If you live in SoCal and haven’t been to the Grand Canyon get out here

From Sedona, to get to the Desert View entrance to the Grand Canyon National Park you drive through Flagstaff, then through the Navajo Indian Reservation.  This is one tribe that’s definitely not casino rich.  The area was reminiscent of parts of Baja.  Small shacks dotted the landscape, many of the roofs had old tires on top, as if to hold them down.  There were small makeshift stands, many not more than tables, along the highway selling turquoise jewelry, Navajo blankets and horse hair pottery.  It was painfully obvious the poverty rate is very high.

We entered the Grand Canyon, paid our $25, and then immediately left the park to set up camp at a super sweet boon docking spot just two miles outside of the park in the Kaibab National Forest.  We were away from the crowds and isolated.  We figured it was a much better option than Mather Campground at 300 plus sites.  The peace and quiet was well worth the extra drive.

The Grand Canyon is the Grand Daddy of them all. It must be seen in person to truly grasp the enormity, up to 18 miles wide, a mile deep, and 277 river miles long. It truly is breath taking. This National Park is in tiptop shape.  The trails, roads, signage and even the banos were all very impressive.  It was crowded, but not too crowded.  I’m happy to say I can still spot a Euro from a mile away, and there were plenty of them.  As I mentioned in our Mono Vista RV Park, Lee Vining post, they have a real zest for life and adventure.  There was also no shortage of Asians on big bus tours and out of shape and overweight Americans.

Since the 80s, when reading about the near demise of the California Condor, I have been dying to see one in the wild.  I had high hopes of spotting one in the Grand Canyon.  Unfortunately it was not to be.

For those of you that are wondering, R and his generator are still tagging along….

One of many roadside stands.

The outhouse the lady uses that runs the roadside stand.

Gotta love the National Forests!

It’s not everyday you see a mountain lion sign.

One of three elk legs Sara sniffed out at our campsite. We are assuming a mountain lion got it.

We boon docked right next to the Arizona Trail and the Grandview Lookout Tower. The trail is a sweet single track that stretches from the Utah border all the way to Mexico. In my younger days I use to romanticize about manning a lookout tower.

Camp Kaibab, a nice sunny spot for our solar panel.

Sunset over the Grand Canyon.

Too soon! Just when we thought we escaped the invasion of the pink jeeps…

We were so “busy” one evening getting to the rim for sunset we forgot Sara’s leash. So we improvised with a bungee.

A smile as beautiful as the Grand Canyon.

Porch step Queen of the Airstream.