I’d set an alarm for sunrise so we could see the Grand Canyon in a different light since we’d parked right next to it. We hadn’t been bothered all night, so I was feeling pretty satisfied. We’d both had a great night’s rest. I put on my downie and snow pants, donned a beanie and a scarf and climbed over Vanessa to get out of the van. She followed shortly after and found me out on some rocks overlooking the canyon. We shared the place with a few others and the perspective was totally different from what we’d seen yesterday. We could see a lot of the Colorado River and it didn’t seem that far away!
I talked to a British couple out on some rocks while Vanessa sat back to enjoy the view. We took photos as the sun came up over the horizon. When the sun finally hit the cliffs, it set the red colours right off and brought the canyon alive. Not bad nature, not bad. Freezing, we got our butts back to the car, did a quick tidy up and set off up the road to find ourselves some actual gourmet breakfast. By the time we got into Cameron, it was barely 8am and we were feeling pretty proud of ourselves that thanks to our sunrise start, we’d be able to squeeze a lot into the day.
At the Cameron Trading Post, we walked through the walls of souvenirs to the dining room where we were seated at a table away from the two massive Asian bus tour groups. We didn’t stay long, both of us retreating to the bathroom for a semi-wash. Back at our table, we had a wonderful Native American waitress who looked after us. Vanessa was a happy chappy once she had coffee in her hands and we were both astounded at the cheap prices so ordered way more food than we needed. We lingered a while at the breakfast table, looking over photos and reminiscing about the canyon before paying our bill and resisting the temptation of buying shit we didn’t need as we walked out.
After a quick look at the nearby canyon, I filled up with petrol and we were on our way to Horseshoe Bend. A bit of a repeat for me since I’d just done it with Kevin, but I was happy to show Vanessa a good time. The drive was pretty as ever and V was happy watching the canyon walls flick by us as we drove north. We were at the Bend at around 10am, still so much time left in the day!
We walked to the river and were both disgusted by the usual amount of tourists, thinking that we were somehow different from the rest of them. At the Bend, we really struggled to find a spot that had a view without people. We spotted the campers at the base of the river and a few boats floating along, but it was otherwise the same as it had been a few days ago. We didn’t stay long, not wanting to be amongst the people any longer. We drove on to Antelope Canyon.
Another repeat for me, but this time, I was keen to try for the Upper side of the canyon hoping their credit card machine was working. We got there just before noon and there was a tour just leaving. After a bit of confusion and me running back to the car to get Vanessa, we paid our money and just as the tour was leaving, they had two spaces spare so we put our bums on seats, chuffed at our perfect timing! We sat on a bench seat mounted on the back of a truck along with seven other tourists and our tour guide Mike drove us the 3.5 miles out to the mouth of the upper canyon. It was a busy day, made evident by the rows of trucks lined up outside the canyon.
Mike gave us a bit of a spiel outside the canyon as we waited for the people ahead of us to go forwards into the narrow opening. It was obvious from the start that this tour was going to be all about the photos. Upper Antelope Canyon is just as narrow as the Lower side but not as windy, being more of a straight shot. The curves and twists of the rock were above our heads, instead of right in front of us and there wasn’t as much light penetrating through the narrow slit at the roof of the canyon. Mike went gangbusters pointing out how to get the good photos and taking cameras from the people in our group to show them the way. It was all very wah-wah, especially for me who had seen the Lower side. There were way too many people in the canyon to be comfortable, making it a painfully slow shuffle through the walls. Vanessa enjoyed it, having fun with her DSLR to bring out the colours of the rocks. I kept to the back of the group, not partaking in much photography since I was over it.
Mike was a good tour guide and kept us together, pushing other groups forward when they were slowing us down. Having only nine in our group was also small by comparison so we felt less crowded than most people. We walked the quarter mile through the canyon right out the other side, with an entrance much like the exit. I soaked up as much sun as I could before heading back into the canyon. In our rush to make it on the tour, I hadn’t brought a jacket and it was bloody freezing inside the canyon! We followed Mike back through the canyon, not taking any photos this time, just making our way past the other groups until we were in the sun again. Everyone was photo’d out by this stage.
Back in the truck, we lumbered over soft sand back to where we’d started. I made us some lunch at the van and we ate sitting on the back step watching the tourists come and go. While Vanessa was in the bathroom, I saw a group of five guys in discussion nearby about the tour. I wandered over and told them that if they were unsure of what to do they should do the tour of the Lower Canyon since it was cheaper and much more impressive than the Upper Canyon. They were grateful for the advice and followed it, but not before we chatted a while and discovered we were all Aussies and van travelers, though somehow the five of them were all fit in a Jucy rental, not like my luxurious set up. I was happy to have helped them out.
Vanessa came back and we munched on a couple of apples as we head for our next destination, Marble Canyon. Vanessa gets full credit for finding this one. Using the “Hiking Project” app, she’d found a 3 mile hike at Cathedral Wash that started in the Glen Canyon Recreation Area and ended at the Colorado River. It was a featured hike in the app so we agreed it would be worth a forty minute drive out of our way to get to it. We drove south towards Cameron, then turned north towards Marble Canyon, a new road for me! Vanessa got the sleepys so missed a lot of the scenery, but I sure enjoyed it.
It didn’t take long in the end to reach the trailhead which was on the side of the road. We packed our bags with some soap (figuring we’d have a shower at the river), water and warm clothes and were on our way, starting the hike by going through an underpass beneath the road. We followed the wash, not really finding a trail but following the path of where flood waters rush towards the river. My absolute favourite type of hiking where we make our own path.
It was a little muddy in spots so we stuck to the rocks as much as we could. As we travelled further into the wash, our awe increased. The raging flood waters had created the most beautiful rock shelves and formations in all sorts of colours. Even better, there were only a couple of hikers in the wash around us so we essentially had the place to ourselves. After the tourist-cramped experience of Antelope, we were in heaven.
We took a lot of photos at every turn, each new section getting more and more impressive. The canyon grew deeper as we descended towards the river. At one point, there was evidence of a waterfall where rock had been smoothed out to a perfect fountain that led to a large muddy pool below. A couple of other hikers were here trying to find the best way down. We found a spot without too much difficulty and both made it down ok, for Vanessa especially thanks to the short people rocks that had been put at the base of a small drop.
From there, there were a few climbing moves, but nothing too difficult. It was fun to form our own path and figure out the easiest/best way forward. It was slow going, mostly because of all the photos we were taking, our breath absolutely taken away by this wash. We passed a few hikers on their way out and the ground became muddier beneath our feet. The perfect pools of light brown liquid were smooth and untouched. I put a bit of mud on my fingers and rubbed it onto my leg, wanting to see how it felt and how fast it would dry. Vanessa went one step further and put war stripes on her face, then did the same to me. We were becoming cave women.
Just as we were thinking we should be nearing the end, I could hear the rapids of a river and told Vanessa so. I picked up the pace, excited to see the Colorado and at my first glimpse, I shouted out in surprise. I had imagined a dirty flowing river, but the water was clear and flowing fast. A perfect spot to have a shower at the base of cliffs that had been half destroyed over time with massive slabs falling into the river. We couldn’t believe it, standing at the edge of this raging bright river with absolutely no one else in sight.
We were undressed within minutes to wash ourselves in the mighty Colorado. Damn. It. Was. Cold. I couldn’t stop shouting out as I crept into the water, seeking a good standing spot to soak off. Even meters from the bank the current was strong. Eventually I settled for a sandy spot not far from the shore and covered myself in soap. Dunking my body into the water for a rinse sent knives all through my body. Eek! Vanessa was observing all this madness, yet to dip her toes in. When I got out of the water, I fell over into the soft mud and the ensuing moments were complete madness. I don’t know what came over me, but being partially covered in mud, I began to laugh uncontrollably as, on my hands and knees, I scooped mud into my hands and started to cover my whole body with it. I continued laughing as Vanessa cried out in surprise at what I was doing but I couldn’t stop, lathering myself up more and more, laughing all the while. Before long, my entire body was covered in a layer of mud, not a shred of white skin visible. I did a few Michel Angelo poses in the sun before getting back in the freezing cold to wash myself off, not an easy feat since the mud had started drying on my skin. I needed Vanessa’s help to get some of the spots on my back, but eventually, I was me again and the craziness subsided.
While Vanessa was in the river having her wash, a lady hiker we’d come across on the way in came up on the river. Vanessa calmly told me that we’d been discovered but was nonplussed, as was I. Our new friend didn’t seem to mind too much, she just wandered down the river a ways to give us some privacy. In our haste to jump into the Colorado, we didn’t notice the perfectly secluded little cove to our right. It was a much better spot to hang out and let our bodies dry. Vanessa went in for round two, but I stayed out baking my body in what sun was left of the afternoon. After about an hour by the mighty river, the sun had dipped below the wash behind us so we head out.
It had taken us over an hour to walk down the wash but it only took about half that time to walk out, much to our surprise. I suppose it was because we’d already seen everything and we knew the best ways to navigate through the mud and rocks. It was a beautiful time of day to be hiking too, with the air starting to turn cool. When we got out, the Vermillion cliffs were shrouded in colour from the sunset.
We left the canyon area and drove south, munching on some trail mix to kerb our hunger since we planned to drive all the way to Flagstaff so that we were at least halfway back to Phoenix. We were also both fixing for pub food so I figured we could stop at Brews and Cues for a late night of drinking, eating and maybe pool. It was a long two hour drive, especially after the sun went down, so when we came upon the lights of Flagstaff, I was happy. We parked in the back of the carpark where we could incognito camp after a few drinks and head on in.
The atmosphere wasn’t the same as Dan’s birthday night since there was baseball on so everyone was watching that, but after the game ended, the music started and people started playing pool so the place came alive. Our beers went down spectacularly well and we anxiously waited for our dinner to come out. I had a beautiful vegetarian pizza and Vanessa got the burger she was so desperately pining for. We were in heaven. V had to do an hour of work to keep Tesla running so I blogged for a bit before we ended up in a big financial discussion comparing spreadsheets like the total nerds we are. It was a good session.
We left the bar happy and sleep well past midnight and crept into the van for a great night’s sleep, apart from when I had to climb over Vanessa to pee behind a dumpster in the carpark, just like the homeless person that I am.
