February 18, 2024
Day 12 - To the Grand Canyon
Well, this day did not quite go the way it was planned when we left the Prescott Valley enroute to Flagstaff. But Flagstaff did not agree and the 20 mph winds and mid 40’s temperatures changed our plans and we decided to simply push further north to the Grand Canyon.
This is not the first time we’ve been to the Grand Canyon but it is the first time we rode our trikes there instead of driving.
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We happened to find a bike pathway from Grand Canyon, aka Tusayan, that went north and we opted to cycle it and see if it worked. The trail was paved with lots of ups and down and twists and turns. It also had section of half melted snow drifts so we felt almost like we were back in Alaska.
What it didn’t have was much wind and the temperatures were slightly warmer so a good trade-off from our previous plans.
Along the way, we cycled through a group of 10-12 elk who were almost as entertained by us as we were by them. They posed for a few minutes before we parted ways.
Once to the south rim of the canyon, you are transformed from a forest rider to an almost city rider. The Grand Canyon has “developed” into a serious center of people and commerce and the pathways led in all directions with a focus on the “stores” that cater to the tourist population.
We eventually found our way to the rim so we could get some views of the majesty of the canyon and then retreated back into the woods for our return trip.
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3 months ago
3 months ago
Along the way we cycled through 6-7 mule deer who were a bit more skittish and not willing to wait around too long for pictures. The walkers with their dog coming towards us probably had something to do with the sudden departure of the deer.
After returning to the start point, we loaded the trikes and drove back to the south rim of the canyon for sunset. The view point was definitely popular and soon became overwhelming so we left, technically, before the sun set. But there were no clouds or sky features and the canyon simply faded into darkness without any spectacular sunset pictures.
We are planning to stay in the area for another day and hopefully ride some more of the rim road because this is a place that you could come see frequently and always find something new.
Today's ride: 19 miles (31 km)
Total: 1,464 miles (2,356 km)
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