TWOLOST: May, 2012: UT + AZ trip report

[twolost]

Date (day): May, 22 (Day 25)
Source: Peach Springs, AZ
Destination: North Rim Grand Canyon, AZ
Travel Miles: 350
Resources: Campgrounds; Grand Canyon Lodge; North Rim Campground Map


Deviation from plan: Not wanting to get caught in a flurry of rafting activity early in the morning, I got up just about first light (4:30am), took a few pics, and then started getting my side of the fence ready to get out of there. One by one, the other members of our convoy began stirring around as well. Our family had a very long drive ahead of us to attempt to get back on schedule at the North Rim Campground, so by 6:30am we said our goodbyes and started the climb out of the canyon. About half way up (7:00am), we encountered the same policeman (who looked to be in a hurry to see if any of those vans were still on the river bank). Shortly thereafter, we encountered a couple trucks hauling rafts down to the same place that we just came from. Good timing.


Moment(s): We ended up back in Flagstaff to purchase fuel and grab a quick lunch. While my wife ran in to get some fast-food to go, I notice this kid walking through an adjacent vacant lot. Kid looked to be a male in his mid-teens. Nothing really stood out. Just a normal kid wearing a backpack, ear buds dangling down from his head (presumably plugged into some electronic device), carrying a bag of fast-food. If I had to guess, I would have assumed he was just walking to school (just like any other day). Then, without warning he picked his breakfast sandwich out of the bag, he unwrapped it, and then in one natural flip of the wrist he just discarded everything but the sandwich right there on the ground as if he did not have a care in the world. The path that he was on took him right past a garbage can (within two feet). He never looked up as he walked right past the garbage can and right past our van. I guess the thing that stunned me more than anything was just how natural it was for this kid to be so contemptuously oblivious. What I wanted to do was to get out of the van, grab the kid by the scruff of the neck, return him to his Hansel and Gretel moment, and then impress upon him the finer points of properly disposing of his packaging. What I did… was to watch this kid walk by our van (unchallenged) and simply continue on in this moment of his life without a concern in the world. My advice to this kid would be to not get too used to going through life unchallenged. Someday, that kind of ignorance and defiance is bound to catch up to you. My hope for you is that you live long enough to care and that you care long enough to become responsible.


One other noteable moment was when my wife’s new iPad III died. She had been reading the night before when she fell asleep and accidentally left it on all night. The battery drained to a point of no return (no boot of any kind, it was totally dead). We attempted to charge her iPad in the van off of the DC charger but had zero luck in resurrecting it. As my wife is an avid iPad user, this was not sitting very well with her. Turns out her iPad would be down for a few more days until we shocked it back to life using AC power.


Takeaway(s): The flexibility that we had built into our fully packed schedule had really been paying off. Having added a couple of buffer days at the start of our trip while in Moab; to having a few down days at Expo; to having a few stationary days at the North Rim Campground; we utilized all of these flexible buffer days for repairs or spontaneous adventure. Going into this trip, we knew that this was really a scouting mission. There was just too much to see and do to accomplish everything in the approximate 40 consecutive days that we had available. Establishing this trip as a scouting mission as much as anything else took some pressure off too as we knew that we were really just making notes for future trips into this area and fine tuning where we would like to spend more time. Other than a couple of missed days traveling the Flint Trail, everything was working out fantastic.


Sportsmobile Note(s): Once again, I had to clear the same diesel engine OBDII error codes that we had first seen on the White Rim Trial.


Camping along the Colorado




Diamond Creek Road




This type of cactus was only seen near the bottom of the canyon




Grand Canyon National Park; North Rim, Grand Canyon


North Rim Campground (campsite #5)