Grand Canyon Vehicle Shuttle Trip

In October Eileen and I and our friends Kaye and Asghar Shariff shuttled hiker vehicles from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to the South Rim.  Along the way we toured Lee's Ferry national monument and had some great meals.

When we left Phoenix it was still summer.  By the time we reached the North Rim it had turned to winter complete with snow.  Luckily there wasn't much snow sticking to the roads so we had free roaming capability.

Below are some photos from our trip.  I was shooting my Canon 60D and a Rolfix folding 120 film camera.  I will identify which camera took which photo.

First is a photo of we four travelers.  I photoshopped myself into the photo.

Left to right Larry, Kaye, Asghar, and Eileen.

Snowy weather on the way into the park.

View from the canyon side of the lodge.

At Point Imperial the next morning.

Snow covers the countryside.

After getting through morning cleanup we had a great breakfast at the Lodge dining room and went out looking for other great sights.

One of the first things we came upon was a flock of wild turkeys warming up near the road.  Funny birds.  Not as large as the supermarket ones.

All along the road were turnouts that offered spectacular views.

The next viewpoint is Angel's Window.  You can see the Colorado river through the window.

At the end of this road is Cape Royal.

We then picked up the other two vehicles and began our journey to the South Rim.  We spent the night in an older motel at Lee's Ferry.  Lee's Ferry operated from the 1800's until the early 1900's.  It was a main route for Mormon families migrating out of Utah into southern Arizona.  Lee's Ferry is now a prime put-in for anglers and rafters.
Vermillion Cliffs

 Vermillion Canyon at Lees Ferry

Rafters getting ready for their trip down the Colorado River.

The next morning we got an early start and drove 60 miles to Cameron where we had a great breakfast at the Cameron Trading Post.  Tip: If you order the Navajo Taco, the small order is large enough for any 2 reasonably hungry people.  The turn to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon is about a mile south of the Cameron Trading Post.
The Cameron Trading Post is full of curios, Navajo art and jewelry, and munchies.

The restaurant in the Cameron Trading Post features a large fireplace, bins which were used to store trade goods and a metal ceiling.


Asghar was feeling good after breakfast and a cup of coffee.

On entering the Grand Canyon National Park from the east end, the first thing you see is the Desert Watchtower.  The Watchtower was designed by noted architect Mary Jane Coulter who also built most of the structures at the Grand Canyon Village.

In this view, looking northeast from the Desert Watchtower, you can see Lee's Ferry where we began the morning's journey.

We continued our journey westward to Grand Canyon Village where we dropped off the hiker's vehicles.


Kaye and Asghar at a viewpoint.


The view from Moran Point.

At the Yavapai Ranger Station you can look down over the edge from inside a building.  Exhibits of the rock layers in the Canyon are available for touching and Rangers give talks on how the Canyon was developed and the critters that live in the Area.

At the far western end of the south rim road is a structure known as Hermit's Rest.  Its a stone building with a very large fireplace.  A cup of hot chocolate is a nice respite from the cold weather when visiting in the winter.

 Notice the man sitting next to the firepit.

The view from Hermit's Rest.

We left the Park after visiting Hermit's Rest.  We journeyed down to Williams, AZ which is the base for the Grand Canyon Railway, and had dinner at the Pine Country Cafe.  From there we motored home to Phoenix.

Mother Nature had one more surprise for us.  As we approached Flagstaff, AZ on I-40 the tops of the San Franciso Peaks were shrouded in clouds that glowed with an unnatural sunset glow.

More Barrel Racing

We had another opportunity to  photograph horses and riders at a barrel racing event.  There were more riders at this event.  The event was also a daytime event with clear skies and cool temperatures.  It took place at Horse Lovers Park in northern Phoenix. 

I was able to stand at the fence and shoot from ground level.  Because it was daylight I was able to set the shutter speed to 1/1000th of a second and let the camera choose the F/stop.  I was using my Canon EF 28-70mm f/2.8 L lens mounted on a Canon 60D. I also dialed in an ISO setting of 200.   These settings enabled me to freeze the action in the race. 

Some representative photos are posted below: