Adventures in Arizona (Day 2)

It snowed most of Thursday night at the Grand Canyon. When we got up this morning at 5:00am my car door was frozen shut. A few hard thrusts and the ice cracked. It was not a pleasant sound.

By 6:15am we were on a free shuttle bus touring the Hermit Road lookout points. The entire shuttle ride is 80 minutes if you opt to not get off at one of the 9 points going and three points returning (the 3 are some of the same points as the original 9). We were the only people for the first 3 points. When you get off, another bus comes in 15 to 20 minutes and you can continue this and spend most of the day exploring. It was too darn cold with heavy wind at an altitude of over 8000 feet.

Our driver was kind enough to give us a minute to take a photo at each stop, so we didn’t have to be in the cold for the 15-20 minute wait for another shuttle. I am glad we went to the park, cold or not, as it is spectacular, breathtaking, and all of the other superlatives that have been used to describe the region.

A few photos below from our tour:

 

We decided to head out a day early from the park since even more snow was forecast for the day. On our way out of the park we caught four elk in the Grand Canyon Village area.

We headed out to Wupatki National Monument, stopping for a late breakfast at Cameron Trading Post in Cameron. We tried Navajo Fry Bread instead of toast. The bread was the highlight of the food so far this trip. Given that we’ve been eating soup made with our dehydrated veggies and trail mix that may not seem like high praise. It was scrumptious though – they served the ‘fry’ bread with honey, butter, a cinnamon sugar mix, and powdered sugar.

Wupatki National Monument is in the Coconino National Forest and borders the nearby Navajo Indian Reservation. We checked out several pueblo sites and toured the Wupatki Visitor Center. I took a few photos of the ruins of a Nalakihu site. Nalakihu is a Hopi word for “Lone House” or House Outside the Village.” We drove the 35 mile loop that connects Wupatki and Sunset Crater Volcano. There was snow on the ground at the higher altitudes of the Sunset Crater area – the roads were clear though! (Unlike the Grand Canyon roads).

                                          Ravens at Nalakihu Pueblo Pull-Out (they are the largest                                            ravens we had ever seen. 

From Wupatki we headed further south to Sedona. Our friend Elizabeth had recommended we check out the Sedona Airport Scenic Lookout. It was warm there (well warmer than anywhere else today)! I took photos from one area while Joe followed a trail part way. For a $3.00 parking fee it was a great economic decision. My photos do not do it justice but you can Google any of the places I’ve mentioned today and see beautiful photos.

We are excited that we will spend tonight in warmer weather and are looking forward to connecting with our friends Elizabeth Boyle-Roden and Dave Roden tomorrow in Gilbert, Arizona.