13 October 2015, Tuesday Breakfast is quick and easy this morning. We share a giant cinnamon bun from ElTovar and have coffee yogurt and peaches along with it. We beginchecking off the final items on our agenda. We return to the visitorcenter to make sure it’s OK to walk out to Shoshone Point since thesign in the parking lot says “use restricted, check at visitorcenter.” We tell the ranger at the
Mather Campground and Desert View
12 October 2015, Monday Today we again reorganize – backpacking gear stowed-check, car camping gearsemi-organized-check, motel stuff filed away-check. We have severalgoals for the next couple of days. First, we return to El Tovar forbreakfast. I have to try their brie and raspberry jam stuffed frenchtoast before we depart. It is delicious! After we have packed the car we head immediately to Mather Campground tosecure a tent site for two nights-job
Rim to Rim – Day 6
11 October 2015, Sunday Today is our final day in the canyon. We have about 900 meters (3000 ft) toclimb over 4 ½ miles. Jack tells us to go at our own pace, drinkwater, stop to rest, and, above all, don’t forget to look back at theview as we go. O and I set off about 7:50 am. We are told we onlyneed to carry one liter of water because there
Rim to Rim – Day 5
10 October 2015, Saturday So. . .as we were getting ready to get into our tent last night we sawtwo golden eyes peering at us from behind the rocks. In the red lightof my headlamp we could make out ears and face. I had to turn the dimwhite light on. We could now see the huge fluffy striped tail. Theface looks almost cat-like. The tail seems to make up at least
Rim to Rim – Day 4
9 October 2015, Friday We are the first to be packed and ready to go this morning, except forMike and Sue. They leave early to give Sue a head start. Years in thearmy have taken a toll on her hips and knees. It is a pleasantmorning; cool, but not too cool in the shade of the canyon walls,brilliantly bright and sunny and a bit warm where the sun reaches thebottom of
Rim to Rim – Day 3
8 October 2015, Thursday Tonight we will again camp at Cottonwood Campground. This gives us anopportunity to explore the area around Ribbon Falls just downhillfrom our campsite. After breakfast we tromp down the trail for abouta mile towards a bridge across Bright Angel Creek. We pause as weapproach the bridge to look at the vegetation in a wide flat areaabove the creek. Jack points out clues that indicate an archeologicalsite may
Rim to Rim – Day 2
7 October 2015, Wednesday It rains on and off through the night and it is pretty cold, but O and Iare snug and warm in the tent. We wake at 5:45 am in hopes of packing up and cooking breakfast quickly. We have eaten our cinnamon bun frenchtoast and are ready to go by 8 am. We’re still the last to be ready.That’s what happens when we have a big breakfast
Rim to Rim – Day 1
6 October, 2015 Tuesday We are up at 5:30 am to allow time for Pancake Trio at El Tovar restaurant. Threedifferent types of pancakes are served: buttermilk, buckwheat, and cornmeal, along with honey-pinenut butter and both prickly pear and maplesyrup. Breakfast is delicious. I head back to our room to finish packingwhile O gets the check. We arrive at the Community Center only 5minutes late for our orientation. Jack Pennington, our
An Excellent Outcome
5 October 2015, Monday Truce?We set three traps last night. No mouse this am and no mouse signsin the car. Were we abandoned for the sweeter smelling restaurantsand trash bins of Tusayan? We can only hope. We may set the trapsagain tonight. All nibble-able food is now secured in plastic boxes.We repack the car, now version 4.0. Perhaps we have made Jazzinhospitable to mice? We proceed from our lodge to the
Mouse Wars and Grand Canyon
4 October 2015, Sunday. The mouse is still here!! This is war!!! We discover 8-10 damaged pears,three chewed apples, a chewed bag of coffee (luckily mice don’tappear to like coffee.) Interestingly it ignored the cheese andnuts. Damage to the car includes a chewed hole in the covering overthe folded down back seats, lots of mouse pellets and other “fluids”both in the car and under the hood on the suspension strut supportsand