Monday, June 10th 2002
Tempe, AZ to Grand Canyon National Park, AZ
Weather: clear, not a cloud in the sky, sunny and a high of 100
Grand Canyon Weather: Clear, not a cloud in the sky, and a lot cooler...a high of 80
Total Miles To Date 4,072 miles
Money spent today:
$39.61 for hotel
$9.00 at the Circle K
$3.00 for Montezuma's Castle
$17 on a t-shirt and bathing suit at the gap outlet store in Sedona
$10 on lunch at a little deli
$7 entrance fee to Slide Rock State Park
$20 entrance fee to Grand Canyon National Park that's good for 7 days
$10 for camping fees
Total Spent Today
$115.61
Total Spent To Date
$1279.47
6:30am Arizona Time and I wake because my brother calls me...It's nice that he's concerned for my health, but come on...6:30?
I feel a little better but not anywhere near 100%. I just wish my cough would go away....I shower and pack my stuff up and get ready to head out the door
It's 9:20am and something strange is brewing outside the Circle K (Bill and Ted reference..we don't have Circle K's in NY...there are the same as 7-11). Actually, you have to respect the cute girl getting a chili dog at 9:20 in the morning.. I pick up some advil cold & sinus, banana's and water....I feel a little better but at least I have no lightheadedness.
9:30am and I'm just driving around Phoenix. I even stop by the BOB (I love that, that's what they call the stadium where the Diamondbacks play. It's short for Bank One Ballpark. The funny part is that the Diamondbacks are playing the Yankees tonight and I had tickets for it. Oh well.
10:27 and thanks to Jason, he suggests not staying here and going right to Sedona..Not a bad idea after checking this town out.
10:35 and I'm on 10 West
10:40 and I'm on 17 North. and it's 90 outside
11:50 and I'm stopping off at a place called Montezuma's Castle. It's not really a castle but what you would imagine seeing on the Flintstones. It's basically a house where the Aztecs lived on the side of a mountain. It was kinda of cool although I wasn't allowed up. Apparently a whole village would live up on the walls of this mountain. This was a fun and short stop
12:20 and I'm on my way to Sedona.
12:35 and I'm 179 North in Sedona
12:45 and I'm in Sedona. This place is trippy. Imagine a town of rich deadheads converting a nice town like scarsdale or Beverly Hills into there own. There were arts store everywhere, psychics and palm readers. It was beautiful and expensive. I drove around, parked and window shopped. This is my mom's kind of town.
2pm and I leave Sedona and I'm on 89A north to Slide Rock State Park. I stop off at a local deli and pick up some lunch for later..
2:30 and I'm in Rock Slide State Park. This place is awesome!!! It's basically a naturally made water slide. I brought a towel had some lunch and went swimming. It was cold. I have to give myself credit. I hate cold water and I swam in this 61 degree water. Thank god it was 100 out or I probably wouldn't have done this. It was so much fun.
3:50 and I leave Slide Rock for the Grand Canyon. I head onto 179 North
4:30 and somehow I end up on rte 66...Cool
I also found a radio station that's broadcasting the Yankees / Diamondbacks game....only bad thing is I loose it in the 3rd...I have no idea who won. It was fun listening to a Yankee game from the away teams point of view. It was funny listening to them talk about how crowded NYC is.
5:45 and I"M AT THE GRAND CANYON
6pm and I've been turned away from the Grand Canyon camp site. They are full!! Sux for me!! They send me to a camp ground 10 miles away, which is the closest campground.
7:30 and I'm completely set up at a camp site named Ten-X. It's nice and some people might not be happy with this, but I'm happy that I'm right near the bathroom.
I just chill out. I'm at lot number 30. I finish my sandwich from lunch and do some reading. It's also getting quite chilly. I guess it's 70 out right now, which is a lot cooler than the 100 degree days I've been dealing with.
7:35 and the sun is going down
7:45 and I move into the tent. I can't believe I'm in a tent outside the Grand Canyon...This is surreal. ...It's reassuring to see the Park Rangers drive by every once in a while.
8:30 and the sun has gone down....It's past twilight and it's on the creeping part of night.
8:40 and without a flashlight I can't see anything...
8:50 and I'm acting loopy...I've now re-enacted scenes from the Blair Witch Project in my tent.
9pm and I can't see a damn thing..I guess it's time to sleep.
It's so quiet. Imagine as you go to sleep, remove every sound that you hear. the water running...a toilet flushing...a passing car...anything and everything....it's so quiet ...
and I go to sleep.
C YA
notes:
I can't believe I saw a guy dressed as Elvis hitchhiking on 17 North....Now if that's not bad, imagine the fact that it's also 100 outside and he's go the wig on, the jumpsuit, the sideburns and everything...
Bob, nice job in leaving your door open....
According to the Grand Canyon Mountain Guide, it says that you might find Mountain Lions. It lists way to avoid contact and then it lists things to do if there is contact. Once of the things it says to do if there is contact and it attacks is to fight back...well duh!!
Do you realize I'm going to have less bugs in my tent in the forest than I've had in any one hotel or motel that I've been to so far.
Total miles yesterday which I forgot to update
465 miles
Total Miles Traveled Today
257 miles