day 27

after the rain yesterday and it looking like rain again today, i decided to skip zion national park and instead see grand canyon national park (i would have wanted to do some of the trails at zion, and i didn't know how they would be in the rain).

after leaving utah with no more wives than when i entered, i headed down the u.s. 89-alt which runs by the entrance to the north rim of the grand canyon. i had already decided to only see the south rim, as i didn't have time for both. i then passed by the vermillion cliffs which were visible from bryce canyon national park the previous day.

while taking the first picture below of the vermillion cliffs, an older gentleman walked up to me and warned me of some gravel on the road in the valley below (where i took the second picture while stopped). i thanked him but was curious why he was warning me, as he was driving a jeep with a trailer. he then told me that he had a bike like mine, clarifying that it was a bmw r100e (e for imported from europe). i asked him how he liked it, and he told me that he had about 480,000 miles on it, which i took as him liking it very much. he said that he had the jeep and trailer so that he could take his dogs (four small ones, don't remember breed). i asked if he considered a sidecar, to which he replied yes, but some of his dogs would run if they could so he didn't try it.



vermillion cliffs, az - 09/07/2006

i got this picture while stopped for the road construction.


vermillion cliffs, az - 09/07/2006

further on down the road i came across cliff dwellers. the first picture looks as if it were from a different planet. the "house" in the second picture is actually built around one of the giant boulders.


cliff dwellers, az - 09/07/2006


cliff dwellers, az - 09/07/2006

below is the colorado river before it enters grand canyon national park. notice the boat in the river near the center of the picture.


colorado river near marble canyon, az - 09/07/2006

all day it had either been threatening to rain or just barely spinkling. finally on the the last stretch to grand canyon np, the skys opened up. it was so bad that i had to pull over. luckily there was an old abandoned roadside stand that was used by the navajos to sell their arts and crafts. luckily the rain didn't finish it off while i was under it.


rain delay - 09/07/2006

i didn't know what to expect when i got to the park. i have seen many impressive things already on my trip, but the grand canyon was impressive based on its sheer size. although the rain and clouds prevented a clear view of the entire canyon, i think they provided a good contrast of the landscape.


grand canyon, az - 09/07/2006


grand canyon, az - 09/07/2006