Bill Ward - All - Travel - Travel: 1998 - Grand Canyon (1998)

Cottonwood

We had a campground reserved in Cottonwood, AZ, near Sedona. We set off in the early morning from Sunnyvale, CA, intending to get there in the mid-afternoon after driving non-stop. But the VW doesn't like hills very much, and I had forgotten that there's a 4000-foot increase in elevation after you cross into Arizona. We chugged up the Interstate at 30 MPH for several hours, getting more and more tired. We finally got to the campsite well after midnight.

Next: South Rim

Photos marked with [K] are by Kausik, and those marked with [B] are mine.

North Rim

In the morning we toured the North Rim, which affords a much less touristy view as well as a completely different perspective on the Canyon. There are more trees and a much more rustic atmosphere prevails. It's harder to get to, but I think it's the more enjoyable side of the Canyon. From there, we drove home. Holly and I took a few extra days, but the rest of the group had to be back at the office the next day, so the group split up.

Previous: Around the Canyon: South Rim to North Rim

Photos marked with [K] are by Kausik, and those marked with [B] are mine.

South Rim

The next day we drove to the Canyon, through Sedona. We visited the South Rim and camped there overnight. The sunset that evening was amazing.

Next: Around the Canyon: South Rim to North Rim
Previous: Cottonwood

Photos marked with [K] are by Kausik, and those marked with [B] are mine.

Around the Canyon: South Rim to North Rim

We then drove all day the next day to reach the North Rim. We crossed the Colorado at Navajo Bridge, which is the only place for hundreds of miles where you can actually drive across the river, and saw so much amazing scenery along that trip. The scale of the place doesn't really come across in pictures. The Vermilion Cliffs, for example, are about a thousand feet high.

On the way to the North Rim we stopped at a small lake to take some photos. As we continued on, we came across snow. In May! Some members of our group, being from India, had never seen snow up close before, and we all had a great time throwing snowballs and enjoying the white stuff. We reached our campground that night.

Next: North Rim
Previous: South Rim

Photos marked with [K] are by Kausik, and those marked with [B] are mine.