The Munchkin's Notebook

Jim standing on point of Ooh Aah Point Today we left the Grand Canyon and headed to Flagstaff after one last hike.  We actually left the Grand Canyon a day earlier than scheduled because we felt we really did everything we wanted to do, which was hike along the rim, try to see the stars, see the sun rise (I wasn’t going to fight people for a spot for sunset photos), and hike down below the rim.   Our day started early, because Jim got up at 4:15 AM due to us going to bed super early the night before due to being up since 1:45AM the previous day.  This allowed us to pack the Crosstrek up and check out of the hotel by 5:30 AM, and drive over to the visitors center to catch the shuttle bus over to Kaibab Trailhead. Kaibab Trail is the “fast” way down into the canyon because it is steep and has fewer switchbacks. Most people if they are going down and up will go down Kaibab and up Bright Angel which is long because it has a more gentle climb.  Kaibab Trail is als...

View from watchtower viewpoint Today we started very early, at 1:45 AM, so I could attempt some astrophotography.  When we got up Jim went outside real quick to check for clouds, there didn’t seem to be any, so we got ready and started our hike to the location.  It didn’t feel too cold at first then the wind kicked in, making it very cold.  By the time we got to the trailview overlook I was cold, even though we were hiking uphill, and the several thin clouds were starting to creep in.  We toughed it out for a little bit, and I got a few not so great night sky photos.  At least I made the attempt.  For being a dark skies park I really was expecting to see more stars, maybe I was in the wrong location or needed to wait longer for my eyes to adjust.  I wasn’t as awed as I was hoping to be.  The original plan was to stay in that location all the way through till sunrise, but after 30 minutes of standing still my thin hoodie couldn’t handle the wind an...

The canyon village from along the rim trail  Today we got up around 5:30 AM and were hoping to get breakfast from the lodge around 6:00 AM, but they don’t start serving breakfast till 6:30 AM.  This seems a little silly considering the buses start running as early as 5:00 AM and they recommend you be out on the trails early so you can finish up your first hike around 10:00 AM to avoid the heat and sun of the day.  We waited for them to start serving breakfast, we both had breakfast burritos which weren’t very warm or very good, this put us heading to the trails at around 7:00 AM.  We walked the rim trail from the Bright Angel trailhead to Hopi Point, which is all paved.  We took the bus from there to Monument Creek vista and walked to Pima Point, then took the bus the rest of the way to Hermit’s Rest.  All told we walked about 5-miles.  Hikers on the Bright Angel trail clearing the first tunnel, they have hike a mile in at this point.  You can see...

Today we got up at 5:00 AM to get ready for our mule ride along the rim.  We got to the pick-up point at 6:45 AM like the person who checked us in yesterday informed us.  However, when we got there we were informed by one of the stable hands that we didn't need to be there till 7:45 AM since the bus leaves from the pick-up point at 8:00 AM.  This actually makes a lot more sense, so we walked up to Bright Angel Lodge, and walked along the rim trail a little bit before heading back to the pick-up point.   We boarded the bus at 8:00 AM and headed to the historic mule barn. Once we arrived at the mule barn they gave us the safety and instructional brief, divided us into two groups of seven, and then we got on the mules.   We were in the second group.   I got to ride the mule named Miss Sharp and Jim got to ride the mule named Sheldon. It was a two hour out and back ride along part of the canyon rim.  We did not go down into the canyon.  We stopped ...

Today we slept in till 5:30 AM. I know a whole 30 minutes from our previous times, but it can make a difference.  We were on the road headed out of Albuquerque by 6:30 AM which was fine since it was only going to be a 6-hour drive to the Grand Canyon.   Because it was only going to be a 6-hour drive, and we couldn’t check into the lodge till 4:00PM we made a few stops along the way. The first stop was for gas and breakfast. We stopped at a Love’s which had Carl Junior’s. Jim got a breakfast burrito, which he said was pretty good, way better than McDonald’s breakfast burrito. I just had a standard sausage biscuit. With the car fueled and breakfast in hand we were on the road again.   The landscape along the drive was much more interesting as we headed out into the desert, and more along the lines of what I was expecting to see.  I think I was subconsciously comparing landscapes to the cartoon landscapes in the movie Cars. (Disney strikes again.) To get to the Arizona...

  “If you ever plan to motor west,   Travel my way, take the highway that is best.  Get your kicks on route sixty-six.” —Songwriters: Troup Bobby We got up this morning at 5:00AM, mostly because I forgot to turn my normal weekly alarm off, but this got us on the road early and out of Oklahoma City before it got busy.  We grabbed breakfast at a 24-hour McDonalds about a half hour outside the city limits.  We also started driving on and paralleling old Route 66, since part of the old route has been merged with I-40 starting in Oklahoma City and then parallels outside of Oklahoma.  We didn’t stop at any of the Oklahoma Route 66 attractions as they were all still closed while we were in Oklahoma.       Normally when you cross into a new state the welcome center is either right there or a few miles down the road, unless you are Maryland about 25 miles into the state.  However, Texas puts them all to shame, we cross into Texas and I’m exp...

We got a better night’s sleep last night in Jackson, TN, but hopes for a good night’s sleep are looking slim due to the redneck pool party four floors below us.  The whole hotel is fully booked, with some kind of group that, trust me, pings every redneck stereo type identified by Jeff Foxworthy. Today we got up at 5:00AM again, and were on the road around 6:00AM after stopping at Jack’s for breakfast.  I got a sausage biscuit and Jim got the county fried steak biscuit. He wasn’t impressed by the steak.  The drive through Memphis was uneventful.  We do think Arkansas is trying to secretly annex land because their welcome sign was placed on the  bridge over the Mississippi River before we crossed the actual state line. We saw this again when we crossed from Oklahoma back into Arkansas, I’ll get to that in a moment.  We stopped at the welcome center to pick up a map and use the restroom. Good thing we did because Arkansas does not appear to believe in regularl...