May 26, 2019
Driving Route 89 north from Page, we were in the middle of the Navajo Nation. The landscape is a mix of red rock and grassland – as opposed to chaparral. At one point we shoot through a slot in a rock at 6000’ elevation, then down at a 6% incline.
The last time I drove Route 89 was in 1986 with my cousin, Betsy, in the ’86 Fiero. I think it is even more beautiful this time. The landscape is luckily undisturbed by an incredibly offensive billboard (even in 1986) that blared native crafts were available, if only: “You Write ‘Em Check.”
We visited the Navajo Bridge – another bridge across the Colorado, built in 1928 but now converted to pedestrian and tourist use. It has twin span now, built for the motor traffic. The views of the green CO River and the red rock framing its canyon stretched as far as one could see.
We passed the Vermillion Cliffs on our right. All the different colors in the layers of rock are indicative of their age. Thirty- three years ago I learned that Bryce represents the youngest rock; Zion, middle age; and the Grand Canyon (GC), the oldest at some six plus million years.
As we took the road to the North Rim of the GC, we kept rising in elevation, from about 4000’ at Page to 8800’ at the entry point. And the temperature dropped commensurately to 48 degrees. The terrain became more alpine but somewhat bleak from a recent fire. Then it opened up to mountain meadows and patches of snow.
The North Rim receives only about 12% of the total visitation to North and South, GC. That is one of the reasons why I wanted to go while we were here. After parking at the main lodge and making a pit stop (one of the dangers of remote places – indoor plumbing is not always operational – as was the case at the Lodge), we took the Bright Angel Trail (Marguerite Henry, anyone? Remember Brighty of the Grand Canyon?), which was somewhat precarious at best. Only 3-4’ at its widest, the trail negotiated its way along a ridge to a viewpoint – but not with handrails. At one point, it was just trail and sheer drops on both sides. I almost froze. I have some sort of issue with going down – stairs or trail – without a handrail, and my legs go all wobbly. I almost turned back but pushed ahead since I was the advance team for Tom who has been wrestling with a bad knee.
But it was all worth it. The North Rim is different from the South: it is darker and greener (more vegetation) and colder. But just as spectacular filling the visible landscape.
We decided to eat lunch at the lodge – the clincher was the promise of grilled duck on a salad I love duck). But the kitchen was slow and the duck a little chewy. Once on the road again, we took the Cape Royal Road to another viewpoint, as the Beatles’ Let it Be played appropriately in the background. Another view of the canyon offered itself but the cold and wind kept us from lingering.
We made Mt. Carmel, UT, in good time. You should have seen the place where we will stay the next 2 nights – the ridiculous next to Page’s sublime. The pre-fab Golden Hills Motel made us laugh for all of its shortcomings, including three classic cars parked out front with flat tires; however, it proved to be very quiet and we could indeed hear the creek running behind our room.
A lot of people live very rough in the west, but one can understand the compromises made in the name of place.
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