Saturday October 14th 2017

Everybody says you have to see the sunrise over the Grand Canyon. So this morning I was up at 5AM to catch a 5:30 shuttle bus to Mather Point on the rim of the Grand Canyon. It was a dark walk across the sleeping campground to get to the shuttle and then a dark walk out the trail from the Visitors Center to the canyon rim. There was the hint of sunrise in the eastern sky when I arrived at 5:45 for the 6:30 sunrise.

About half an hour before sunrise over the Grand Canyon.

The temperature was in the thirties. I was bundled up in layers for the morning temperature, but nothing helped the wind chill on exposed skin. The wind really howls at the canyon rim. People were dressed in all levels of appropriateness for the conditions. The ones that were rapped in blankets could be heard complaining about the cold. By the time sunrise rolled around there were several hundred people gathered around.

Minutes before Sunrise

Sunrise over the Grand Canyon

The minute or two when the sun breaks the horizon was spectacular. It was worth the wait, but maybe not the chill. The lighting on the east facing canyon walls was also pretty. I’d probably do it again on a future visit. I considered finding a spot to watch the sunset, but after a long day of activity it wasn’t in the cards.

After watching the sunrise, I took the hiking path back to the campground. It’s about a three quarter mile walk along a paved path suitable for walking and bike riding. My only problem was finding the path behind the book store. I was the only human on the path this morning. A couple of Mule deers were along the side of the path. They watched me closely as I took their picture and moved on. Later in the day while riding the shuttle bus I saw an Elk and another deer.

Mule Deer along the path to the campground.

After breakfast and an attempt at taking a nap, I walked back over to the visitors center and caught the blue shuttle to the Bright Angle Lodge area. Then I caught the red shuttle toward Hermit Rest. This area is only accessible via shuttle from March through the end of November. I stopped at the Powell Point memorial to John Wesley Powell and waked the Rim trail to Mohave Point. There are some good views of the Colorado River at the bottom of the canyon along this route.

The main Grand Canyon Visitors Center

Mountain Lion statue guarding the Visitors Center.

I was back at my campsite by 5PM. Overall I was out touring for about six hours. I could use another day to see more of the park, but I could only get the two nights here in the park. Tomorrow I move on to Kingman AZ for one night then down to Lake Havasu for a few nights.

Patio table on the canyon rim in the middle of nowhere.

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The Colorado River is visible in the center of this picture more than a mile bellow the rim. 

Friday October 13th 2017

The day started with the same cloud of misshaps hovering over my head as the last couple of days, but it ended with the majestic Grand Canyon. A very positive end to a nice sunny day with the high temperature in the low 70s.

View of the Grand Canyon from the South Rim Rim Trail.

My morning problems started with not being able to get out of my campsite. I was in a pull through site that had a large pine tree on each side and a fence on the opposite side of the exit road. The trees were close enough that the overhang behind the rear wheels would kick out into a tree before I could make the turn. I ended up backing out of the site the way I came in. One pays extra for pull through sites so it is easy to get in and out. That certainly wasn’t the case this morning.

Site I55 at the Grand Canyon Trailer Village.

The first order of business once I was on the road was getting gas. The station I scoped out yesterday was very busy. I was waiting for one of the pumps with reasonable access for some time when I realized that the people at the pump hadn’t even started to fill their tank. The gas station across the street was empty because it was charging ten cents more a gallon for credit cards. At that point I didn’t care. I drove over to the expensive station and put in seventy gallons of gas. I probably had five gallons or so still in the tank. That would only be about forty miles on a good day.

I arrived at the Trailer Village in the Grand Canyon National Park South Rim unit a little after noon. After I got settled and had some lunch, I caught the shuttle to the visitors center. I’ve been to the south rim once before. I took a tour from Las Vegas around Christmas of 1998. It was a small plan flight to the airport outside the park then a bus ride into the park. I remember snow on the ground and the Bright Angle Lodge, but not much else.

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The Visitors Center is located at Mather Point. It looks new and I’m pretty sure it wasn’t here nineteen years ago. I just missed the start of the park movie so I walked out to Mather Point to get my first view of the canyon. It didn’t disappoint me.

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From Mather Point I walked along the Rim trail for two and half miles to the Bright Angle Lodge. This is a wide paved trail a few feet back from the rim of the canyon. There are many access points to the very edge of the drop. The afternoon sun was shining on the far side of the canyon. This brought out many of the red, white and brown colors in the rocks. It was an easy walk, but a bit long at 7,000 feet in altitude. I was tired when I reached the lodge.

From The Bright Angle Lodge area I took a shuttle back to the campground. The shuttle system is heavily utilized. They even have rope switchbacks at some of the bus stops to manage the crowds. It runs from an hour before sunrise until an hour after the last evening program.

Thursday October 12th 2017

It was in the low 40s inside the motorhome at seven thrity this morning. That is big change from the last few weeks at lower altitude. It was a nice fall day with a high temperature around 70.

One of the unique forms of accommodations here at the Williams Circle Pines KOA.

I got a good nights sleep once I got used to the highway noise. Interstate 40 is within sight from my campsite and the railroad tracks are on the other side of the Interstate. Road and train noises don’t bother me as long as I know what they are. The wind noise and occasional coyote calls at the last campground were more disturbing.

This morning I drove into the town of Williams primarily to find out where a gas station is located to fill up the RV tomorrow morning. There is a couple of viable options two exists down the highway from my location. I also drove through historic Williams AZ. Located on old route 66, it is called the gateway to the grand canyon. I didn’t stop anywhere but it looked like a very tourist focused town. The reason I didn’t stop was a continuation of yesterdays annoyances. This time the low tire pressure light in my car came on. The tires all look fine. I think it’s a cooler temperature and higher altitude thing. I’ve put air in all the tires and will check them again in the morning.

During the rest of the day at the campground I got a few chores done and took a couple of walks around the place. This campground has a little bit of everything from RV sites to cabins. The most interesting accommodations are the six tee pees. They seem to be very popular. The park had a lot of turn over today. During the middle of the day it looked like it was going to be empty tonight. By three in the afternoon there was a steady line of arrivals.

I understand this is Fall Break in Arizona. Apparently the schools have a weeks vacation during the week of Columbus day.  I know about Spring Break, but when did Fall Break become part of the lexicon?  In my day we only got a few scattered days between the start of school and Christmas. (End Geezer Speak) That explains all the school age kids at the park. Before I learned about the school holiday I was very confused about the large number of kids running around the campground. My only question is why weren’t there similar school vacation revelers at the last campground nearer Phoenix.

Wednesday October 11th 2017

Today wasn’t one of my better travel days. It was full of little mishaps and annoyances. The drama started when I closed the door to get underway. The steps wouldn’t retract. Driving with the steps deployed is asking for a disaster.

The steps have an electric motor to retract and deploy the steps when the door is opened and the vehicle motor is running. I’ve known the steps had issues. Over the last month it has been making a disturbing noise every time it was operated. I lubricated it when it started, but suspect the problem was with internal gears breaking. It didn’t make any noise today. It just didn’t work.

Site 135 at the Williams Circle Pines KOA.

I got a mat and some tools and crawled under the motorhome to diagnose the problem. I confirmed it was getting power to the motor which probably means the motor is burnt out or the gears are broken. To get underway I needed to retract the steps manually and tie them up somehow. I pulled the pin connecting the steps to the motor and closed the steps. To keep them in the closed position I wrapped some wire around the steps then added two additional wraps of duct tape for good measure.

Once underway my day of annoyances continued. The gas station I had scoped out to fill the tank didn’t work out. When I arrived a fuel delivery truck was parked right in the middle of the area I needed to negotiate. I looped around the station and head up the road. The backup plan was to stop for gas at the station where I planned to but propane. The draw back was I would be under a quarter tank when I got there. I try to buy gas before I get that low. The black cloud continued. The exit for the backup gas station was closed for construction. I arrived at my destination without seeing another gas station. The gauge hasn’t reached the red zone yet but I better find a gas station before I head for the Grand Canyon on Friday.

My wired and duck taped steps along with my make shift pile of wood step. I’m still debating how to proceed.

The last of the days annoyances is a by product of the step issue. I’m parked on a down slop. To get close to level the front end of the RV is raised up a few inches. Even with the step working, the last step would be a big one. Without working steps, I’ve made a stable pile of wood, but it is nowhere near high enough as a step. I’ve added an obstacle to the inside stairs to remind me to slow down. The last thing I need to do is step out without remembering the drop off.

It is much cooler here than it was near Phoenix. It was over ninety when I left this morning and around seventy when I got here. I’m over 5,000 feet higher. I hope the cool temperature will allow for a good nights sleep. After bad nights earlier in the week and today’s mishaps I really need one.

Tuesday October 10th 2017

It was a long night. The wind that woke me up yesterday morning returned last night. It never reached the extreme state that caused me to bring in the living room slide yesterday, but it was strong enough to make a lot of noise. It seemed like every hour a band of strong gusts came through to wake me up. After a few minutes it calmed down to a base level that allowed me to get back to sleep. Finally around 9AM it started to quiet down for good.

Sailboats like this are common on Lake Pleasant. There must be a rental facility on the lake.

More sailboats.

The winds of the last couple of days have been coming from the north. They’ve been caused by the same set of weather conditions that caused the winds feeding the fires in California. Unfortunately for me a northern wind direction hits my motorhome in a way to create maximum havoc. Even with four stabilizer jacks and six wheels on the ground it was rocking pretty good.

Today is my last full day here at Lake Pleasant Regional Park. Tomorrow I’m moving back north to Williams AZ for a couple of days. On Friday I have reservations for the weekend at the Grand Canyon South Rim. That area is a mile higher in altitude, but only one hundred and fifty miles north. The daily high temperatures are twenty to thirty degrees cooler this time of year. I’m looking forward to more fall like temperatures. I can put the shorts away and get the long pants out for a change. With the exception of a couple of evenings in early September, I haven’t worn long pants in a long time.

The lack of sleep over the last couple of nights impacted my energy level today. I did a few travel preparation tasks, but have put most of them off until tomorrow morning. Falling asleep in front of the TV this afternoon was the big accomplishment of the day.

Monday October 9th 2017

I was serenaded in the middle of the night by the coyote pack in the area. This set of calls and barks were further away than the set last week, but they were close enough to wake me up. They kept up the communication for a few minutes then went silent. I probably stayed away for another half an hour or more waiting for them to start up again to no avail.

Sunset over the desert.

The night was short. Around six this morning the wind started to blow. It was rocking the RV and howling across the roof obstacles and the slide out room awnings. I tried to ignore it but the wind continued to intensify and the noise continued. Around 6:30 I gave up and got up. The first order of business was to bring in the big living room slide room. This quieted things down enough that I could hear the TV. The roof noises continued. I’ll have to get up on the roof on a calm day and see what’s causing all the fuss. It has always been noisy in the wind, but it seems to be a little worse today.

The wind continued most of the morning. This afternoon it had settled down to a stiff breeze. I put the main living room slide back out. It is much more comfortable in the RV with the extra forty five square feet the slide creates. This evening, as I write this blog entry, the wind has picked up again. The gusts are just as noisy as things were this morning, but the steady state is calmer and the gusts aren’t as frequent.

During the middle of the day I went out to run some errands. Once again I was struck by how far in the middle of the desert I’m located. The only thing of significance for ten miles in any direction are some really impressive Saguaro cactus. Interstate 17 is twelve to fifteen miles to the east, the town of Peoria is a little further to the south and US route 60 is twenty plus miles to the west. I don’t know of any roads that go north between US 60 and Interstate 17. Once you reach the interstate or Peoria you are in metro Phoenix in a big way. The traffic is heavy probably because of all the businesses and housing lining the roads.

I made a big loop into the north part of Phoenix. I went south on Interstate 17 to the loop 101 west to US 60 northwest back to Arizona 74 east to the Lake Pleasant Regional Park. Along the way I filled up the car’s gas tank and stopped at Walmart for groceries. Every Walmart I go into has something that catches my eye. A this one I observed that almost a third of the bread isle was dedicated to tortillas wraps or shells of all varieties. The English muffins and bagels that I was looking for were relegated to the next isle. I guess they know their clientele.

Sunday October 8th 2017

The weather forecast called for cooler temperatures today. It was about 3 degrees cooler topping out in the low 90s. That’s still hot.

The rabbits in this park are very cautious. They run for brush as soon as they see or hear you.

Unless I have something specific planned, I generally get active around 10:30 or 11 in the morning. By that time I’ve finished breakfast and I’ve caught up on the news and such from the Internet. On weekends the time zone gets in the way. For example, this morning the NFL coverage started at 9AM and the games at 10AM. I got sucked into watching football games, with a little NASCAR thrown in, all day. I’m not addicted enough that specific plans wouldn’t have prevented such laid back behavior, but sports action combined with the comfortable AC kept me in most of the day. If I’d been in an eastern time zone I’d probably be out doing something when the games started unless watching the game was part of my plan for the day.

The campground emptied out more than I thought it would today. There are still more people here tonight than last Sunday night, but I guess this is not a big three day weekend in this area. Schools are off but businesses are probably all up and running. I’m not complaining, I get a quiet campground again. All of the big noisy groups in tents have gone home.

One of many birds that sit on the top of the cactus and sing.

Wednesday is a travel day. Hopefully, between now and then I’ll see some of the wildlife in this area. On my late afternoon walk I saw one bunny and a bunch of birds. I haven’t gotten a close enough look to attempt an identification, but one variety of bird seems to like to sit on the top of Saguaro cactus and sing. I’ve passed several of them on my hikes.

I will probably (note the uncertainty) get out of the campground and do something tomorrow. If for no other reason than I’m running out of quasi junk food like bread and cookies. I have plenty of meat, vegetables and dairy. Just not the stuff that makes everything fun to eat.

Saturday October 7th 2017

Today was a beautiful hot day. I didn’t do much more than hiking around the park a bit in between reading and watching college football.

Saguaro sentinels.

The day started on a sour note. Sometime while I was still asleep I got new neighbors across the street. There are two families with a total of four kids and a dog to go along with the two couples. I didn’t hear them arrive, but I did hear the kids using their playground voices not 3 feet outside my bedroom window. They woke me up. It would have been one thing if they were still on their own site but they weren’t. For some reason they were on the opposite side of my RV from their site. If I had my awning out they would have been standing under it. I can think of no reason for them being where they were. I doubt the parents were paying any attention. I don’t think my language was inappropriate, but my tone wasn’t very pleasant when I yelled at the kids to get off “MY” site. They went back to their site without even acknowledging having heard me.

Pontoon boat on Lake Pleasant.

As much as I like public campgrounds for their natural settings, they have some drawbacks. One is the inexperienced and occasional campers they draw. My new neighbors and several other groups in the campground this weekend are not familiar with basic campground etiquette. They don’t think anything about cutting through other peoples sites, keeping their campfires under control or observing the posted quiet hours. The campground host has been busy this weekend. My neighbors are actually doing pretty well compared with the group at the other end of the loop. (That concludes my “grumpy old man” opinion for this blog entry.)

Sailboat on the far side of Lake Pleasant.

To end on a positive note. I really like this campground. I don’t dislike my fellow campers. To a large degree they are entertaining. If I were awake this morning I would probably have reacted differently to the kids in my space. Besides, by Monday this campground will be almost empty again.

Friday October 6th 2017

The temperature topped out in the upper 90s today. If the TV weather forecasters are to be trusted, it should be leveling off over the weekend and be cooler by Monday. I’m just going to wait and see.

The water in Lake Pleasant is at its lowest level of the year. The water is pumped in from the Colorado River near Lake Havasu.

This afternoon I completed the hike I cut short yesterday. I wore a more opaque shirt so the sun didn’t get through. The trails are fairly easy to follow but you need to be careful of the loose rocks. You also need to be prepared to climb some significant slopes. They are short but steep.

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On my hikes I’m always on the look out for animal life. Some of that is self protection. I wouldn’t want to surprise a rattle snake for instance. Mostly I’m looking for animals for the enjoyment of nature. Today I saw plenty of birds and few rabbits, but nothing surprising. There is plenty of evidence of the wild burros that live in the area. In several areas on the trails they have left their calling cards. I even found their droppings on the campground road 20 or 30 feet from my campsite. My guess is they are in the area overnight or in the early hours of the day.

Boaters on Lake Pleasant.

The campground is filling up for the long weekend. Many of the campers are arriving with boats and ATVs in tow. My guess is the quiet during the week is over for the weekend. The campground has been nice and quiet all week. My guess is that is over for the weekend. I doubt the burros will be wandering through a full campground.

The boaters on the lake were also more active today. I saw a couple of sailboats and several boats towing water skiers. It will be interesting to see how busy it gets over the long weekend.

Thursday October 5th 2017

Today was a repeat of yesterday weather wise. The mercury or rather the electronic temperature readout topped out in the mid to upper 90s. It wasn’t a good day for outside activity, but I did take a short walk on one of the trails this afternoon.

View of the deep blue waters of Lake Pleasant under the cloudless sky.

I booked this campground for two reasons. I thought it was close enough to civilization that I could get some shopping done. I’ve been putting off buying a few things until I’m in a good area. It turns out I’m further away from big shopping areas than I thought and my new plans put me in Las Vegas in a couple of weeks where I already know the stores. All this adds up to it being unlikely that I will do any significant shopping while I’m here.

View of the dam and marina from the Discovery Center at Lake Pleasant Regional Park. The saguaro cactus is a big old specimen.

The second reason for picking this location is for the hiking and nature viewing opportunities at this recreation area. The extra few degrees above normal temperature are making that difficult. Today I made an attempt to get out and explore the park despite the heat. I loaded up with sun screen and water before setting out. I climbed the hill to the Discovery Center which overlooks the lake and the dam. From there I started on the Roadrunner trail which follows the shore of the lake. None of the vegetation was very tall or dense making shade nonexistent. The heat wasn’t a problem and the sun screen was doing its job on the exposed skin, but I started to feel the sun on my back. I’m guessing that my shirt was thin enough to allow the sun to come right through. Not taking any chances, I cut the hike short and returned to the air conditioning in my RV. I don’t need a sunburn.

The views of the lake were impressive. The water was deep blue, the sky was light blue and the mountainous shore separating the two was a combination of white and brown. A perfect contrast. There weren’t many boaters on the lake today. I only saw one water skier behind a boat. This weekend should be different. The campground is starting to fill up. I understand Arizona does celebrate Columbus day on Monday making this a long weekend.