May 14, 2003
Day 12: East to Desert View
The temperature was 50F when I got up at 7:30. The sky was still totally overcast. I was still tired from yesterday's hike so I decided not to attempt another long hike today. I packed up and got on the road at 10 AM for a short easy ride east to Desert View. The road to Desert View stays farther from the rim, so the only views of the canyon are at overlooks at the end of short spur roads. There is no shoulder (like most National Park roads) but traffic was light. The elevation varies from 7000-7500 feet, so the road is in Ponderosa Pine forest most of the time. I stopped at Grandview Point (where I had planned to hike), Moran Point, Lipan Point, and Navajo Point. I also stopped to see the Tusayan Museum and ruins. The museum is interesting but the ruins are unimpressive. No big multi-story stone pueblo here.
I got to Desert View (7438 feet elevation) at 2:45 PM and ate a very late lunch at the snack bar. After lunch I walked around the area. It has the most unobstructed river views of any park viewpoint. I could see the river to the west and to the north. Unfortunately the sky was still overcast. I went inside the Watchtower which is an interesting re-creation (built in the 1930's) of the many watchtowers built in the four-corners region by the Pueblo Indians in the 12th century. Then I rode 1 mile to the campground on gravel road construction. At 5 PM the sun came out for a few minutes, so I quickly pedaled back to the Watchtower area and took some pictures in the sunshine.
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Back at the campsite I heated water with my stove to warm the water in my water sack and had a shower in the forest behind my campsite. It was dark by the time I finished dinner. I biked back to Desert View to call my wife. It was my first time to bike at night using a LED headlight. It was barely enough light for low-speed cycling (at home I use a 15W halogen headlight that is MUCH brighter). Today was an easy cycling day but the second consecutive day of overcast sky was kind of depressing. The clouds make the canyon overlooks appear less inspiring. The few minutes of sunshine in the late afternoon cheered me up, though. The high temperature was 65F. I wore long sleeves and tights all day.
Distance: 32.9 miles (52.6 km)
Climbing: 1820 feet (555 m)
Average Speed: 10.4 mph (16.6 km/h)
Maximum Speed: 44.7 mph (71.5 km/h)
Hiking: none
Today's ride: 33 miles (53 km)
Total: 508 miles (818 km)
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