Grand Canyon National Park Story – Day 3

South Rim to Bright Angel Campground Michael: Almost 15 years ago, my Uncle Dave took me to see the Grand Canyon. I was so excited. He was so excited for me. He popped Ferde Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite into the tape deck and the anticipation just built. Soon I would see America’s most famous attraction [...]

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Grand Canyon National Park – South Rim

northern Arizona Visited: September 30, 2004 NPS Site Visited: 105 of 353 NPS Website; Local Website Want More? Click Here to Begin Our Six-Day Grand Canyon Adventure WHAT IS IT? Uh, it is the Grand Canyon. 277 miles long and ten miles wide of Colorado River carved amazement. The South Rim is the most visited [...]

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Grand Canyon National Park Story – Day 2

North and South Rims Gab: We woke shortly after dawn, shook the ice from the tent and wondered what to do until the Backcountry Office opened. We drove to the Lodge in search of coffee and perhaps a warm place to occupy. Unbeknownst to me, Michael had other plans. When we arrived at the Lodge, [...]

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Grand Canyon National Park – North Rim

northern Arizona Visited: September 29, 2004 NPS Site Visited: 105 of 353 NPS Website; Local Website Want More? Click Here to Begin Our Six-Day Grand Canyon Adventure WHAT IS IT? The more rugged, less crowded, higher altitude Grand Canyon option. Getting a glimpse of the Canyon and all its awe-inspiring splendor is more difficult from [...]

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Grand Canyon National Park Story: Day 1

North Rim Gab: “…Well, let’s just see if we can get a permit/cheap room/ticket/campsite and then we’ll make a decision from there…” This sentence starts at least two conversations daily. Somewhere in Michael’s computer is a very large, detailed Excel spreadsheet which plots our two-year trip to the day. Mileage, cities where we might spend [...]

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Pipe Spring National Monument

near Kaibab, Ariz. Visited: September 28, 2004 NPS Site Visited: 103 of 353 NPS Website WHAT IS IT? A natural water source in the desolate Arizona Strip, the portion of the Colorado Plateau between the Grand Canyon and the Vermillion Cliffs. BEAUTY (6/10) The grounds of Pipe Spring NM are a peaceful oasis that allow [...]

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Glen Canyon National Recreation Area

near Page, Ariz. Visited: September 28, 2004 NPS Site Visited: 104 of 353 NPS Website; Local Website WHAT IS IT? The Site consists mostly of the massive Lake Powell, the second largest man-made lake in the United States. The federal government created Lake Powell by damming the Colorado River with the Glen Canyon Dam. Lake [...]

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Cedar Breaks National Monument

near Cedar City, Utah Visited: September 25, 2004 NPS Site Visited: 101 of 353 NPS Website WHAT IS IT? Bryce Canyon’s less publicized, higher altitude and maybe even more strikingly colored fraternal twin. Cedar Breaks NM, like its twin, is a geologic amphitheater filled with willowy multihued rock pillars, called hoodoos. BEAUTY (8/10) Because of [...]

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Bryce Canyon National Park

near Tropic, Utah Visited: September 23, 2004 Second Visit: April 21, 2005 NPS Site Visited: 100 of 353 NPS Website; Local Website WHAT IS IT? A U-shaped amphitheater (not a canyon at all) that contains thousands of fancifully shaped pinkish orange pillars, called hoodoos. BEAUTY (10/10) The freakishly bright colors and gravity challenging shapes of [...]

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Timpanogos Cave National Monument

near American Fork, Utah Visited: September 23, 2004 NPS Site Visited: 99 of 353 NPS Website WHAT IS IT? A relatively small, mountaintop cave system that boasts the rare cave formation helictites as well as the standard flowstone and stalactites. BEAUTY (7/10) The scenic highlight of the Timpanogos Cave NM is not the cave at [...]

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