So it’s been a few days since my last post and there’s been so much that’s happened its tough to recall every bit and piece. The note taking idea hasn’t really panned out and I generally rely on my less than reliable brain to recall All The Things. I usually go through this “ooh that’ll be great and informative for the blahg,” followed by “shit what was it that I was thinking….” So I’ll do my best here.

After leaving Phoenix on Friday morning, the road to Flagstaff, Interstate 17, is plenty scenic and enjoyable for an interstate. There’s even a very cool little turn off/rest area with some views of the mountains called Sunset Point. After a while the desert heat turned into brisk cool air and pine tree forest all around.

I left Phoenix truly believing for a second day in a row that I wasn’t going to be rained on, despite the news talking about the rain that hardly happens but was happening around Phoenix that day. So no tarp and on we go, which brings me to my first important milestone I wanted to note here today. Naturally it did rain on me right around when I was getting close to Flagstaff and this marked 15 days in a row where I’ve been rained on at least once while riding the bike. This milestone quickly led to another, when I was lucky enough to experience my first hailstorm!

While I wanted to check out Flagstaff real quick and find some hiking shoes, things weren’t looking great so straight west to on 40 and north on 67 toward the Grand Canyon it was.

67 was uneventful to my surprise. I was thinking as we got close to this grand canyon thing that the scenery was going to change a bit. Grassy fields almost the entire way before hitting pines again.

Mather campground where Ruffles and I were staying for the next two nights was great. Perfectly spaced out spots, plenty of tree cover and just a beautiful place in general. The rain didn’t stop us from lighting up a fire and enjoying the fresh air.

Saturday was a day full of adventure. Google maps says we spent a total of 9 hours and 9 minutes walking 11.4 miles. Unfortunately we were advised against the trail we wanted to tackle since there was a 75% chance of thunderstorms which could result in flash flooding along the hiking trail. We still had a great time exploring the rim, climbing rocks and hiking down quite a ways anyway via the South Kaibab trail to Cedar (pepe) Point (marking the 5th national park I’ve hiked in). All the while keeping dry despite the warnings.

I took quite a few pictures of this magical place, but none of them do justice in representing the scale and magnificence of this place. Neither can I really describe it in anyway that can  truly convey breathtaking wonder that exists in every frame of vision. But here are some pictures anyway:

On the hiking trail we met 2 young Romanian guys that were walking all the way down from the north rim up to the south rim. Something that’s supposed to take 3 days that they’d started earlier that morning. They were also hitchhiking across the united states and had all of their travel supplies with them. Crazy! They are a huge inspiration for adventure.

We managed to catch both a sunset and sunrise over the canyon, the latter involving waking up at 5:15 and literally running to make it on time. Worth it though.

While we didn’t see any womprats, the wildlife (and non-wildlife) was still abundant. Lot of mountain squirrels, some small lizards, tons of elk chilling out on the side of the road, a Coyote that stood in the street at 6am and just watched us, mountain bluebirds, chickadees, california condors, turkey vultures and probably things I’m forgetting. No bears though…

Oh and of course a few amusing signs including your run of the mill bear crossing, multiple variations on the mule crossing, elk crossing, the elusive mountain lion crossing and of course more warnings on the poisonous snakes, insects and lizards that inhabit this beautiful but deadly area.

If you ever have an opportunity, this thing, this Grand Canyon is nothing you can possibly fathom. You have to see it in order to understand the infinite majesty of the place.

Somewhere over the weekend I hit 5000 miles on the bike since departing Chicago on August 8th, a milestone that marks roughly half way on this adventure.

Last night I was back in Flagstaff to check out the things I’d missed out on and recover from our grand weekend excursion. It’s a cool place, much smaller than I thought but a neat little downtown and sprawling ranch houses all around.

The way back in was not the same as the way I took in, instead this time going east through Cameron, a little desert town in between flagstaff and the GC. The ride was neat though, 67 going wast offered lots of views of the canyon and some great riding with little traffic.

Here are some routes:

Today I make my way to Sunny California. Later!