Thursday, May 19th – Vermillion Cliffs to Grand Canyon National Park – North Rim, Arizona – Day 98
We woke up to a gorgeous view of the Vermillion cliffs stretching out along one side of the campsite. They were stunning vertical monuments with sheer imposing faces. The campsite was in an open field with a mound that the kids could climb on and look for pretty rocks. We did our morning routine and got going.
Our first stop was the Navajo Bridge Interpretive Center to get some information about the cliffs and hikes, as well as a passport stamp and junior ranger book. The Interpretive Center was more of a gift shop; no junior ranger program but they had a stamp. We got some very good information about the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area; they had a hike, a beach, and some beautiful rock formations to check out.
The Glen Canyon National Recreation Area is the very northern tip of the Grand Canyon. The Colorado River leaves the recreation area, enters the Grand Canyon National Park, and starts to carve out the canyon. The bridge at Navajo bridge is the first opportunity to cross the Grand Canyon going north from the south rim.
We drove into the recreation area and the views were fantastic. The Vermillion cliffs ran to our north and there were random rock formations all around us. The coolest formations were the balancing rocks. These huge boulders had fallen from the cliffs above and compressed the dirt below. While rain washed away the loose soil, the compressed soil stood the test of time and held the original boulder on a pedestal.
Our hike was to Lonely Dell Ranch, a 0.8 km round trip. There wasn’t much to the hike, we stopped as soon as we saw the orchard. You were allowed to pick up to 5 gallons of fruit. The peaches, plums and limes weren’t ready, but the apricots were ready to be picked. Gen was a passionate picker. After a while, I hiked over to the ranch to see the objects they had on display. They had some old farm equipment and signs about the history of the ranch. The best feature was you could go into the cold cellar which was refreshing in the heat. We finished picking and then went back to the car.
Next stop was the beach for a swim. We were debating pay showers because we hadn’t showered since Cortez but ultimately decided a swim might be better. The beach was set beside the Colorado river which ran against cliffs. There were some fishermen trying their luck in the river. There were a group of Condors gracefully gliding up and down the canyon. The river was freezing since it was snow melt from the Rockies. Gen and I had a great swim while the kids played in the shallow water and sand. We spent some time relaxing and admiring the view before packing up.
To be continued...
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