Just to see if we could overcome the gravity of Flagstaff, we headed towards some random Natural Wonder of the World.
I can't believe this isn't more photographed.
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| Nobody goes there anymore; it's too crowded. |
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| Navajo (Diné) victory dance. |
We plan to head up with the Duck and claim a spot nearish the South Rim. I guess there's no such thing as parking AT the Rim on that side of the Canyon (correct me if I'm wrong, PLEASE), so we'll get as close as we can.
Hey, didja year the one about nighttime Duck hunting with paintball guns? It's a screamer.
We thought it was hail, but really we were being shot at. The clever marksmen were camping half a mile down the road, with yellow paint everywhere, so it was easy for law enforcement to track down the group.
It ends with sheriff's deputies running the warriors out of the forest. No arrests were made. For a little while, it looked like the Duck had egged itself. We blame the bad behavior on the fire ban being lifted, so it's more appealing for a certain undesirable element to head for the forest. The other undesirable element is already here.
24 comments:
Gorgeous need to go - been only to north rim
Stellar pictures
Glad you got off the ground and enjoyed, awesome pictures.
paintball eh?
Idiots.
Nice photos. I'd be clenching my butt I'm afraid.
Glad you made it to the crowded side of the canyon. Don't know of any rim side camping on that side. Different story up here on the North Rim. Same rain. Which I suppose washed the paint off the duck.
beautiful pictures. Still waiting for the ones of the paintball splats.
BTW....watched "Forks over Knives"...thanks for the link....very interesting
We really enjoyed the North Rim because of the lack of people. It was kind of cold but no rain. I would have been an unhappy quacker if somebody had hit my rig with paintballs. Hope you were able to get it all off.
I love the Grand Canyon, even the crowdedness of the South Rim. I've always wanted to set up a portable hammock somewhere along the path and just lie there and watch the colors change all day as the sun hits the canyon from different angles. Didja take the shuttle buses out to the extremes of the South Rim road? Fewer people if you do that, and lots of fun.
Some useful info here; i.e., do NOT lie on the ground to avoid lightening...
These photos are wonderful; the paintball tale not so much! Since I know people routinely "play" with that stuff, I assume it's water soluble and the Duck is none the worse for wear?
Chock off one on that list of things everybody has to see. Great attitude about the crowds. Do be sure to see all the Mary Elizabeth Jane Coulter buildings. Wish I could send you my books on her. She was some gal! Get down there to the tower at the far end. You'll enjoy walking the "rim" better if you start at the far end and walk back to the more populated parts. You can pick up the shuttle at any point. Boy do I wish I was there.
Any view of the Grand Canyon is great. Alltho, I do Love the north rim better for the lack of crowds. Looking at it from below is great too. I did a 9 day river trip a year ago along the whole length of the canyon. Now, that was something !!
You had a nice day to view the canyon.Love it when there are big white clouds in the sky !!
Sure glad you survived the lightning and the paint! People that do things like that should be required to walk down to the Colorado River and back...from the North Rim and then from the South Rim! "Forks Over Knives" is a free streaming video for Amazon Prime members, if there are those who want to watch it for free. Take care. Enjoy your change of venue. And remember..."this is not the fall you are looking for".
Like others have said, hope the Duck is none the worse for wear. Can't help you with places to stop near the Rim. We were there traveling in a car and stayed at one of those Best Western campgrounds!! Great pictures...it certainly is a wonder to behold.
A nine-day river trip! Whoa!
Sherry, it's on the top of my list. You mean out to Hermit's Rest? Yep, gonna do that. I'll Google MEJ Coulter before I go back.
Karen, it does seem to be water-soluble, but it leaves a "smear." Maybe that's a clean spot. Thanks about the photos.
Sue, I'll absolutely do that. I wanted to do it yesterday, but hunger and the pic-a-nic basket back at the car lured us the other direction.
Sandie, I want to see the North Rim. I know the season is shorter there, so maybe this year, maybe not. The pigment came off, but there is a certain something left behind. Greasy? Filmy?
Karen, what did Al think of the film? If he's not ready to go vegan, maybe he would still watch Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead and do a finite juicing?
The paintball splats are not very interesting, really. More evidentiary than aesthetic.
Thanks, Bob. I'm rather severely afraid of heights, but we passed a young lass who was hysterical with terror, sobbing. Her companion seemed to be speaking soothingly to her, so I hope she was able to calm down and enjoy the sights a little. There are places where it feels quite safe, and places where I said HOLY...! I was sort of lost in thought, gazing down at the one million mile markers when I looked up and had to throw myself onto the ground again. The path was AT the edge and all I could see was Canyon. Come to think of it, I hope her young man took her back the other way.
Gaelyn, I figured as much. Next Canyon trip will be the North Rim. How long is your season there?
Thanks C4L and Carolyn!
Russ, we would settle for scrubbing until the residue is gone. But, walking the river is good, too. Thanks for the suggestion for Amazon Prime members.
Thanks, Donna!
Hopi House and a couple of other buildings are also Coulter's. Her story is fascinating. Wish I could have sent you my books on her before you went there.
Now why did that publish before I was finished??? Itchy trigger finger??? Anyway....I also spelled her name wrong it's Colter and Hopi House, Lookout Studio, Hermit's Rest and Desert View are all hers. Desert View is fantastic. It's down the road but you must go there!
Spectacular photos. Love the Indian dancing so colorful. Makes one want to get up and join.
Beautiful -- at least they didn't paintball the canyon! But still, I'd like to see yellow handprints around some necks.
What? No photos of the Yellow Speckled Duck? :( ;)
Sherry, I started my preliminary research (Wikipedia), and I'm ready to hear and see more. We only noticed the Hopi House from the outside and didn't go in because it's a store. I stayed out for my own good. But, I'll go in next time. And, she's responsible for the Phantom Ranch at the bottom. Cool! Garçon! Burro, please!
Thanks, Harriet. The dancing is very energetic and contagious. I didn't join them only because it might have been like screaming out the Hail Mary to a hip-hop beat.
Cyn, same here. Out of my sight is good enough, though.
Yellow Rose, it was an undramatic color choice for the buff Duck, and really only looked egg-messy.
Been there, done that! Great photos. Don't buy the book about all the people who took one too many steps... or just lost their balance, or cars that slipped off the edge before barriers were in place. I read a bit and stopped. Just don't want all those images in my head. There was a guy who would climb out on the pinacles to collect the coins people had tossed from one to the other. Guess what happened to him?
OMG, Swankie, don't tell me any more! That young man had just given his girlfriend that book hadn't he?
I will be on the North Rim until at least mid-October. And who knows from then.
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