April Turns Fifty and Gets Viola-ted: Grand Canyon North Rim

[dave6253]

Originally Posted by FatherX

thank you (both of you)

Thanks!

Originally Posted by ClearwaterBMW

wow.....
YOU and YOUR photographic "EYE"
the Pentax K-5
YOUR post-processing abilities
a killer combination
thanks for taking us on this RIDE with you
simply stunning photographic gems
nice of you to share with us

You and YOUR compliments really made my day.

Originally Posted by nevermind

Incredible photo's gents, simply incredible. Thank you for posting those up!

Oh nevermind... Thanks!

[dave6253]

Originally Posted by Bob

Great job, again!

Thanks for always noticing my reports Bob! I probably miss more than half of the stuff posted by my favorite contributors.

Originally Posted by Loud Al

You have some pretty amazing photography skills, I very much enjoyed your photos.

That's a nice compliment, coming from you sir.

Originally Posted by Elessar

Dude! You got the eye. That first shot was a jaw dropper! Good shootin'!

I am sooo jealous of those pictures. Glad you're not afraid to ride in the dark and strange scary dark back roads. Thanks for sharing this awesome and inspiring ride report.

Thanks Elessar!

[dave6253]

Originally Posted by klaviator

You got a lot of great shots of some awesome scenery but this one is my favorite because it's hard to beat the view of a twisty road running through great scenery

I really feel for Viola-tor for having to "settle" for a Ninja 500. I put 66000 miles on an 89 Ex500. It was one of the most fun bikes I have owned.

Maybe we should get a nice jeep trail running through the Grand Canyon? You know, just for the pictures.

[Bob]

Originally Posted by dave6253

Maybe we should get a nice jeep trail running through the Grand Canyon? You know, just for the pictures.

[PinkPillion]

Awesome report and magnificent photos--once again.

Thank you for taking us along.

[dave6253]

Thanks for following along PinkPillion!

Eager for a new vista we decide to hike out to Cape Final. We park the bikes at the trailhead and change into hiking gear.
It's two miles through the forest before finally reaching Cape Final. I wasn't sure when our luck at staying dry would run out,
but I was pretty sure it was going to soon. I began doubting our plans when I realized my wet weather gear was back at the tent.
DOH! It began a light sprinkle while thunder and lightning gave the forest an eerie feeling. The elderly ranger lady Diek bonded
with this morning at the visitor center stopped us near the beginning of the trail to warn us of the dangers of lightning.
Oh! It's dangerous? We're In!


Diek couldn't wait to get there before viola-ting the place.




He said all guys had the same unexplainable urge to piss off the edge of anything high. I'm not sure I would agree since there was no way I was going out there.
A poster at the Toroweap Viewpoint use to warn, "Urinating from high places is a common cause of death at the Grand Canyon for males".

Trying to cause a flash flood?












Again, we are surrounded by storms...




But bask in the sunshine enjoying the view.




Oooooooo..... Double Rainbow..............











The mouth of the Little Colorado Gorge

















We hike back to the bike and gear up for another dark ride to camp. Again the deer seem afraid of the lightning and we only see one.
Of course, this one was a large doe that jumped out of the thick brush at the edge of the road right into my path. I grabbed
as much brake as possible, but it was looking like a collision was inevitable. As the deer cut back towards the right, I ease off
the brake a little hoping Diek isn't about to rearend us. I immediately regretted not braking as hard as possible since the deer cut
back into the road and trotted directly away from me in my lane. I added a little swerve to my emergency braking and things started
to look more positive as I pulled alongside the doe in slow motion. The doe finally found an opening in the thick brush and trotted back into the forest
to tell her friends about the scary encounter with a stealthy beast. Diek later asked me, "Was that as close as it looked"? Oh yeah, I answered nonchalantly.

The closer we got to camp, the darker the sky became. When we were 7 miles out the rains came. We didn't bother stopping to
waterproof anything, knowing we'll be in camp soon. I was pretty damp by time I crawled into the nylon shelter for the night.




We were undecided about whether to get up early for another sunrise at the Canyon. Instead, I began thinking a restaurant that does all it's own baking
would surely have biscuits and gravy in the morning. Hmmmmm... When I brought up biscuits and gravy I learned Diek was on the same wavelength.

I dream of biscuits and gravy.........................Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[viola-tor]

Originally Posted by dave6253

T

Oooooooo..... Double Rainbow..............

[mikem9]

Incredible pics!!

[viola-tor]

How many people have actually seen something like this? Not many I suspect...

[BlueByU06]

Where were U guys camping. Looks like a cool place. I notice it is at 8000 ft. I never been to the North Rim and thought it would b great way to get away from all the people on the South side.

[dave6253]

We were camping in the national forest just outside of the park 2.7 miles east of HWY 67 on FS 611.
See my other reports for more camping options. Most are better than where we took the road bikes.

[dave6253]

Deik is still asleep when I crawl out of the tent. It rained a few hours last night, but it's beautiful this morning.
Only one thing is on my mind this morning, Biscuits and Gravy!







I wander off into the forest to gather more pictures.





I love aspens...





weeds...





raindrops...





and wildflowers.




We ride a couple miles farther down the dirt road so Diek could see the view off the East Rim.
There was no one else around so we used the paved footpath out to the viewpoint.

\


It was pretty hazy looking towards the morning sun so I don't have a pic of the view.
Campsites with a view can be found on this road.





Yeah, we rode on dirt roads in the rain last night.












Still craving biscuits and gravy....

[Signal]

Beautiful/outstanding

I love the north rim- you caught some very clear days (often the haze from Vegas creeps over)

The diner at Jacobs Lake is great (good people too)

[fuggy]

Wow. Incredible photos. Thanks for sharing.

[Kodanja]

Now this is a captivating report with excellent photos! I like your reporting style.

I also like how you group your riding reports under one heading in your signature and how you formatted your report page. Would you mind sharing how you did this?