Day 3 - The Road to Page

It was rainsuits on (Can you see the pattern here?) as we left Tusayan for Page via the Grand Canyon south rim route, highway 64. This route brings you back into the park and offers numerous pull-offs to stop and view the canyon from different vantage points. We made use of most of them. The canyon continued to awe, especially as it would disappear and then reappear as storm clouds moved through. While the inclement weather may have been inconvenient a park ranger expressed it best when he said these conditions were "special" in terms of seeing the canyon. (As a side benefit there were fewer people crowding the viewing locations.)

By the time we reached the tower at Desert View the rains had stopped except for a periodic sprinkle and stayed that way for the rest of the day.

The tower at Desert View is a man-made 70-foot tower on the edge of the canyon. Not sure that 70 feet adds much in terms of a vantage point when you’re already a mile above the canyon floor but clearly someone did. Regardless, it’s worth a quick stop to climb to the top and see for yourself.

 From Desert View the road quickly drops to the canyon floor offering yet another perspective on the canyon and environs. The loss of elevation is quite dramatic along the Little Colorado River Gorge until you reach Hwy 89 heading north to Page. By now you are in the Navajo Indian Reservation which, for those of you who care about such things, is dry, meaning no alcohol is sold or served on their lands. In other words, if you want a beer in your hotel that night, better stock up in Page (just outside the reserve).

Last February a portion of Hwy 89 up near Page collapsed and that highway is closed until further notice. So we had to detour further east and back-track along Hwy 98. It added quite a few miles to the day but it was still a beautiful ride through a gorgeous countryside. Very desolate though with few signs of life and no services anywhere along the route.  We found this to be the case throughout the area and so took every opportunity to gas up and take a pit stop. (There aren’t a lot of trees for the ladies to hide behind out here either.)

Approaching Page we were sure we were going to get a final soaking as a huge storm spanned the horizon in front of us, but every time we seemed to be getting close the road would veer off in another direction and we’d gain a few more miles. We checked into our hotel about 30 minutes before a severe weather warning was put on for the area and the storm finally hit just as we were comfortably having dinner in a local Italian food joint.

After it passed we picked up supplies for the following night (see comment above re dry) and headed back to our rooms. Tomorrow was going to be another full day so an early start was called for.

Day 2 - Grand Canyon

It had rained most of the night and by morning there was still a bit of mist in the air. Temperatures were decidedly cool with the mercury barely reaching 60 under a patchy sky.

First stop: Williams, AZ. Essentially a 1-street town Williams' main claim to fame seems to be that it is on Route 66. Two blocks of Route 66 memorabilia, kitsch, and photo opportunities and that's about it. Oh yeah, the Grand Canyon train departs from there as well. It's worth a stop but unless one is a Route 66 fanatic needing all the tin signs, tee shirts, etc. you can be in and out in an hour.

 

From Williams it was a straight shot up Hwy 64 to Tusayan where we would stay the night, and the South Rim of Grand Canyon (apparently it's just Grand Canyon and not 'The' Grand Canyon. Not sure why.) While it threatened rain most of the way the worst we got was a few drops here and there and it was a beautiful ride, very reminiscent of the Needles Highway well known to those who have toured around Sturgis and environs in South Dakota.

Arriving at the park gate we paid our $12 per person entrance fee. The handwritten sign on the park gatehouse said "Heavy rain predicted, limited visibility, NO REFUNDS". We went in anyway and headed up to the visitor centre. While there were lots of people around it wasn't crowded, one of the benefits of visiting when school was back in session.  After getting the lay of the land it was off to see the canyon itself.

Countless writers have used every imaginable adjective to describe Grand Canyon, and none could possibly do it justice. It truly is an incredible sight. As we walked the South Rim we could see a storm coming in from the East and watching it fill the canyon with clouds and rain while throwing a few lightning bolts for good measure was quite a sight. We hastened to the cafeteria before it hit and sat in dry comfort with a cold pint while the storm brewed outside. An hour or so later it had pretty much stopped and we continued our trek along the rim.

The storm clouds actually made the viewing much more interesting as the sun peeking through and the shadows on the cliffs gave the scene a sense of perspective; normal depth perception fails you when looking at something this vast.  Simply spectacular.

As another storm came racing down the canyon we headed for the parking lot.  And didn't make it in time. We put our rain gear on over already wet clothes and rode the 10 miles back to Tusayan in another heavy downpour. Oh well, most of the day was dry and we saw the canyon. Mission accomplished.

As a side note, one thing we did remark on was how little English we heard being spoken - French, German, Japanese, and other European languages were all well represented. Recession? What recession?

Tomorrow we're off to Page.

Day 1 - Monsoon season

(I'm already behind in my postings. With "Free internet" you get what you pay for, which is often non-existent, inconsistent, or generally unreliable access. But, loyal readers, don't despair; I will catch up.... eventually.)

It was already 90 degrees under a blazing sun when we left our hotel (The Tropicana). We arrived at Eagle Riders Las Vegas at 9 AM as advised, only to find a group of 10 or so riders from France had arrived at 8:59. With international drivers licenses and the obvious language barrier it took a long time to clear the group and so we didn't get geared up and on the road until almost 11. Having said that, the Eagle Rider crew were great, moving things along as quickly and efficiently as they could. (And with good humor. One of the crew, in an attempt to demonstrate his admittedly limited French, shouted "Vive la France!" but got a rather tepid response, in part, no doubt, to the fact that he was wearing a German army helmet at the time.)

We had selected Electra-Glides for this trip. My brother normally rides a Road King and I a Dyna so neither really appreciated how heavy (with a capital "H") these would be fully loaded and two-up. Getting a feel for the bike in Las Vegas traffic while trying to find the right way out of town was an interesting experience to say the least. But we managed with no drama and soon we were on the road.

The wrong road as it turned out.

But we corrected and after a short 14-mile detour were back on the road to the Hoover dam.

We'd been to the Hoover dam before but two things really stood out this trip. The most obvious was the new bridge - what an incredible engineering feat that must have been to get across that span. The second was how low the water level was in Lake Mead. I don't know if it's at a worrisome level yet, but to my uneducated eye the reservoir seems to be very low indeed. We parked, took the requisite photos, had an overpriced lunch, and replenished our water supply. (It was nearing 100 degrees in the sun and dehydration was a real concern. But not for long.)

Next stop: Kingman and the fabled Route 66.

Heading east on Hwy 40 we could see the storm clouds gathering ahead with the odd lightening bolt sparking to ground. It was a big one and right on our path! The storm hit hard about 15 miles west of Kingman. Within seconds we were totally blinded by the volume of rain and hail beating down on us. My riding glasses got so wet on the inside(!) that I had to take them off so I could see at least a little bit - poor eyesight being better than none at all. With nowhere to pull off the road  all we could do was put on the 4-ways and ride it out. Fortunately there wasn't a lot of traffic but it was still probably the most dangerous riding I've ever done - certainly the most nerve-wracking. By the time we got to Kingman it had eased to just a normal downpour so we took the time to stop at the Mother Road H-D dealer for the requisite tee-shirts and a short break from the road.

The original plan was to follow Route 66 from Kingman up through Peach Springs and back down to Seligman but the heavy rains and poor visibility dissuaded us from that option, and we elected instead to shoot straight across Hwy 40 to Seligman. By the time we got there, an hour or so later, the rain was down to a light drizzle. We stopped and took a few photos before picking up the last 20 miles or so of Route 66 into Williams, our home for the night.  

Within 7 hours we had gone from sunny and high-90's to 60 degrees and rain. And when the newscaster began talking about various washouts and other damage done by the "monsoon conditions" (in a desert no less!), forecasting more of the same weather for the next 4 to 5 days, I began to wonder if this was the adventure I thought I'd signed up for.

Day 0 - No more sleeps

It's 4AM and black as pitch on the back-country roads leading to the airport. They are still wet from the latest thunder storm, but the stars are visible and we can see Orion setting in the eastern sky. There is no indication of life in the darkness beyond the range of our headlights but for the ubiquitous red lights warning pilots of otherwise unseen cellular or transmission towers. It is both peaceful and primordially unsettling.

It's quiet in the car as a feeling of anticipation lies low and heavy in the belly, comprised of equal parts anxiety over the upcoming hours defying gravity at 30,000 feet in a cigar tube on steroids and excitement over what the next few days will bring.

Adventure awaits.

6 1/2 more sleeps!