Trans Americas 2009 - The Blog

Happy Birthday, Tracy...

I woke early, at 6.15am, by body-clock not used to having lost an hour and also I think because I wanted to call Tracy early and wish her a Happy Birthday... So I showered and dressed and went to the payphone and called home... but no answer... so I went to where there is a weak Internet signal and powered up the laptop, then tried Skype-calling her mobile... no answer... oh, joy... So I left her a voicemail and sent her an email and updated the blog and tried the pay-phone again and tried Skype again and then went to get some breakfast...

Kevin had arranged to take a group of us on a dirt-road that goes to a very narrow part of the canyon infrequently visited, the ride there being some 60 miles of moderately challenging dirt riding, and last night I'd been keen to go. This morning, having failed to get hold of Tracy, I wasn't in the right frame of mind and so ducked out, determined to get hold of Tracy. The group left at 8am after breakfast, and I returned to the payphone, then Skype and finally spotted Tracy had posted a facebook note just 3 minutes ago, so must be online... desperately sending her messages I finally managed to get to exchange messages with her and then tried Skype, only to realise that the Internet connection here is so bad that it wasn't working. Back to the pay-phone and finally I was able to wish her a Happy Birthday and check she'd got the email I'd sent with a rather special picture attached, wishing her a happy birthday... Unfortunately, the cards I'd sent from Cody haven't arrived yet, but she didn't seem too bothered and was in good spirits, looking forward to the meal with the girls (Katy, Laura, Katie and Carlie, Danielle unable to make it) that she was going to have later that evening. We had a good chat and my head returned to where it should be...

I then got into my bike gear and rode the 45 miles to the start of the Grand Canyon National Park (North Rim), then the further 12 miles to the visitor's center. Normally, distances like that would be off-putting, and were the reason we stayed in Tusayan last year, so we only had 12 miles to go to get to the canyon. But now I'm here on my bike, the distances don't seem to matter so much, and the ride through the forest to the entrance to the park, and then through more forest and meadows to the visitor's center was very enjoyable, even with the reduced speed limit. I had a good look round the visitor's center, gift shop and deli, which didn't take too long (and got a sticker for the bike), then went to the viewpoint for my first proper look at the Grand Canyon from the north. Now, when Tracy and I came here last year, we were not particularly impressed, thinking “yes, it's big, but so?”. Well, I can now reveal that the best views of the Grand Canyon are from the North Rim... where it not only seems big, but the lack of millions of tourists chattering away also allows it to reveal its spiritual side, providing the same sense of calm usually reserved for great cathedrals.

The hazy sunshine means that the photos once again can't do it justice, but hopefully you can get some impression of the nature of the view from the visitor's center from the picture below...





Having exhausted the visitor's center, I rode back the way I'd come and then took the side road (marked with a warning - “winding road” - though it's hardly a warning for a motorcyclist, we love winding roads!) to Cape Royal, where the view of, and from, Angels Window were quite spectacular:








I stayed here a while, simply taking in the view and once again enjoying the peace and quiet, a complete contrast to our experiences on the South Rim. Then it was a short ride back and over to the highest point on the North Rim, Point Imperial, which is at 8,803ft. Again, the viewpoint was practically deserted, and the views spectacular... The North-East view in particular caught my eye, as over the ridge you could clearly see Marble Platform, the plateau I rode across yesterday in the sweltering heat, and which we'll be riding back across tomorrow on our way south to Tuscon.





It's really hard to illustrate the scale of the views in these photos, so here's a little test... in the picture below is a helicopter, like the one Tracy and I took last year when we came to the Grand Canyon...





I doubt you'll find it, so here's a closer view... now try and match the rocks behind the copter to those in the first photo...





Hopefully, now you can appreciate why the views are so breathtaking...

After filling my mind with images of the canyon, it was time to ride back, once again enjoying the “winding road” back to the lodge, to get changed and make some notes for the blog, before the others returned from the trail ride... then we grabbed some beer from the shop and went and sat in a little open-sided wooden hut and chatted, and raised a toast to Tracy for her birthday. When we saw Mac on his balcony without a beer, we sent him one over, and just as we were finishing the case we'd bought, he fetched over another case for us... which set the tone for the evening, as we smuggled the case into the restaurant and drank the rest over dinner... then it was early to bed (around 9pm) in order to get a good night's sleep ahead of the long ride to Tuscon tomorrow...