Day seven of our adventure found us in Kanab, Utah, and headed for the Phoenix area. Since we couldn't get there in one day we just HAD to feed our Grand Canyon addiction by stopping on the south rim for the night. Initially we thought that no one would be visiting the Canyon this early in the season since temps were still ranging below freezing there at night. But just in case, while still in Kanab, we took the extra step of calling ahead to "Trailer Village" to see if we needed a reservation. Good thinking! When I got the reservation clerk on the line he told me that it was a good thing we called since there was only ONE spot left. Good grief! "Yes," I said. "We'll take it." Of course there was probably more room in the primitive camping area if it had come to that, which is much prettier but lacks water, sewer, and electricity. Arriving in camp around 2:00 p.m. I hurriedly got the RV on the ramps to level it and then we dashed off to see what we could see of the canyon in the afternoon light. I'll probably put more of the photos on Facebook, but here's one of Concetta and me on the south rim. I stopped a couple of Japanese students to take the shot and gave them an "Arigatou" when they handed the camera back. They got a big kick out of that and insisted through hand motions that we reciprocate and take their photo, too. Having had a Japanese roommate at one time I knew what to say. What they said in response went over my head, but oh well.
The best thing about visiting the Grand Canyon, other than the awesome magnificence of the geology, is the way the park has worked hard to cater to the visitor. Buses circulate throughout the entire south rim area and you can catch a ride to wherever you'd like to go and you won't have to wait more than 15 minutes for the next bus to stop. The next best thing about the park is the visitors themselves. They literally come from everywhere around world, from the far east to the Mediterranean countries; from the Scandinavian countries to South American countries.
After walking all afternoon along the south rim we arrived at the Geology Museum where I purchased yet another book on natural vegetation. I've been trying to find a way to identify the "weeds" along the roadside as we take our walks or do a roadside stop with the motorhome. On this trip I finally learned what a "Creosote Bush" looks like since there were so many in the Valley of Fire. But still there's lots of other plants that I don't know. Most of the books seem prone to identify the prettiest plants but the "uglier" plants go undiscussed. I have found a couple of books on native plants and how they were used by the native Americans, which is pretty fascinating.
We got back to the RV just about dark, but since I didn't have to set up the water and sewer due to the impending, overnight freezing conditions, my work for the day was done. The next morning it was so cold I had to set up the sewer line to be pumped and washed out then dash back inside to warm up a bit. Then I'd go back out for a few more minutes of work. The temperature gauge in the front locker was registering 35.7 degrees, which meant in the outside air it was probably at least five degree colder than that.
At left, by the way, is a Creosote Bush which grow in profusion all over the southwest.
Here's some info on the Creosote Bush: "Creosote bush (Larrea tridentata), sometimes called greasewood, is a large shrub found in most of Arizona’s counties. Creosote bush grows at elevations of 5,000 feet or lower and occupies thousands of square miles of Arizona’s Sonoran desert. It is also common in the Mohave Desert in California, Nevada, and southern Utah as well as the Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico, west Texas, and Mexico. Locally, creosote bush grows on valley bottoms and benches in and around the Verde Valley." This website will elaborate: http://ag.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/archive/creosote.html
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