DAY 20...What a long day it has been...
We left the Grand Canyon National Park about 7:15 am. Here are my thoughts...While the Grand Canyon itself (we only explored the South Rim), is a sight to behold, it was a great let down as a “National Park”. The restrooms, at every location we tried, were filthy! The service was less than cordial in most places as well. We didn’t find the area to be kind, joyful or hospitable, in the park or the surrounding area. It was more of an attitude of “you want to see what’s here, then we can treat you however we like.” Rather sad that this is the face we show to millions of tourists each year...no wonder Americans have a reputation for being rude!
On a brighter note, the Park does offer free shuttles so that you don’t have to drive. You can catch them in the city of Tusayan or park in one of the lots at the Park and then shuttle the rest. They shuttles run every 10-15 minutes. So, you can get off at a view point, do some hiking or just take some photos and then catch the shuttle to the next scenic spot. It is nice to have this information ahead of time. We were not aware, but once we were able to figure it out it did make the the experience more enjoyable not having to fight the traffic. Also, we would suggest planning well in advance. We were able to secure a tent site but it was the only one left and they are booked through September! As I mentioned, we utilized the shuttle service the first day and saw the western part of the south rim. The second day, we explored the eastern side (there is no shuttle here). We found the eastern side to be much more beautiful and FAR less congested!
Now were are in Mesa Verde, Colorado (a return to civilization, we have cell service and WiFi that works!). We had a nice overcast day for the drive with temps mostly in the 70’s. We made a stop at 4 Corners and stood in Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico all at one time. This landmark is run by the Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation. The cost is $5/person to enter. Surrounding the landmark are booths with Navajo wares. The craftmaship was amazing! We watched Will Redbird do some painting, and another man “whittle” arrowheads from native stone. Great place to do some shopping;)
Throughout this journey, I continue to be amazed at the vast expanses of land where there is just space! I am still amazed at the amount of wilderness between Silver City and Houghton, so this is just overwhelming! As we travel we see the landscape and color mutate from dark to light, from rough to smooth. Do you remember those sand art kits - it was like liquid sand and as you would squeeze the bottle the sand would run out into the container and form odd shapes? I feel like we have be living in a huge “snow globe” watching how God used the “sand bottle” to make all the different shapes.
This afternoon, we explored Mesa Verde National Park. What a fascinating place. There are cliff dwellings and ruins of the Pueblo people. Wildfires have destroyed over 28,000 acres since 1996. The largest was the Bircher Fire in 2000, which took 19,607 acres! Along Long Mesa, 2,601 acres burned in 2002 and there are burned trees (we could still smell the burn) as far as the eye can see. We also found snow...that we could have done without;). The campground we are staying at is called Mesa Verde RV Resort. It is wonderful! Super great hosts and EXTREMELY clean! We will be here again tomorrow night. We have some other places to explore tomorrow and we are trying to avoid being part of the storm system that is being called a “blockbuster blizzard” in Denver!
On a brighter note, the Park does offer free shuttles so that you don’t have to drive. You can catch them in the city of Tusayan or park in one of the lots at the Park and then shuttle the rest. They shuttles run every 10-15 minutes. So, you can get off at a view point, do some hiking or just take some photos and then catch the shuttle to the next scenic spot. It is nice to have this information ahead of time. We were not aware, but once we were able to figure it out it did make the the experience more enjoyable not having to fight the traffic. Also, we would suggest planning well in advance. We were able to secure a tent site but it was the only one left and they are booked through September! As I mentioned, we utilized the shuttle service the first day and saw the western part of the south rim. The second day, we explored the eastern side (there is no shuttle here). We found the eastern side to be much more beautiful and FAR less congested!
Now were are in Mesa Verde, Colorado (a return to civilization, we have cell service and WiFi that works!). We had a nice overcast day for the drive with temps mostly in the 70’s. We made a stop at 4 Corners and stood in Utah, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico all at one time. This landmark is run by the Navajo Nation Parks and Recreation. The cost is $5/person to enter. Surrounding the landmark are booths with Navajo wares. The craftmaship was amazing! We watched Will Redbird do some painting, and another man “whittle” arrowheads from native stone. Great place to do some shopping;)
Throughout this journey, I continue to be amazed at the vast expanses of land where there is just space! I am still amazed at the amount of wilderness between Silver City and Houghton, so this is just overwhelming! As we travel we see the landscape and color mutate from dark to light, from rough to smooth. Do you remember those sand art kits - it was like liquid sand and as you would squeeze the bottle the sand would run out into the container and form odd shapes? I feel like we have be living in a huge “snow globe” watching how God used the “sand bottle” to make all the different shapes.
This afternoon, we explored Mesa Verde National Park. What a fascinating place. There are cliff dwellings and ruins of the Pueblo people. Wildfires have destroyed over 28,000 acres since 1996. The largest was the Bircher Fire in 2000, which took 19,607 acres! Along Long Mesa, 2,601 acres burned in 2002 and there are burned trees (we could still smell the burn) as far as the eye can see. We also found snow...that we could have done without;). The campground we are staying at is called Mesa Verde RV Resort. It is wonderful! Super great hosts and EXTREMELY clean! We will be here again tomorrow night. We have some other places to explore tomorrow and we are trying to avoid being part of the storm system that is being called a “blockbuster blizzard” in Denver!
Comments
Post a Comment