After a delightfully large buffet breakfast, I said my goodbyes to Grandma and Jeff. They’re off to New Mexico—safe travels! I checked out of the motel with the manager‘s oldest son, who couldn’t be older than twelve but was very professional. Grandma and I had a pleasant talk with the manager on Thursday; I hope he can visit his grandparents in Mexico soon.
It took about two minutes to drive into Arizona. US-89A meandered through the Kaibab Forest; our tour guide Robert told us yesterday that Kaibab was a Paiute term meaning “mountain lying down” or “mountain giving up”. The Plateau didn’t care what it was called—it rose up and up, and so did I. Robert gave me a couple recommendations yesterday, the first of which was to stop at Le Fevre Overlook to see the Grand Staircase from afar. A million sagebrush bushes turn the cliffs into a pointillist masterpiece.
Robert’s other suggestion was a stop at Jacob Lake to pick up some cookies. I munched. Pretty good. The sugar rush carried me the last hour until I arrived at the north rim of the Grand Canyon. Before today, my opinion on the canyon was this: very impressive, but one-dimensional. After today, I am happy to report that, for once in my life, I was right.
The geology is, admittedly, quite cool. The layers of sandstone shine with color, even on a hazy day like today. The scope of the Canyon is also undeniably majestic. But my eyes never popped, as they did at several previous stops. And the details of the canyon are lost at such distance. Without change or transformation, it becomes, somehow, simply background. I’m sure if I hiked into the canyon, my attitude would change quickly and dramatically. As a visual attraction, I prefer what I’ve seen in Utah so far.
I found a secluded spot, worked on more song lyrics, and dug into some word puzzles. My brain needed sharpening. I was hoping for a spectacular sunset, but clouds moved in and the light simply dimmed. Back to my car, then, to camp in Kaibab. I enjoyed having a bed for the past two nights (thanks again, Grandma and Jeff!), but it’s comforting to restart the routine.
To quote Darth Vader: “Most impressive.”
Let me explain one of the psychic differences between you and your grandmother. If you were she at a similar age to yours, you’d be picking up rocks everywhere you went to add to your rock collection when you got home. Just think of all the fun you would have carrying all that extra ballast around!
And, no, I’m NOT going to go into my story about Grandma’s rock collection here (but I bet she still has it stored away in some box in her garage attic).
Jeff and I were not greatly impressed with the North Rim views. The attraction for me there was that it was not as overrun with tourists as we later found at the South Rim. But that’s because the immensity of it all is so much more apparent at the South Rim. I’m glad I viewed it at both places ; and I have many pictures to remind me. Love, Grandma