onelow1ton
Adventurer
Looks like you had an amazing trip James very nice pix
Exploring the West - A couple's 2 week travels through CO, UT, and AZ
- Thread starter JamesDowning
- Start date
JamesDowning
Explorer
Thanks guys, the comments keep me motivated to post more!
So - after our day of rest in Kanab, we crossed the border into Arizona. Today's destination was one of the most anticipated stops along the trip. We were worried however, that the Grand Canyon wouldn't be as grand to us, since we had been tainted by the previous places we'd been. We discussed this during the drive... what if the Grand Canyon would just be another stop? That would be rather disappointing.
Anyways, after a short drive (ok short to us now is anything less than 3 hours)... we entered the park boundary. At the entrance gate, signs indicated the campgrounds were full. No problem... I had a special destination in mind.
We hit up the back country office, and got our back country permit. We got extremely lucky, as we learned that the point had just been opened the night before due to a large forest fire (http://www.nps.gov/grca/parknews/2011-107-15_point-fire.htm). The night before, the first vehicle had ventured out to the point since July. They, however, didn't make it to the point, as there was a tree down along the road. The lady at the office said not to worry, as a truck had already been dispatched to the tree, and had probably already removed it.
So off we headed... we would be the first people on the point since July 15th.
We had been driving for about an hour, maybe more, when suddenly Megan shouted, "What is that?!"... I stopped the vehicle immediately, and a buffalo stepped out into the trail. He was maybe 25 feet away. He lowered his head a couple times, looking like he was considering a charge at ol' Coop. I was ready with my hand on the horn and the high-beam stick (I couldn't think of much else that would scare him).
He was magnificent. I wasn't expecting the horns though, he looked like he was wearing a viking helmet. Anyways, he decided our truck was a bit large, and he backed off into the woods. Luckily we remembered to snap a photo of him before he vanished. Later conversations with park workers said they hadn't heard of the buffalo ranging that far into the woods. Megan and I think maybe he was a lone male that had been driven from the herd. Who knows.
Anyways, back to the road. I was taking it pretty easy... the road was pretty rough, and I needed low gear a few times to take the stress off the engine for some climbs. You wouldn't expect to hit any climbs along the road, but they were certainly there. I also relied on low gear a good many times for help on the steep, rocky decents. Now, I didn't document it well, and didn't even take video, because going slow up a rocky slope doesn't make for good video... but believe me, it wasn't all smooth going like in the video.
We had made it to about the 14 mile mark in about an hour and 45 minutes. And we ran across the tree that was supposed to be cleared. Not even a small tree that I could easily pull out of the way with a strap... but a 150' long tree, with a max trunk diameter of 3'.
We had three options. Wait (I'm not a patient man)... go back to the back-country office, and talk to someone (no cell service, and it would be a 3 hour loop minimum!)... or try to move it.
Luckily, with the way it fell, I formulated a plan. Now, I don't bring a chain saw, nor a bow saw. But I do bring a reciprocating saw with me... but it's used mainly to assist with cutting firewood. So I set out to make a good scoring cut around the tree to give it a weak spot. I was able to get a good 9" deep on one side, but that finished off a battery. I stuck in another... dead (note to self - check all batteries before packing next time!). I keep another, and it had a half charge or so. So I scored the rest of the tree, maybe 2" deep. So that still left with a good uncut chunk of wood, about 7" x 10".
With the gear I carry, I was able to rig up a change of direction pull for the winch. The plan was to break the tree, then pull it off of the path. There was a nice thick tree just far enough away to use as a good anchor point. So I set about methodically rigging everything into place.
Below, everything is rigged, just trying to use the last little bit of juice that the batteries held to help the winch out ever so little.
Success!
You can pretty much see the whole layout here. Pretty routine setup, but it worked beautifully (you can see a sped up version of the tree breaking on the video, below).
So after clearing it off the path, on we went to the point. And we were not a bit disappointed at the view. It was the most incredible place I had ever seen.
Now is when I let the pictures do more talking.
Out on the tip of the point, I cannot describe the beauty. The only sounds are your own breaths and the wind whistling through the gnarled trees. It was so silent, the wind passing over the wings of the Swallows was clearly audible. They would rip up and down the embankments, enjoying the sun and updrafts. They looked like top gun fighters, these birds were not afraid to pull a few Gs. Sadly, I couldn't capture any well on film.
Couldn't have a better view from the kitchen.
Here's the mounting location for the edgestar fridge. Definitely nice to have a fridge, but I realized my charging system lagged behind a bit. I believe I need to up my wire size... but that's for another discussion!
Yum, Megan cooked up a wonderful lasagna pasta. Nice to get a good hardy meal in my belly after sweating so much on that downed tree.
Gorgeous views while we ate.
So - after our day of rest in Kanab, we crossed the border into Arizona. Today's destination was one of the most anticipated stops along the trip. We were worried however, that the Grand Canyon wouldn't be as grand to us, since we had been tainted by the previous places we'd been. We discussed this during the drive... what if the Grand Canyon would just be another stop? That would be rather disappointing.
Anyways, after a short drive (ok short to us now is anything less than 3 hours)... we entered the park boundary. At the entrance gate, signs indicated the campgrounds were full. No problem... I had a special destination in mind.
We hit up the back country office, and got our back country permit. We got extremely lucky, as we learned that the point had just been opened the night before due to a large forest fire (http://www.nps.gov/grca/parknews/2011-107-15_point-fire.htm). The night before, the first vehicle had ventured out to the point since July. They, however, didn't make it to the point, as there was a tree down along the road. The lady at the office said not to worry, as a truck had already been dispatched to the tree, and had probably already removed it.
So off we headed... we would be the first people on the point since July 15th.
We had been driving for about an hour, maybe more, when suddenly Megan shouted, "What is that?!"... I stopped the vehicle immediately, and a buffalo stepped out into the trail. He was maybe 25 feet away. He lowered his head a couple times, looking like he was considering a charge at ol' Coop. I was ready with my hand on the horn and the high-beam stick (I couldn't think of much else that would scare him).
He was magnificent. I wasn't expecting the horns though, he looked like he was wearing a viking helmet. Anyways, he decided our truck was a bit large, and he backed off into the woods. Luckily we remembered to snap a photo of him before he vanished. Later conversations with park workers said they hadn't heard of the buffalo ranging that far into the woods. Megan and I think maybe he was a lone male that had been driven from the herd. Who knows.
Anyways, back to the road. I was taking it pretty easy... the road was pretty rough, and I needed low gear a few times to take the stress off the engine for some climbs. You wouldn't expect to hit any climbs along the road, but they were certainly there. I also relied on low gear a good many times for help on the steep, rocky decents. Now, I didn't document it well, and didn't even take video, because going slow up a rocky slope doesn't make for good video... but believe me, it wasn't all smooth going like in the video.
We had made it to about the 14 mile mark in about an hour and 45 minutes. And we ran across the tree that was supposed to be cleared. Not even a small tree that I could easily pull out of the way with a strap... but a 150' long tree, with a max trunk diameter of 3'.
We had three options. Wait (I'm not a patient man)... go back to the back-country office, and talk to someone (no cell service, and it would be a 3 hour loop minimum!)... or try to move it.
Luckily, with the way it fell, I formulated a plan. Now, I don't bring a chain saw, nor a bow saw. But I do bring a reciprocating saw with me... but it's used mainly to assist with cutting firewood. So I set out to make a good scoring cut around the tree to give it a weak spot. I was able to get a good 9" deep on one side, but that finished off a battery. I stuck in another... dead (note to self - check all batteries before packing next time!). I keep another, and it had a half charge or so. So I scored the rest of the tree, maybe 2" deep. So that still left with a good uncut chunk of wood, about 7" x 10".
With the gear I carry, I was able to rig up a change of direction pull for the winch. The plan was to break the tree, then pull it off of the path. There was a nice thick tree just far enough away to use as a good anchor point. So I set about methodically rigging everything into place.
Below, everything is rigged, just trying to use the last little bit of juice that the batteries held to help the winch out ever so little.
Success!
You can pretty much see the whole layout here. Pretty routine setup, but it worked beautifully (you can see a sped up version of the tree breaking on the video, below).
So after clearing it off the path, on we went to the point. And we were not a bit disappointed at the view. It was the most incredible place I had ever seen.
Now is when I let the pictures do more talking.
Out on the tip of the point, I cannot describe the beauty. The only sounds are your own breaths and the wind whistling through the gnarled trees. It was so silent, the wind passing over the wings of the Swallows was clearly audible. They would rip up and down the embankments, enjoying the sun and updrafts. They looked like top gun fighters, these birds were not afraid to pull a few Gs. Sadly, I couldn't capture any well on film.
Couldn't have a better view from the kitchen.
Here's the mounting location for the edgestar fridge. Definitely nice to have a fridge, but I realized my charging system lagged behind a bit. I believe I need to up my wire size... but that's for another discussion!
Yum, Megan cooked up a wonderful lasagna pasta. Nice to get a good hardy meal in my belly after sweating so much on that downed tree.
Gorgeous views while we ate.
JamesDowning
Explorer
And then watched the sun go down... over the canyon... it was such a peaceful location. Even though I've been there, it's still going on the bucket list. I want to go again.
Here's the best image I could capture of the stars... they were truly incredible.
Here's some video from the day. Some dash cam mixed with some hand held video from the campsite. Enjoy!
Here's the best image I could capture of the stars... they were truly incredible.
Here's some video from the day. Some dash cam mixed with some hand held video from the campsite. Enjoy!
HARDTRAILZ
Certified
Great pics as usual. Looks like one amazing journey.
brushogger
Explorer
I am really enjoying your trip post. I like it when people kit out a truck that doesn't have that much aftermarket support and set it up like you have. It looks great. You've given me some great ideas for our trip west next summer. BTW, wrong turns have led my wife and I to some amazing places! They're not necessarily a bad thing.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Is that remarkable for the N Rim campground to be full?
chicken corners
Adventurer
Thanks for moving the tree, I will be at Point Sublime next week. Thanks for the pictures, and report.
4x4x4doors
Explorer
Loving this.
We were on the South Rim Oct 7-8 and I'm almost ready to go back myself. If you seriously plan another trip out that way, give me holler. (You may still have my email addy from CORE).
JamesDowning
Explorer
Not sure, as it was the first time I had been there, just glad I didn't plan to camp there. I was surprised it was full, but I really don't know the area well.
Awesome, I'll look out for your pictures if you post them. It's 100% worth it. It was my favorite stop the entire trip.
Ah yes, I recognize your truck now. Glad it's still going strong! Another trip of that magnitude won't be possible for a few years at least. However I'm still looking for more spots to explore here on the east coast. I'd like to take a long weekend to explore parts of PA sometime.
The only time I was up there, the place was practically deserted (mid-summer).
I enjoyed your narrative and photos, thanks for sharing.
Question: I've always wanted to visit Point Sublime. Curious your thoughts about taking on that road with a full sized crew cab GMC towing a Baja style (lifted) popup trailer ??
JamesDowning
Explorer
Should be ok I think. The road is rough, but not really technical. If you have 4 LO, you'll be fine on the steeper hills. Only thing that may require the occasional spotter are a couple tight turns. With the high hood of the full sizes, I could see it being a bit tricky to see the road in a couple spots. Only other thing to look out for are other vehicles. I encountered one while on a narrow stretch, and I was glad we both had mid-size SUVs.
JamesDowning
Explorer
It's taken me a while to circle back on this, but I'm not done yet! Still two more really good stops. But I don't want to get too far ahead of myself.
The morning came on Pt Sublime, and we got to enjoy a different light. I think that's one of my big takeaways... the canyon really takes on completely different looks depending on the time of day and weather conditions.
Captured a falcon enjoying the sun.
The morning haze was minimal, but when you're looking miles down the canyon, it make for interesting pictures.
The moon was still up... tried to capture it... came out ok.
Megan got spooked after she read the Overland Journal article about the North Rim. Of course, they had to have a huge picture of a tarantula in their writeup. We saw no tarantulas, but she was always on the lookout.
We really had a fun time exploring the point, and made some good memories we won't soon forget.
Panorama from the tip of the point:
I really liked this shot:
Truck's packed up... time to head back down the road.
Video of the return trip down the Pt. Sublime Road. I had a good bit of dash cam footage, so I condensed it down by speeding it up a lot.
[youtube]IvcOp3hTf54[/youtube]
We took it at some higher speeds because we were pretty hungry. The result was the truck getting quite dirty. The only dirty vehicle in the North Rim visitor's center parking lot. Lot a lot of stares. As I aired up, Megan had a few people ask her what I was doing... as if it was some sort of foreign concept.
The visitor's center was very nice... they set it up to embrace the canyon as well as possible. We ate lunch there.
This is the view from our lunch table... it was a nice break. Megan says it's her most memorable meal.
We agreed that when we're 80, we'll come back and sit on those chairs and watch the sun set over the canyon again.
We headed back down the road to Lake Powell, and stayed there for the night.
The lake was an interesting contrast to the red rock. It sorta felt like seeing an iceberg in the Caribbean. Yet they still seemed to go together.
What's with the power plant? Looks like a promotional poster for a global warming movie.
More to come! Next is the Valley of the Gods.
The morning came on Pt Sublime, and we got to enjoy a different light. I think that's one of my big takeaways... the canyon really takes on completely different looks depending on the time of day and weather conditions.
Captured a falcon enjoying the sun.
The morning haze was minimal, but when you're looking miles down the canyon, it make for interesting pictures.
The moon was still up... tried to capture it... came out ok.
Megan got spooked after she read the Overland Journal article about the North Rim. Of course, they had to have a huge picture of a tarantula in their writeup. We saw no tarantulas, but she was always on the lookout.
We really had a fun time exploring the point, and made some good memories we won't soon forget.
Panorama from the tip of the point:
I really liked this shot:
Truck's packed up... time to head back down the road.
Video of the return trip down the Pt. Sublime Road. I had a good bit of dash cam footage, so I condensed it down by speeding it up a lot.
[youtube]IvcOp3hTf54[/youtube]
We took it at some higher speeds because we were pretty hungry. The result was the truck getting quite dirty. The only dirty vehicle in the North Rim visitor's center parking lot. Lot a lot of stares. As I aired up, Megan had a few people ask her what I was doing... as if it was some sort of foreign concept.
The visitor's center was very nice... they set it up to embrace the canyon as well as possible. We ate lunch there.
This is the view from our lunch table... it was a nice break. Megan says it's her most memorable meal.
We agreed that when we're 80, we'll come back and sit on those chairs and watch the sun set over the canyon again.
We headed back down the road to Lake Powell, and stayed there for the night.
The lake was an interesting contrast to the red rock. It sorta felt like seeing an iceberg in the Caribbean. Yet they still seemed to go together.
What's with the power plant? Looks like a promotional poster for a global warming movie.
More to come! Next is the Valley of the Gods.