so on.  Scientists are still learning about the human body and always will I imagine. Parents all over the world count fingers and toes upon the arrival of their newborn child. Isn’t He great and marvelous and awesome and mighty…?

These are the things I thought of today. My kids are wonderfully made and they have a destiny that I desire to see them walk in. I hope this has been an encouragement to many. God bless!

It’s a pretty Grand Canyon. If you’ve never been, you should totally go.

Chapter 12, for your perusal.

1906 - On Sentinel Point, Grand Canyon, Arizona.

To view the complete collection, full size, visit the totally redesigned clicksypics.com.  To find out how these are created, go here.

Wir haben gestern in Flagstaff ein Hotel gesucht und dort gleich für zwei Nächte eingecheckt. Und wenn man sich nicht merkt, bis wann Breakfast zu haben ist und bummelt ohne Ende, dann muss man eben ohne Frühstück aus dem Haus

Die knapp 80 Meilen (130km)  bis Grand Canyon Village schafften wir gemütlich in zwei Stunden. Schneller geht es leider wegen der Geschwindigkeitsbeschränkungen am Wegesrand nicht. Am Eingang zum Nationalpark wurde das erste Mal während der bisherigen Tour per Vergleich  mit meinem Reisepass geprüft, ob uns der Nationalparkpass auch gehört.  Diesen “America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass – Annual Pass” haben wir gleich zum Anfang der Reise im Yosemite gekauft. Er kostet derzeit 80 $, gilt für alle Nationalparks der USA und ist ein Jahr gültig. Bei einer solchen Tour wie wir sie machen, rentiert sich die relativ hohe Summe ziemlich schnell. Die einzelnen Parks erheben pro privatem PKW Eintrittspreise zwischen 10 und 25 Dollar. Die gelten dann zwar für 7 Tage, aber nur für diesen einen Park. (Bei uns wären das bisher Yosemite=20$, Death Valley=20$, Zion=25$, Bryce=25$, Arches=10$ und Grand Canyon=25 $ bzw. in Summe 125$. ) Das war ein Servicehinweis für diejenigen, die sich auch einmal auf einen Nationalparktrip begeben wollen.

Zurück zum Canyon aller Canyons. Er ist nun mal der Größte, beeindruckend weit und tief und zugleich ein unheimlich divenhaftes Fotomotiv;-) Der Ausblick ist atemberaubend, kommt aber auf den Fotos in all seiner Unbeschreiblichkeit und Faszination nicht zur Wirkung. Übrigens auch kaum auf den Panorama-Postkarten, die ich gesehen und natürlich auch gekauft habe.

Wir waren am Südrand unterwegs, dem South Rim. Und dank des wunderbaren blauen Himmels und Sonne satt, konnten wir auf ca. 2.100m Höhe immerhin noch gute 13°C genießen.

Gelegentlich kreisten die Geier Raben über uns. Nachdem wir schon mutmaßten, dass man wohl demnächst den Weißkopfadler im Staatswappen durch Raben ersetzen muss, weil sie häufiger vorkommen, lernten wir im Visitor Center, dass diese tatsächlich hier hergehören.

An der gut ausgeschilderten Strecke entlang der Route 64 gibt es mehrfach Möglichkeiten, von Viewpoints  in die Schlucht zu sehen. Manche wirklich hart am Rande des Abgrunds. Leider war der Grandview wegen Straßenbauarbeiten gesperrt. Am Desert View befindet sich ein  21m hoher Aussichtsturm, der von der amerikanischen Architektin Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter entworfen und 1932 eröffnet wurde. Man kann ihn besteigen, dann allerdings nur noch durch Glasscheiben fotografieren.

Watchtower am Desert View

Das Innere des Turmes wurde mit vielfältigen Wandmalereien des Künstlers Fred Kabotie, einem Hopi-Indianer, verziert.

Wandmalerei im Desert View Watchtower

Und so sieht er aus, der Blick in den Grand Canyon am Desert View. Hier ist auch der Colorado gut zu sehen und wenn nicht zu viel Dunst über der Schlucht liegt, kann man sogar einige Stromschnellen erkennen.

Grand Canyon am Desert View

Mir hat der Grand Canyon gut gefallen und ich bin auch nicht enttäuscht, muss aber gestehen, dass ich vom Bryce Canyon begeisterter bin.

Just to be perfectly clear, nothing like this has ever happened to my father.

Something similar happened to me, once, though. And my sister, too.

Chapter 11. It’s all yours.

Have you ever wanted to visit the Grand Canyon? Well now is the perfect time to pack your bags and go on the trip of a lifetime. There are hotel and tour specials just waiting for you and your family. You can go online and google “Grand Canyon Vacations” and there will be plenty of vacationing packages for you to choose from.

You can be on your way to a wonderful time of river rafting, hiking, camping and even mule trips. You can choose to sleep in a comfy hotel room or outside in the wonderful wilderness. If you want to know what to pack, all you need are your favorite hiking clothes, boots, hats, pants, comfortable shirts, swimwear, sandals and whatever other accessories that you like to carry on your trip and you’re ready to get going. It’s just that simple and easy.

The Grand Canyon is a beautiful and spectacular place that’s taken millions of years to develop. The tour guides will take you to the best places to see and you’ll have the time of a lifetime. If you do decide to go, drop us a line and let us know how your trip went and what you would recommend others to try on the same trip. Have a great time.

Conservation groups are going to court to try and block a uranium mine near the north rim of the Grand Canyon.

Environmental groups are going to court to challenge federal approval for the restart of an old uranium mine near the north rim the Grand Canyon.

The Arizona 1 mine was built during the late 1980s and early 1990s, but was closed 1992 without ever producing any uranium. A recent spike in the price of uranium prompted the mine’s owners seek renewed approval for mining operations.

The Bureau of Land management granted that permit several years ago, but the environmental groups are claiming the environmental studies are outdated.

The lawsuit raises another red flag about potential impacts to animals on the endangered species list. In general, the conservation groups want to raise awareness about potential threats to the greater Grand Canyon ecosystem from uranium mining.

The mine is located about 10 to 15 miles from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Officials with the Toronto-based company that owns the mine told the Canwest News Service that there is enough geographical distance and geological separation between the mine and the national park to minimize  potential threats.

Federal environmental laws require the BLM to consider new information  the hydrology, spring ecology, and biodiversity of the area in order to accurately evaluate the impacts of the mine, according to Taylor McKinnon, public lands campaigns director at the Center for Biological Diversity.

The National Environmental Policy Act specifically requires updated studies after a certain amount of time, or if there is new information to be considered.

Since the rise in uranium prices has triggered a slew of new applications for mines, federal land managers must also evaluate cumulative impacts.

A new look is warranted is warranted given new information, circumstances, and public controversy about renewed uranium mining near Grand Canyon. McKinnon said. The suit also cites violations of the Endangered Species Act in the federal government’s failure to ensure that new mining will not jeopardize threatened and endangered species or their critical habitat — including Colorado pikeminnow, humpback chub, bonytail, razorback sucker, southwestern willow flycatcher, and Mexican spotted owl.

The mine is an area that was put off limits to new mines by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.

“The Bureau of Land Management’s refusal to redo outdated environmental reviews is as illegal as it is unethical,” said Taylor McKinnon, public lands campaigns director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “It should be eager to protect the Grand Canyon and its endangered species; instead, it has chosen to shirk environmental review on behalf of the uranium industry.”

It’s also not clear whether the mine’s owners have established valid rights to the uranium they want to mine.

Spikes in uranium prices have caused thousands of new uranium claims, dozens of proposed exploration drilling projects, and proposals to reopen old uranium mines adjacent to Grand Canyon.

Renewed uranium development threatens to degrade wildlife habitat and industrialize now-wild and iconic landscapes bordering the park; it also threatens to deplete and contaminate aquifers that discharge into Grand Canyon National Park and the Colorado River, according to the environmental coalition fighting the mine.

The Park Service warns against drinking from several creeks in the Canyon exhibiting elevated uranium levels from past uranium mining.

Uranium mining has sparked public protests in Arizona.

I’m halfway through!!

Chapter Ten is neato-completo.

Hi I’m strawberryeve, I live in Las Vegas Nevada.  I sell tours to the Grand Canyon on the Strip and I spend my days answering questions about the city, dining, the sights, shows, the weather and of course the Grand Canyon.   I worked as a tour guide on the Colorado river in the Hualapai reservation for two years so I know a great deal about visiting the Grand Canyon.  I’ve also found that people are really interesting in hearing the insider information I have about visiting Las Vegas in general.    I also dine, check out the casinos, go to shows and well, live in the world’s favorite adult playground.  I’m starting this blog to share all the info I can, my insights and my reviews of  shows, restaurants and resorts.  I will offer information on the best of Las Vegas, the must-sees and the must avoids, the best way to get around the Strip, the amazing things you can find off the Strip, my random experiences and occasionally a little history.   I am open to any questions or suggestions.  Thanks for checking out my new blog

November 15, 2009.

So far, I have been on four rafting trips on the Colorado River through Grand Canyon. The first trip, in 1994, was a one-weeker. The other trips were two weeks.

I know it’s crazy, but even today, that first trip lives in my memory as the longest of them all. It was as if time slowed down and allowed me to savor every moment of the experience.

Oddly enough, the only time I was in any danger was on dry land, not in the rapids. It happened during the 1994 trip.

On either the first or second afternoon (I can’t remember everything), our group made camp.

Either at Georgie‘s Camp, river mile 19 (the 1st night) or at Buck Farm Canyon, river mile 41 (the 2nd night), we passengers dispersed to stake out our sleeping spots on the sand, and the guides proceeded to set up the kitchen and start supper.

We had about an hour of free time, so I decided to stroll off into the surrounding wilds to see what I could see. Per the trip rules, I informed Andrew, the trip leader, and departed.

In an ideal world, I would have had my camera with me, but the accursed thing had died that morning. Stopped working. Croaked.

Andrew said it was my own fault; I had somehow offended the River Gods. He said they won’t put up with crap from anybody, least of all a tourist.

The trail was good, and the walk was fairly easy. But soon, the trail being rather monotonous, I decided to venture off-trail. I headed up a slight incline to the right that appeared to lead to an overlook.

The route I followed was a faint sheep trail that climbed the hill in a mostly straight line, angling from lower left to upper right.

The overlook gave me a great  view, but I couldn’t see the river. I wanted to see the river. So I continued upward.

Before long, I was 20 minutes into the ascent and beginning to gain altitude. I was too far from camp to see or hear the activity below.

Not only that, the nature of the slope was beginning to change.

In Grand Canyon, the rock layers change as you go higher or lower. I don’t know what layer I reached that afternoon — my understanding of Grand Canyon geology is only superficial — but whatever it was, the terrain consisted of a layer of thin, fractured, flat grey rocks that were exceedingly unstable.

As I proceeded up the slope, I was forced to ascend on all fours because the loose chunks of slate or shale covering the slope would not be still. They were very slippery, constantly sliding and shifting underfoot as I walked.

Situation: I was on a steep, slippery hillside that was getting steeper and slipperier with every step.

At that moment, the voice of common sense and self-preservation that dwells in one’s brain, the survival instinct that one should heed in such situations, spoketh.

I looked around. The sheep trail seemed to have faded out. If I continued, I might become ledged out and in real trouble. The voice said it was time to turn back, and I concurred.

Carefully, I turned around on the path and positioned myself sideways, using my right arm to form a tripod and gain stability.

It was a good thought, but it didn’t work. I took one step, and my feet slid out from under me. I landed on my backside with a thud.

I tried again, this time descending backwards, looking over my shoulder, both hands on the trail for stability.

After one or two steps, I ended up flat on my belly. By golly, that slope was a lot easier to ascend than descend.

I turned around, sat up, and studied the slope. It appeared that the dicey part was a stretch of only 10 or 20 yards. If I could cover that distance without losing it in a spectacular way — and by that I mean cartwheeling head-over-teakettle several hundred vertical feet back into camp — I would be back on more firma terra.

I probably took a sip of water, adjusted my daypack, and wiped my brow with a bandana. Then, very gingerly, standing sideways, I took a step downhill.

Immediately, there came a deep rumble, as if of thunder.

The ground around me shook. Dust began to rise. I was being shaken violently, but somehow remained standing.

My first thought was earthquake! My fate was in other hands, and I probably was doomed.

But something wasn’t right. In spite of the sudden wild activity and movement, the ground beneath me looked perfectly normal. The earth should be splitting asunder, shouldn‘t it?

Then I realized it was no earthquake. It was a landslide.

A giant slab of the shale/slate material, probably a dozen feet square, had broken loose and was sliding down the slope in one chunk, with me on top of it.

Our slow, rumbling, downhill slide probably lasted 10 seconds. The slab stopped and started three times.

Each time the slab stopped, I thought, Thank God! Thank God!

Each time it started again, I thought, Oh, God! Oh, God!

And believe me, I wasn’t addressing the River Gods.

Eventually, the slab came to rest. For a few seconds, rumbling and booming echoed through the canyon.

The dust was awful, but I didn’t care. I had ridden the beast, kept my balance, and survived completely unscathed. It was good to be alive. It was SO GOOD to be alive.

The slab of rock had moved about 15 yards downhill and stopped at the base of the slope — the very spot I needed to reach. I stepped onto more solid ground and joyfully made my way back down the hill.

On the way back to camp, I decided not to mention the event to my traveling companions. The guides might bar me from leaving camp alone. Or at all. Besides, no harm was done. It would be my little secret.

When I arrived back at the beach, Andrew was waiting.

“I was about to go looking for you,” he said. “There was a rockfall somewhere back up there. We heard it in camp.”

“Really?” I said. “Too bad I missed the excitement.”

Technical depiction of your average rockslide.

1. Grant Village Campground

Nearby nature destination: Yellowstone National Park

Location: Wyoming

This is one exciting sight to see: the Grand Geyser, the largest predictable geyser at the Yellowstone National Park which spouts boiling water at over 150 feet in the air.

That’s just one of the many things to see when staying at the Grant Village campground within the Yellowstone National Park at the northwestern part of Wyoming.

2. Malibu Creek Campgrounds

Nearby nature destination: Malibu Creek Sate Park

Location: California

Those who live near Los Angeles in California have already probably spent a weekend or two at the Malibu Creek State Park campground. The park used to be owned by 20th Century Fox where several television shows and movies were filmed.

Aside from camping, you can also go horseback riding, mountain biking, fishing, swimming and bird watching. [California Camping]

3. Cumberland Campgrounds

Nearby nature destination: Cumberland Island National Seashore

Location: Camden County, Georgia

If you want to have a primitive camping experience, there is no better place to do it than at the campgrounds at the Cumberland Island National Seashore.

There are serene beaches on the barrier islands just off the Georgia coast and it’s yet another must-visit for campers from all across the nation. [Beach Camping]

4. Moraine Campground

Nearby nature destination: Rocky Mountain National Park

Location: Colorado

The Rocky Mountain National Park was established in 1915 and it offers five drive-in campgrounds. What makes this particular area unique is that there are about 200 back country campsites all across the park – just keep in mind that there are no hookups for electric, water or sewer systems for your motor homes.

5. Mather Campground

Nearby nature destination: Grand Canyon National Park

Location: Arizona

No outdoor camping experience will ever be complete without paying homage to the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, one of the best and greatest tourist attractions in the US. This UNESCO World Heritage Site has campgrounds which are open year-round. If you’re planning to go during summer, make sure to book for reservations six months in advance.

Photo Source: http://www.campingtourist.com/camping-spots.