Our 100 Day Trek through the US of A, Part 12, Grand Canyon

August 10, 2013

There are two official entrances to the Grand Canyon, two of which are official National Park entrances, the western side, a hundred plus miles away is managed by Indian tribes, and in the middle lies the reservation of the Havasupai tribe, the original tribe of the canyons after the Pueblo people mysteriously left around 1300.

On that western side of the Canyon closer to Las Vegas is the famous glass walkway over the canyon, which had an appeal till we learned the access fee was $80 each and you were not allowed to take pictures.

For the Havasupai falls we would have to take a 60 mile dirt road to a parking lot from which we were or to take a 1 mile walk down to the canyon floor where the tribe lives, or sit on a mule down that same path, or what I suggested, take a helicopter ride. In Supai we would then find a 24 room motel to stay, from which to hike to their famous falls.

Never saw pink sand before

A closer review of the rat motel according to some reviews brought the decision not to venture out there.

Really fine sand by the way

So from Zion we traveled to the North Rim, via a state park called the Coral Pink Sand Dunes. Since we found that you could only walk the dunes on a set trail in a 90F full sun with no shadow, we did not enter te park, but took pictures from the edge of the park on the roadside.

The really pink color comes from erosion of Navajo sandstone that contains high concentrations of hematite containing quartz. Besides that amazing unique phenomena we also saw the rare Kanab Yucca, that seems to only thrive here.

Passing our hotel at Jacob's Lake about 44 miles from the North Rim we were thankful we bought wine and beer earlier, because here in this part of Arizona there is nothing but forest and meadows for 50 or so miles around.

The word Grand applies

So far so wide

The north rim is about a thousand feet higher than the south rim and is only being visited by 35% of the 5 plus million annual gawkers to the Grand Canyon as it is 220 miles by car from one entrance to the other entrance, although the condor only takes 10 miles across the canyon.

Surprise different color

Big bird did not fly across

Despite hue miles of sight

White sand stone pinnacle

Best picture showing how wide

Monsoon colors

It was a pity to visit here during monsoon season as it blurs the views in a blue haze. Especially since the width and depth of the canyons on a clear day makes you believe that it takes 800,000 cubic miles of water to fill the canyon or in simpler terms all the water of all the sweet lakes and all the rivers in the whole world. (You wonder who took the time to calculate that so that a ranger can tell the tale). Of course you could translate the above in million trillion of gallons for comparisons.

If you ever go or go again, go to the North rim, the scene is more mind blowing as you gaze 1 mile down to the canyon floor.

Colorado river trench

Still difficult to believe

1.8 billion years ago the plateaus under the pacific and the one under this continent collided and forced eruptions with magma that cooled down on top of which the sediments of a warm shallow sea rested 515 million years ago.

Canyon tattoo: one of seven wonders

The next layer came 280 million years ago when meandering streams brought mud and lush fern and conifer forest brought more sediments.

Maybe better explanation then my text

Bathtub grime line

275 million years ago this area was a dessert full of sand dunes blown in here. This layer is the light colored one on pictures or as rangers call them the bath tub dirt layer

270 million years ago this was covered again by muddy waters, the present top layer.

The Colorado 1 mile down

Colorado river not magnified

The Colorado river has been eroding these rocks for millions of years while the rocks rose around them. It has now been regulated by dams so it does not rage as the force it was through the canyon and it has also reached the hard volcanic rock layer, so erosion on the floor has slowed down, but the top layers still crumble, creating amazingly enough only 6 deaths average a year. Most of them through dehydration but also falling to your death by going to the edge of the rim where another hundred plus lbs can tip the scale between life and death.

Woman trying her luck on the edge

When we were there, a 45 year old woman from Fredericksburg VA died from a heat stroke. It was 113F on the canyon floor where she was found.

We enjoyed a south side IMAX show as well as visited early cabins from the first tour guides, the Kolb brothers and did a bus tour from which we gleamed above facts.