 | [Ken and Deb 08/22/2018] Grand Canyon National Park is one of those places that should be on everybody's bucket list. There is no panorama like it anywhere else in the world. On this visit, a small storm blew through. The rain magically changed the palette of the canyon walls, and the storm clouds made the sky even more dramatic. There were even a couple full-arch rainbows. "How's the view out there?" you might be asked. Yes, this is a magnificent park for scenery. But an endless diorama is not the only reason this canyon is Grand. From the [south] rim down to the Colorado River, the canyon is more than a vertical mile deep. The canyon is 18 miles wide at its apex. The Colorado River flows below for a remarkable 277 miles inside the canyon. The average width of the river is 300 feet -- as wide as a football field. There is nothing trivial about this canyon. |
Our choice was to hike a section of the rim, though biking would have been more fun. There is a very nice, paved, wide biking/hiking trail that follows the canyon's diverse south rim. The main part of the trail is 13 miles, but you can go farther if you want. You can also take the free shuttle bus. But the trail is dog-friendly and the buses are not. And the trail will take you past vistas that you won't see by car or bus.
There are several vista points with rails and stairs where you can climb down into the canyon just a bit to get an even closer look. At each stop, around every bend, the seemingly endless geologic spectacle changes. As the light shifts, the colors of the rocks below seem to take on new texture and hue. We were simply overwhelmed by the powerful presence of the mighty canyon. Take lots of film for your handheld camera when you go, or you just might run out (not surprisingly, we did not leave with any film)!
There are no words that I can add to the library that has already been published about the incredible canyon. Since we have been married, this was Deb and my fifth trip to experience the seventh [natural] wonder of the world. And there is no reason that we will not be back for visits number six and seven and....
We took hundreds of pictures on our hike. Here are a few:
There are no words that I can add to the library that has already been published about the incredible canyon. Since we have been married, this was Deb and my fifth trip to experience the seventh [natural] wonder of the world. And there is no reason that we will not be back for visits number six and seven and....
We took hundreds of pictures on our hike. Here are a few:
CLICK ON ANY IMAGE ABOVE TO ENLARGE and SCROLL
A groovy time in fat city
[Ken and Deb 08/21/2018] We were camped in the Kaibab National Forest, AZ, only about 100 feet from historic Route 66 ("America's Road") as it approached the mountainside town of Williams. Though it is just off Interstate 40, what we found when we explored Williams, Arizona, was a town trapped in the mid 20th century -- a living museum-in-time without chain restaurants or chain hotels. A town where it is normal to see cars from the late 1950's parked along the streets. A town without Walmart.
| Williams has the inauspicious honor of being the very last town on Route 66 to be bypassed by Interstate 40. If you want to sample the experience that the American highway traveler may have had in the 1950-1960's, this is a "righto" place. The two main streets (only about 6 blocks) are dotted with one-of-a-kind motels, roadside eateries, and "bomb" curio shops. We stopped for lunch at a dinette and had a burger, fries, and a soda, of course! | |
| | Williams is perhaps more famous for being the "Gateway to the Grand Canyon." It is from the Williams' Amtrak Station and railroad depot (and gift shop, of course) that the Grand Canyon Railway departs daily for Canyon Village in Grand Canyon National Park. Williams is also where you would jump from I40 onto northbound Arizona HWY64 if your travel plans are to make the 52 mile drive to the Grand Canyon by car. |
Whether your interest is mid-century nostalgia or visiting one of the seven natural wonders of the world, Williams, AZ, is a pretty fun widespot on the highway across northern Arizona. In our case, we stopped and took it ALL in! It was neat-o, daddy-o!
|  |
Our plan was to stay in Las Vegas, but it was just too hot for our tender young skin. After just one day we were ready to move on to cooler climates. Out visit to the Grand Canyon was scheduled for two weekends from now, but [heck], let's do it now, we thought! We are staying at the Williams Circle Pines KOA in Williams Arizona for three days. When we arrived, there was a FORTY degree difference in the temperature between Las Vegas (113 degrees) and Williams (73 degrees)! As we were setting up we had a brief cooling, shower, too. Ahhhhh! I think that we made the right call.
 | another front yard[Ken 08/19/2018] Between each SOWER assignment we get one week to travel to the next project location. We like to travel the Blue Highways and play the role of tourist whenever we get the chances during these free weeks. On our way from California to Arizona, today we rolled into Las Vegas, Nevada. We are in a very nice RV park that only charges $29 per night (well..., that is what the sign says). |
Based on the price and the quality of the accommodations, this appeared to be a great place to overnight. Then we took a look at the thermometer. It said it was 114 degrees outside, but it only felt like 113. Whew! At least there are no forest fires here! Our first order of business will be to take a dip in the Las Vegas-sized swimming pool (chilled to 91 degrees!), for sure!
another front yard
 | [Ken 08/18/2018] Deb and I are on our way to Las Vegas to see a show and celebrate our 39th wedding anniversary. But on the way we are stopping to see some old friends of Ken who happen to be camping in Bakersfield, CA, at the same time that we are! I mean, how often do you get to see people that you haven't seen in years just by happenstance?!? |
| In the central valley of California they claim that they can grow just about anything. On our drive we passed orchard after orchard after orchard. There were nectarines and avocados and peaches. I had never before seen a pistachio orchard, but now I have. And an almond orchard, too. And here in Bakersfield, we are camping in the middle of a production orange orchard at the Orange Grove RV Park. Juicy! |  |
 | Kings canyon |
[08/11/2018] These two, adjacent, mountain parks encompass the highest peaks and some of the the deepest canyons in America's forty-eight contiguous states. Located in 75 separate groves, these are also the only places in the world where the Giant Sequoia tree lives. These Sequoias, though not as tall as the Giant Redwoods that we saw last month, are noteworthy because of their massive girth. Sequoia trees can have up to a 39 foot diameter trunk and grow beyond 275 feet tall! The branches of a Sequoia are larger than the entire trunk of a normal tree -- some branches have a diameter that exceeds six feet! Like Redwoods National Park, these two parks are places for superlatives.
| A single road crosses the two parks. After you have toured one park, you simply cross into the other to continue your adventure. In Kings Canyon National Park you will want to see the General Grant Tree -- a 268 foot tall living, national shrine to all American veterans. Strong. Uplifting. Inspirational. Enduring. And humbling. I also recommend the short hike up to Panoramic Point which overlooks the largest fully unexplored wilderness area remaining in our country. | |
Sequoia National Park is our nation's second oldest national park. Here stands the largest tree in the world -- the General Sherman Tree. So large that I had to lay on the ground to take a picture, and even then could not capture the whole tree. At an estimated 2300 years old, it stands 275 feet tall and has a base circumference of 103 feet. The diameter of the trunk is an amazing 35 feet. Bottom to top, Sequoia trunks do not taper very much -- they first grow in height, then grow only wider each year for the rest of their lives. To stand below one of these stocky giants inspires profound emotion, reminding us of mighty things above and beyond ourselves.
| | The highlight of our afternoon was the hike up Moro Rock. My brother, Geoff, recommended this trail and I'm glad that he did. The climb is not long, but the narrow, winding path is carved entirely into the granite sides of Moro Rock. Don't do this hike if you get dizzy spells! A sign at the bottom cautions you with the words, "...People Have Died Up There." At the top you are 6725 feet high and have an amazing 360-degree view of the rugged Sierra Nevada's. Even in our smoke-filled skies the scenery was remarkable. |
In addition to the Sequoia trees, these two popular vacation destinations offer a lot of dramatic and spectacular scenery -- we wish that the skies had been more clear for us. We were surprised by the crowds at these two parks. The parking lots were over-filled and the Parks were running shuttle buses. If you want a cultural experience without leaving the United States, simply go to one of these parks. I am sure that we heard a dozen different foreign languages during our tour on this afternoon.
Back down at relative sea-level, on our drive back to Sugar Pine Camp, Deb commented that the sunless, hazy-blue/gray sky in front of our windshield reminded her of an Ohio horizon. I giggled -- she was right, it did look like an Ohio sky!
Back down at relative sea-level, on our drive back to Sugar Pine Camp, Deb commented that the sunless, hazy-blue/gray sky in front of our windshield reminded her of an Ohio horizon. I giggled -- she was right, it did look like an Ohio sky!
the ferguson fire[Ken 08/08/2018] It was Friday the 13th when this California fire started -- 28 days ago. To this day, the fire is about 80% contained and has burned almost 100,000 acres. We are camped at Sugar Pine Christian Camp for a couple weeks -- only a few miles from Yosemite National Park. A lot of California vacation plans have been modified this summer due to so many terrible fires. |  |
| | Even when we were up north we were in the smoke of wildfires. We tried to count the number of times that we had seen blue sky since we arrived in California in late June. If we eliminate the three days that we were on the coast, the total, we think, would be only two days of blue-sky! We have gotten used to a smelly haze in the air. Even when we drive higher up into the mountains a bit, there still hangs smoke from all of the California wildfires. |
| Sadly, but understandably, the Yosemite and Sugar Pine Railroad has been forced to park both of their Shay steam engines -- running only their diesel-electric engine on a limited basis during this fiery tourist season. The day we stopped by they were only offering rides on their Jenny Railcar. I wanted to ride these trains more than I wanted to visit Yosemite. But the YSPRR tracks run just above our camp and it is still fun to hear the diesel "chug-chug" by each day! | |
| | ON EDIT: A few days before our departure from central California, the gates to Yosemite National Park were opened to the public. We took a drive over to see what we could see. Just a few miles inside the Park the road was still closed, unfortunately. The Visitor Center and several hiking trails were also closed. But the Sugar Pine Railroad was able to start running their Shays! WooHoo! |
another front yaRD
[Ken 08/05/2018] WE MADE IT! For our in-and-out, same day canister replacement at Redding Freightliner, we were displaced from Faith for thirteen days. It felt soooo good to be able to finally get back in our motorhome and on the road! When we arrived at the RV park at Sugar Pine Christian Camps this afternoon Ken jumped out of the motorhome and kissed the ground. The other SOWERs (who arrived last week at Sugar Pine Camp) didn't know what to expect; this was their first meeting and first impression of Ken.
We have a HUGE campsite here. And it smells so wonderful -- Faith is parked under the boughs of Redwood and fragrant Incense Cedar trees! The infamous Ferguson Fire burns at the gates of Yosemite National Park just a handful of miles from us. It has been smokey here, they tell us, but today the sky is deep blue. What a great way to welcome us into this part of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
We have a HUGE campsite here. And it smells so wonderful -- Faith is parked under the boughs of Redwood and fragrant Incense Cedar trees! The infamous Ferguson Fire burns at the gates of Yosemite National Park just a handful of miles from us. It has been smokey here, they tell us, but today the sky is deep blue. What a great way to welcome us into this part of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
