Day 6: Rest/tourist day at Grand Canyon

May 14, 2018

Once again I had difficulty breathing at 3 AM. I took Advil and Sudafed and was sleeping again in 20 minutes. Slept soundly until 9 AM.

I went down the hill on the bike path to the Marketplace for a late breakfast at the snack bar. The Marketplace is a combination supermarket and gift shop. Next door is a post office and a Wells Fargo bank. Across the parking lot is the Yavapai Lodge registration and warehouse-like cafeteria. I guess it's not terrible to stay at the lodge closest to "downtown".

After breakfast I pedaled back up to the room and took a 3 hour nap. I didn't leave the room until 2:30 PM.

My lodge room is at 7000 feet elevation, 150 feet higher than the lodges on the canyon rim. It's downhill all the way from my room to the rim hotels.

I walked the bike for a mile on the wide pedestrian promenade between the 4 hotels and the rim. Continuous views and good people watching. People from all over the world.

First I passed the impressive Hopi House which is a gift shop/gallery now. The architecture is quite striking. It's the first of 8 structures at the Grand Canyon designed by architect Mary Colter. She also designed the Desert View watch tower.

Hopi House was built as a park concession in 1904. Designed to resemble a traditional Hopi pueblo.

Next door to Hopi House is the very dark and woody El Tovar Hotel. The first luxury hotel on the rim. It opened in 1905. It has the best view, on an area that juts out into the canyon somewhat.

El Tovar hotel opened in 1905 and is the most expensive lodge at the Grand Canyon.

After El Tovar are two modern glass and steel motels built in the 1960's. Bland, but the rooms have excellent views. Finally I walked past the historic Bright Angel Lodge which is a complex of rustic cabins without a grand lodge building.

I *walked* my bike on the rim promenade but posed for this picture.

Stunning view from the promenade in front of El Tovar hotel.

The distant north rim is 1000 feet higher than the south rim.

The promenade ends at the Bright Angel trailhead where the Hermit road begins. The 7 mile car-free Hermit road is my main destination today. Most visitors ride shuttle buses that run every 10 minutes. Cyclists can ride it any time.

The car-free Hermit Road has occasional canyon views.

For the first couple miles the Hermit Road is mostly in sight of the rim trail which doesn't allow bikes. Farther down the road I discovered that the final 2 miles of the rim trail is paved and does allow bikes. The trail has better views than the road.

I pedaled to the end of the road at Hermit's Rest. The historic Hermit's Rest building contains a gift shop and snack bar. It has a remote feel, 200 yards past the end of the road. Designed by Mary Colter with the intent to blend into the landscape.

I didn't stop at the overlooks on my way to Hermit's Rest. My plan is to stop at all the overlooks on the way back to the village. The goal is to see them as late in the day as possible. I had good luck because there were no clouds to weaken the late evening sun. Yesterday evening was much cloudier.

The first major stop was Pima Point. It has a 180+ degree view of the canyon. You can find a great view no matter the sun angle.

Monument Creek vista also had great evening views.

Elk browsing on the side of the Hermit road.

The last overlook with a panoramic view is Mohave point. I remember this view from 15 years ago.

Hopi point has a great view to the northeast.

Maricopa point also has a view to the northeast, and I could look across a side canyon and see the rim lodges in the distance. Shadows were getting pretty long.

The last overlook on the Hermit Road is Trailview Point. It looks down on the Bright Angel trail far below. It also has a view of the lodges. The sun angle was getting very low. Most of the canyon was in the shade.

Looking down on the Bright Angel trail from the Trailview overlook.

View of the rim lodges from the Trailview overlook. Almost sunset.

After the trailview overlook I rode through a bit of road construction before connecting to the bike trail. I stopped at the Marketplace to have dinner at the snack bar, then continued up the hill to my room. It was almost dark by the time I arrived at 7:45 PM. I'm still on Arizona time, no Daylight Savings.

Bike trail through Grand Canyon Village. I love the cinnamon colored bark of mature Ponderosa pines.

I needed a rest after 5 uphill days. I don't regret being a bum until 2:30 PM. I still saw the Hermit road and many overlooks. Good enough because I've been here before. 15 years ago I had the energy and motivation to do a big hike in the canyon. Not now.

Today's high temperature was 72F (22C). It was sunny all day with a mild southwest wind. Slightly cooler than normal but very pleasant. The low was 33F (1C) but I wasn't out then.

Distance: 22 mi. (35 km)
Ascent/Descent: +1336/-1336 ft (+405/-405 m)
Average Speed: 8.4 mph (13.4 km/h)

Today's ride: 22 miles (35 km)
Total: 258 miles (415 km)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	1
Comment on this entry	Comment	0