A beautiful morning as we headed north back to the Grand Canyon. A quick drive through the Visitor’s Center parking lot convinced us to avoid its crowds and head east on the Desert View Drive. The 23-mile-long road has several vistas and we decided these views were even better than yesterday’s. Our first stop was Pipe Creek Vista followed by Duck on a Rock. When we reached Grandview Point, we were finally able to see the Colorado River at the bottom of the canyon. Moran Point offered great views of the geologic layers that make up the canyon and at Lipan Point we could even see the Hance Rapids, named for a Civil War veteran who switched sides during the war (Confederate to Union). He later moved to the Grand Canyon where he had many exploits on the river, even establishing a hotel on the edge of the canyon. The only wildlife we saw were ravens, in flight and hanging about waiting for food and a single California condor riding the winds above our heads--a rare site indeed. Our drive ended at Desert View Point and the Watchtower. This structure was built in 1932 having been designed and planned by architect Mary Colter. Her design takes its influences from the architecture of the Ancestral Puebloan people of the Colorado Plateau. We enjoyed some wonderful ice cream at the gift shop before we continued east.
A little outside the park border we came across a pullout with a short hike to a vista overlooking the Little Colorado River Gorge. It appears as a scar in the earth and is on Navajo land. A short time later we lunched at the Cameron Trading Post, established in 1916 and still run by the Navajo tribe.
After lunch, we headed north towards Page, turning onto Highway 89A at Bitter Springs. The Vermilion Cliffs were in view. The highway traces part of the Honeymoon Trail—a route taken by newlywed Mormons across the Arizona Strip to solemnize their vows at the Church temple in St. George, Utah. This was also the ancestral home of Puebloans and Southern Paiute. The road took a sharp 180 degree turn at Marble Canyon where we were able to walk across the now historic Navajo Bridge. The bridge was dedicated in 1929, was the highest steel arch bridge in the world, and made traveling between Utah and Arizona much easier. A modern bridge was constructed just next to the historic one in 1995.
Continuing west, we soon climbed the cliffs and entered the Kaibab National Forest, passing through Jacob Lake which is where visitors bound for the North Rim of the Grand Canyon turn south. We arrived at the Le Fevre Overlook, elevation 6,700, in time for sunset and moonrise, which happened to nearly coincide. More clouds to the west offered some spectacular colors and patterns. Off to the west and north was all of the steps in the Grand Staircase of Utah.
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