The Breakfast Club
An Affiliate of the
The Knife & Fork
Breakfast Club
26 Sep 2003
by Warren McIlvoy
I believe that I could safely speak for a vast majority of people, and certainly many of the Breakfast Club
membership, that most of us have visited the south rim of the
My wife and I loaded-up 44X early on Friday morning to make our proposed 0745
departure time. The weather was absolutely beautiful and everything was right
with the World again. I made radio contact with BC-201 just about the
time that we entered the
As we rounded the east side of Humphry's
Peak, I half expected to see evidence of the changing seasons in the north
country with the transformation of the normally green mountain side, into a
vibrant splash of red and gold. Much to our chagrin, it did not happen. We must
have been a bit early but I did notice a very small patch of Aspens high up on
the northeast side that had some golden yellow to them. When we cleared the
mountain, we were once again able to converse with one another. We joined-up
again about 25 miles north of the peak and about 15 miles south of the Echo
Cliffs. The Echo Cliffs look a little bit like a miniature Mogollon
Rim. They run from southeast to the northwest and rise, eventually, to an
elevation of about 2,000' above the valley floor as they meet the Vermillion
Cliffs at
There was supposed to be a third aircraft making the trip with us this morning
but we never heard them on the radio. Since they would be in a twin, we thought
that maybe that would have scheduled a later start and that any communications
with them would be blocked-out by the mountains. At Page, there are two FBO's listed in the AOPA airport guide, American
Aviation and Classic Aviation. As we parked on the ramp, a cart
arrived with two ramp hands aboard with one from each of the FBO's. Fuel was $2.52 a gallon from both places and, since
I had traded with Classic on a previous occasion, I selected them for my
refueling and Paul, to be fair, choose American. We suggested that when the
twin shows-up that they could each take a side to keep things even. I went into
Classic Aviation to pay for the fuel and to arrange for a ride to the Ranchhouse Grille. We waited about a half
hour for the other aircraft and then decided that we would head for the
restaurant and when they showed-up, the van would take
them there. The Ranchhouse Grille is
only about a mile from the airport and is located in a very small "L"
shaped shopping center. The restaurant was typical small town with very ample
portions and the food was good enough to warrant consideration for a future
event.
Couple #3 never made their appearance so after breakfast, the restaurant make a
call to the airport and in short order, the van appeared for our ride back. As
it was now almost 1100, we decided that we would wait until 1200 and then head
for the north rim lodge. Avis Rent-a-car was in the main terminal building area
and their weekend rate began at 1200 so we felt that another hour would not be to unreasonable. At precisely 1200 we did the paperwork at
Avis and they gave us the keys to a Mitsubishi Diamonte
with 400 free miles, all for $29.95 a day, not a bad deal.
I did not know exactly how far or how long it would take to get to the lodge. I
knew that we needed to head south on Route 89 and look for the junction of 89
& 89A. Route 89 will take you down the face of the Echo Cliffs for a decent
of 2000' to the junction with 89A. Make a right on 89A and you reverse course
to the north until you get to
The first sign of civilization was
We climbed back into the car and it was now Paul's turn to drive the last 45
miles to the north rim lodge. By this time, my eyes stopped their twisting and
turning while following highways that switched back and forth more often than a
politician pandering for votes in an election year. We were now into the tall
timber. There was significantly more fall colors here
and the Aspens were in their fall glory. The small circular leaves would twitch
in the slightest breeze giving the appearance that the entire tree was quaking.
Thus the name, Quaking Aspen. This road too, had its curving and
twisting moments but then it would straighten-out into mile long stretches that
were bordered by wide meadows that were surrounded on three sides by tall,
dense forests. We were quite obviously in a totally different environment than
what we desert dwellers have become accustomed to.
The North Rim Entrance Station marked the beginning of our North Rim
adventure. The highway took-on the familiar undulations and the now vertigo
causing twisting and turning as we were now at 8800'. About 2-3 miles out from
the Lodge, we noticed a few mules in a roped-off pen and a sign that indicated that
this was the beginning of the Kaibab Trail. The first indication that we
had reached the Lodge area was the camp ground site that was just north of,
what we later learned, was the two, two story motel units that was to become
our home away from home for the next two days. We passed a number of small,
duplex log cabins on our right with a long parking area on our left. The road
abruptly came to an end with barricades and signs that stated that, from there
on, was for "service vehicles only". We have
now reached the North Rim Lodge. After parking the car, we walked
into the "no drive area" towards what we believed was the Lodge. The
large, "U" shaped building was (as I learned later) constructed
entirely of Kaibab Limestone. On our left was the traditional gift shop,
a "local" saloon, a VERY small post office (not much larger that a
dinning room table", and then the main part of the lodge that comprised
the "bottom" portion of the U. On the other leg of the Lodge was a
deli like store and at the far end of that leg, public restrooms.
We entered the high, cathedral beamed ceiling, lobby area of the Lodge that
formed the center section of the building. On our left was a six riser stairway
to a moderate sized meeting or conference room. On our right and down about 6
steps, was the huge, beamed ceiling, dinning room. The dinning room's south and
west walls were dominated with huge windows that afforded an unparalleled vista
of the
After registering at the Lodge, we walked back to our car and drove down to the
north end of the parking lot that ended across the highway from the motel
units. I believe that it is interesting to note here that, there are no
accommodations in the Lodge. ALL accommodations are meted-out to the cabins,
motel units, and the camp ground. The motel rooms were somewhat spartan as there was no TV, and no clocks, however, there
was a real telephone. There was one queen sized bed and the bathroom was only
about 4' X 4'. The commode was squeezed between the shower stall and as you sat
on the "porcelain thrown" your shoulders were wedged between the
shower and the adjoining wall. You could literally fall asleep on the commode
and have no fear of falling off. The shower was so small that if you accidently
dropped the soap, your head or you rear end (depending on which way you
stooped) would protrude out through the shower curtain as you picked it up. The
rooms appeared to be quite clean and there was evidence that they had been
remodeled within the last 5 years or so. I called Paul and we made arrangements
to meet at the Lodge at about 1800 as sunset was slated to be at about 1820.
The concrete sidewalk from the motel units to the Lodge was a good solid, two blocks
in length as it meandered through the woods and the cabin units. When we got to
the Lodge, we wandered out to the west patio. There were already a good number
of people there with their cameras mounted on tripods in hopes of getting that
world class sunset photo. I chose to hike down the short trail to the overlook
to get an unobstructed view of this daily ritual. About 4 or 5 days prior to
our arrival, there was a lightening caused fire about 15 to 20 miles to the
northwest of the Lodge and the smoke had drifted-out over, and into the Canyon.
Though not yet dense at this time, it did however, offer muted tones to the
Canyon's countless array of colors. About a 1000' above the Canyon, the smoke
formed a long, cloud like, layer that turned the sun into a brilliant red
fireball. As the sun got lower in the west, the Canyon adorned itself in eerie
shades of red. These are the pictures that you have seen in a multitude of
publications and one could only stand there in awe as the Canyon and nature
played-out this surreal scene.
Our dinner reservations (booked in mid July) were for 1830 but when I check-in,
I was informed that they were running about 20 minutes late. OK, more time to
enjoy the sunset show that was being played-out before our eyes. The tables
were adorned with multiple glasses for water and wines of your choosing and
linen napkins. Of course, by now the scene outside the windows,
was shrouded in darkness. The dinning room almost seemed like it was out of
place when you consider the remoteness of its location. The menu featured sea
foods, several cuts of beef and pork, and, last but not least, pasta. Some of
the selections included a bit of the southwestern touch. All of our selections
were delivered in a timely manor and, without exception, very pleasing in both
appearance and taste. Another interesting note about the dinning room was that
the vast majority of the service people, were exchange
students. We meet young folks from
After our very fine evening repast, we trod over to the schedule board for the
meeting room and noted that the volunteer ranger would be talking about a
recent canyon hike. Since we had nothing else on our schedule, we thought that
this might be a worthy endeavor. His talk centered on the dramatic change in
the climate during their four day hike. The day prior to their departure in mid
April of this year, the north rim received 10" of snow and on the day of
the hike, the temperature hovered around 35 degrees. In a matter of four days,
they experienced climate changes from snow and near freezing temperatures, to
balmy like warmth and near desert-like conditions at the bottom of the Canyon
and then back to more milder spring conditions on the south rim. He also made note
of the hiked as it proceeded down through eons of geologic changes that are
documented in the countless layers of strata that are exposed in the Canyon
walls.
Saturday Morning
It was our most fervent intention to get-up early on Saturday morning and walk
down to the Lodge and get a first hand experience of the most famous sunrises
on the face of the planet. But, the "iron maiden" of a bed did not
afford us the most comfortable night's sleep. I did wake-up before sunrise as I
leaned over to the night stand to gaze at me watch (remember, no clocks)
through foggy eyes. It was 0550; way to early to get
up after a restless night's sleep and hike to the Lodge. Paul called about 0610
and said that he was walking to the Lodge for the morning's sunrise ritual and
I said that we would meet him down there a little later.
I believe that we showed-up about an hour later and I dually noted that the sun
was able to make it into the low eastern sky without my presents. A layer of
smoke from the nearby fire, formed sort of a
"lid" on the Canyon most likely caused by a temperature inversion
with cooler air above trapping it over the warmer air below. The dinning room
was only about 1/3 full at this early hour and it sure looked inviting. My wife
and I choose the breakfast buffet while Paul ordered from the menu.
After a very generous breakfast, we started to walk back towards our
accommodations when we got side tracked by the gift shop and information
center. A sign by the front door alerted everyone that a 2 hour "Nature
hike" was scheduled for 0830. As it was now about 0800, Paul and I thought
that this would be a great beginning for our days adventures. We went back to
our rooms and donned attire that would be more appropriate for the occasion.
The hike began out behind the information center with the volunteer ranger
introducing himself and by asking where everyone was from. As I recall, there
was one couple form
Following the nature hike, Paul and I made good use of the large leather sofas
that were in the lower level of the Lodge. While we stretched-out on the sofas,
we relished the cool breeze that wafted through the west pair of doors, across
the room, and exited the east doors. With a spectacular view of the canyon from
our position, it just seems like life could not get any better than this. But
this was just a sneak preview of events to come. We decided to get some sub
sandwiches from the near-by deli, put them in our cooler, and have a picnic at Point
Imperial. With the sandwiches in hand, we hiked back to our rooms to
prepare for the rest of the days events. We loaded the cooler with the food and
drink into the back of the car and then it was my turn to get us to Point
Imperial. We back-tracked up state rout 67 for about 5 miles passed the Kaibab
Trail head and turned east on Fuller Canyon Rd. We came upon an area
that had been devastate by fire some time in the past and, like the range said,
the Aspens were regenerating the area. The road twisted and turned for a
distance of about 10 miles when we came to a fork in the road, so we took it,
that is, the fork that would get us to Point Imperial. It was only a
matter of about 3 miles on the Walhalla Plateau before we came to
the Point Imperial overlook. I immediately headed for one of the short
trails that takes you to one of the "points"
that affords unrestricted vistas of the grandest of all canyons.
As I stood on the rail guarded point, the magnificent panorama unfolded in
front of me. I just stood there wondering how I would I be able to describe the
amazing vista in a way that would capture the imagination of the readers of
this story. Distant formations like Kwagunt
Butte, Nankoweap Creek, Siegfried
Pyre, and Palisades of the Desert, capture and numb the senses as
your eyes continue their circular sweep of this captivating landscape. Closer
by stood Mt.Hayden, a thumb like monolith that
rises majestically from a tree lined, curving ridge that projects from the canyon
floor. On the north horizon stood the Vermillion Cliffs that we drove
passed just yesterday. From this vantage point that is over 8800' in elevation,
I could clearly see Humphry's Peak,
Following our very enjoyable picnic in the woods, we hopped into the car to
continue our journey to
I walked back to the main path and took the fork that went to the Angel's
Window outcropping. This overlook was big enough to accommodate a pretty
good size crowd of people but it was not very crowded today. I made my way out
to the very end of the rock projection to get an unobstructed view of this most
remarkable vista. I was just imagining the photo op that could be afforded if
someone were back at the first overlook with a telephoto lens taking a picture
of a person standing at this very place with their finger pointing to some
distant marvel. With everything else hidden from the lens, it would seem to
appear this person was standing on the edge of the world with the wonders of
the
It was Paul's turn drive so I could sit back and enjoy the scenery as we
returned to the Lodge. The Aspens, some with red leaves near their crests with
golden yellow leaves nearer the bottom, shimmered and "quaked"
in the light afternoon breeze. This really is a different world up here on the
north rim. We are a bit more distant from the
We arrived back at our lodging in plenty of time to allow for us to take a
refreshing shower and to rest a bit before hiking down to the Lodge for dinner.
I would guess that about 200 people had gathered on both patios, most on the
smaller west patio, to participate in the ritual of watching the world famous
sunset. However, the smoke from the forest fire and become denser and made the
distant canyon formations along with their colors, a bit less distinct. While
sitting on one of the wooden benches that lined the east patio, I struck-up a
conversation with a younger couple sitting next to me. I discovered that they,
along with a larger group, had jogged across the Canyon that day, in 10 hours
and that they were scheduled to make a return trip on
Sunday morning. I sat there with my jaw agape as I always understood that this
journey was a four day event, NOT TEN HOURS!
After a very fine dinner, we checked the information board at the foot of the
stair that lead to the lecture/meeting hall, to see what the program was for
this evening. This evening's program would be about our space program and was
being presented by another of the volunteer rangers. I am not sure if he was an
astronomer by vocation or avocation but he surely impressed me with the multi
media show. He did point out that there are currently five space vehicles
heading for Mars. I wonder who is directing traffic?
After the one hour program, he preceded to set-up his 12" refractor
telescope on the east patio. His first item of interest was........Mars.
Everyone who was interested got an opportunity to view the Red Planet
and actually see the shrinking polar ice cap. I guess that was due to the
"summer" season on Mars, the ice cap was a bit small but none the
less, it was distinguishable. Also quite visible was the Milky Way, our
own galaxy. I have lived in urban locations for most of 40 years and the view
was incredible. A wide band of star stretched from the northeastern skies to
the southwestern horizon. The view brought back memories of my younger days
when this was easily visible from our then suburban home. The ranger had a hand
held laser pen that projected a red beam of light, several hundred feet into
the dark night sky as he pointed-out various star clusters along with their
names. I mentioned to him that when I was in school, I had seen pictures of our
nearest neighboring galaxy of Andromeda and was wondering if he could
focus his telescope in that direction. No problem! When he was finished with
the adjustments, he gave each of us an opportunity to view this starry marvel.
When it was my turn to look through the telescope, I saw for the first time,
actually in real time, the galaxy that I only had seen in pictures over 45
years ago. He said that the light that we were now viewing, was actually
emitted about 250 million years ago. He asked us if we could imagine what the
Sunday Morning
We had made a promise to ourselves the evening before, that we would arise early enough to get a view of
the magnificent sunrises that the Canyon is famous for. With due diligence, we
got up, showered and shaved (at least I did) and headed down the tree lined
sidewalk towards the Lodge. There was maybe a couple dozen folks on hand to
witness the morning spectacle but alas, the smoke has almost completely filled
the Canyon and even the nearest of the monoliths was only faintly visible. Oh
well, maybe next time. We decided to have only a light breakfast at the Lodge
as we were interested in sampling the fare at Jacob Lake Inn; sort of a
"progressive breakfast". We loaded-up the car, made last
minute checks (read pit stops), and headed down, or actually up the road, to
It took about an hour to reach the
We arrived back at the Page
Airport a little past noon and we off-loaded our bags into the aircraft
before returning the car to the rental agency. Pit stops done, pre-flight
checks done, and it was off Page runway 33 with a wide sweeping turn to take us
over Glen Canyon Dam for a little bit of sightseeing. We had decided to
stop in
After refueling at the self-serve pump, we went into Wiseman Aviation to
sample the coffee and cookies that are always there for the weary traveler.
This was to be our next to the last stop on our progressive breakfast
not to mention that the time was about 1400. We departed on runway 21 and
turned south for our last leg to
So, with our trip now history, I began contemplating about
how I would write about our experiences on the north rim. The
accommodations--a bit rustic and maybe a little crude, the Lodge is
spectacular, the food was very good, the
Epilog
I have asked Paul to forward his impressions of our
The Avgas Guys
There was a considerable amount of smoke over and in the canyon during the
weekend due to the fire. On Saturday evening at about 1830 local time, the
evening sun was setting behind the smoke layer. I heard people on the
east veranda gasp and hurry over toward the west side. Curious to find out what
they had discovered, I made my way over to that side too. From inside the Sun
Room you could see the setting sun penetrating through the smoke. It was a
translucent red color - not orange, not even reddish orange; it was distinctly
red in color for about a half hour. I’ve never seen anything quite like
it.
Click on the Grand Canyon North Rim link to view photos of this fly-in event.