Page was simply a rest stop on our journey to the Grand Canyon. After aborting the planned trip into Antelope Canyon, we simply relaxed and refueled the bodies. We did make a trip to the local Wal*Mart for groceries and a few essentials. Refueling the truck has been going much better than planned. We’ve found diesel for less than $4 twice and seldom paid more than $4.10. I know that sounds ridiculous but it is much less than we had budgeted. And, surprisingly, Hurricane Ike’s effect has been minimal.

We left Page with no particular place in mind. We had two days to kill before our reservations on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. Jane wanted to see the Vermillion Cliffs of the Grand Staircase Escalante so we took the northern route through Utah, headed toward Kanab. Still smarting from the disappointing result of Antelope Canyon, I considered a side-trip to another “must see” site – The Wave. The Wave is another unique result of erosion and uplift. You can read a good summary of The Wave by searching the Internet. To make a long, disappointing story even longer, we didn’t get to see The Wave. I screwed up.

As we had no place to spend the night, Jane was constantly rattling off possibilities. We visited a BLM Visitor Center just across the Utah Border. There was no camping but Jane and the host discussed possible campsites. Shortly after leaving the Visitor Center, we came across a unique, little-advertised campground that looked like a small western town – almost a movie set. The road leading in was also western movie set.

We passed horses inside a split-rail fence on the way to the saloon. That indicated horseback rides – the horses, not the saloon.. A few campers were parked on a flat area above the line of western buildings. The campers were taller than the few scrub junipers that provided shade for the snakes and scorpions.

A cowboy ambled down the wooden steps to the truck, flirting with Jane. “Mighty nice smile, M’am,” he grinned. We talked a bit about things to do and sites to see. I mentioned The Wave and he said, “We can get there but you gotta get a permit from the BLM and they only give ten a day.”

That’s when I remembered and felt really stupid. I had looked it up before leaving home. You can request a permit online or be at the BLM Visitor Center before nine o’clock for one of the ten lottery drawing slots. The permits are for the NEXT day! We would have to spend a night, drive to the Visitor Center early hoping to get drawn for a permit, spend another night, and then hike (or ride horses) to The Wave.

While all the discussing was going on another cowboy walked out on the wooden porch rolling a cigarette. He sat in a rocker, leaned back and took a huge drag (or hit?). Not sure about his brand of tobacco. Mighta been wacky weed? Looked like a fun place to stay but I was getting the feeling that these were just “tokin’ cowboys.” Besides, I think Jane was smitten; I didn’t want her around that cowboy for three days.

We drove on, enjoying the countryside and especially the pink cliffs of the Grand Staircase Escalante. We made it to Kanab too early to stop. We decided to pull on to Jacobs Lake and hope for a camping site. Jacobs Lake is in the Kaibab National Forest and only 45 miles from the North Rim Camp Ground. As it turned out, the National Forest Campground at Jacobs Lake was under construction. We did find a very expensive commercial campground right on the edge of Kaibab National Forest. We checked in there for the two nights prior to our reservation at the North Rim.  By the way, Jacobs Lake is a service station and restaurant.  We drove right past before realizing it was Jacobs Lake.

It was still early after getting the camp setup. Keeping track of time in this area is very confusing. Being in Arizona, however, gave us more daylight time. Just trust me. Explaining the difference is too difficult. We drove back down the cliffs to Fredonia and out to the Pipe Creek National Monument on the Kaibab Paiute Reservation. The living museum there documents the settlement of the area by Mormon ranchers.  It is well worth the drive.  Plust, we found diesel for $3.80.

The last day before our arrival at the North Rim was spent hiking and exploring the flora and fauna of Kaibab National Forest.

Kaibab Squirrel, Silver Ghost of the North Rim

I got some neat pictures of the Kaibab Squirrel and a Stellar’s Jay. The Kaibab Squirrel is unique to this area. It is colorfully referred to as “The Silver Ghost of the North Rim” I think that refers to the white tail that flashes and flickers constantly as the squirrel streaks through the pines.
We departed the Kaibab National Forest very early by our normal standards. Again, the various time zones were in our favor. Checkin at the North Rim Campground was not until eleven, so we stopped several times to view the beautiful mountain meadows along the way. There wasn’t any visible wildlife. We were too late for animals and too early for checkin. It was, however, a scenic trip and very exciting to see our destination just around the bend. We are in the Grand Canyon National Park, North Rim Campground. It is going to be difficult to find words to describe this. I will logoff now; taking some time let it all soak in.
l8r

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