Grand Canyon and Monument Valley

I seem to be drawn to Arizona. Yet again this year I stayed longer than I planned. I was in Tucson until April 30 when I headed to the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley with an overnight stay in Rock Springs, Arizona. I’m caravanning with my friend, Malia (Malia’s Miles blog).

Our first stop was the Rock Springs Café. We found a great boondocking spot in their event parking lot north of the restaurant. Rock Springs Café is known for their delicious pies. It was Malia’s birthday and she got a free piece of pie and free beer! It was a small oasis in the desert and a great place to spend the night. Rock Springs was half way to the Grand Canyon.

Rock Springs Cafe — Rock Springs Garden Area – Malia’s Birthday

The next morning we left for the Grand Canyon and found a beautiful boondocking spot on forest road 688 just 10 minutes south of the south entrance to the Grand Canyon. We settled in for the evening and were very excited to visit the Grand Canyon (south rim) the next day.

I woke up the next morning about 5:30 and looked out the window and much to my shock and excitement there was four inches of snow covering everything! You know I’ve been gone from Michigan a long time when I get excited about snow. The snow stuck to everything except the road. It was a very foggy day, which helped keep the snow around for a while and it was completely gone within 12 hours.

Even though it was pretty cold (45 degrees) we decided to head to the Grand Canyon wondering if we’d see a layer of snow in the canyon. We were very surprised to see the canyon totally covered by fog. Both of us had seen the canyon before and knew what to expect. When we couldn’t see anything we both burst out laughing. I felt sorry for those there just for the day. We knew we were returning the next day so weren’t upset at all. So plan B…we went to the IMAX theatre and watched the Grand Canyon movie. It had been a very interesting day with a couple surprises. I do like days like that!

The next day was perfect weather and we hiked the Bright Angel trail for a couple miles. We stopped into the lodge for a cocktail and snack before heading back to camp.

Ro at Tunnel — The first tunnel on the Bright Angel trail

Fireplace made with the same layers of rock as the canyon

Bright Angel Trail — Looking down on the Bright Angel trail

Cork LIfe Jacket — Life vest made from cork

Then it was off to Monument Valley, a bucket list item for me. I was not disappointed! We stayed at Goulding’s RV Resort nestled among the red rocks. Goulding’s Resort started years ago to support the movie industry in the area. They have a small movie museum that is worth a visit.

Goulding’s RV Park (that’s me on the left)

The Monument Valley in part of the Navajo Reservation. You can take guided tours of the area, but we chose to take our own car and drive the Valley Road. That let us get down and among the mesas, buttes and spires. The weather was perfect. There are stops along the road with Navajo vendors for art, rugs and jewelry. Of course, we had to stimulate the economy and purchased a few beautiful items.