Scenic Sunday – Storm behind the Saddle

View east across the saddle from Point Imperial

A few weeks ago Mike and I went for a drive, and a few short hikes, during a storm. The canyon appears in many guises and I love them all.

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Sky Watch Friday - Rainbow in Grand Canyon

Sun on the confluence of the Little Colorado River and Mt Hayden in foreground right
Last week I was out on the Walhalla Plateau. My day ended with roving at Point Imperial, in between the raindrops. I was windblown and cold so decided to leave early. Then a visitor who I’d seen several times that day walked up to me with a question. As we talked the sun came out and I commented on wanting to see a rainbow. So we walked back to the overlook, and sure enough, my first rainbow at Grand Canyon.

Rainbow over Nankoweap Canyon
It kept fading in and out and breaking up. At one point a small area above the horizon looked like it was raining rainbow. Even pale, I was very excited.

This is my 300th post! I wasn’t sure I’d ever make it this far in less than one year of blogging.

To catch more glimpses of skies from around the world, or to share your own, go to Sky Watch Friday by clicking here.

My World Tuesday - Storm Watching at Grand Canyon National Park

Better enlarge these to get the full effect.

Southeast to southwest view of the South Rim from Cape Royal
Today I went out on the Walhalla Plateau and gave a geology talk at Cape Royal while keeping an eye on the sky. This storm swept across the South Rim from west to east in a show of thunder and lightning for over an hour. I’ll bet the temperature dropped at least 10-15 degrees F as the wind increased. I was so excited! The energy was high, lots of negative ions. Yet on the North Rim, we felt no rain. I took over 50 photos trying to catch lightning, yet it’s so quick and I’m so slow. I lost count of how many strikes. One hit the wall of the canyon with a flash of fire.

Then I tried a minuet of video.

One frame caught lightning (my first capture of it) with Wotan’s Throne in foreground
Before leaving the Cape I warned visitors, “do not to be the tallest thing standing on this rocky promontory holding the metal rail if the storm comes north. Get up that quarter mile trail as fast as you can and into your vehicles.”

View southeast with Sky Island in foreground from Walhalla overlook
I didn’t want to leave. Yet at Walhalla overlook where I gave an archeology talk another storm was coming in from the north. I felt only 10 drops of rain while watching this veil quickly sweep to the southeast.

View northeast and east from Point Imperial
Again, I didn’t want to leave. But after lunch I went to rove at Point Imperial where I always enjoy the vast distant views. I was greeted by another storm coming from the north along with patches of sun reflecting off the Vermillion Cliffs to the left and Echo Cliffs to the right.

Wow, what a day! Sure beats yesterday which I vented about on the previous post.

So that’s my exciting world today. To see more of life around the world, or to share your own,

go to My World Tuesday by clicking here.

Thank you all for your concern. I did have a second full bottle of propane to switch to. The fridge hasn’t been cooling for a week. It just does that when the temperatures rise, when it cools down outside it usually starts works again. It is an original unit in a 1977 RV. Did it all matter today? No.

Sky Watch Friday at Grand Canyon National Park

Mt Hayden in center foreground, looking toward the confluence of the Colorado and Little Colorado Rivers
This incredible view is from Point Imperial, the highest in elevation overlook in Grand Canyon National Park at 8800 feet (2684 meters), located on the North Rim as a side trip off Highway 67 on the way to Cape Royal. Don’t miss this on your next trip to Grand Canyon.

For more great views of skies from around the world or to share your own go to Sky Watch Friday by clicking here.

More blown away

And I thought Thursday was windy.

Yesterday morning I went out to the Point Imperial overlook at Grand Canyon to rove. Not really too many visitors to talk to. The wind was gusting about 40mph causing a wind chill of 40°+. I hunkered into a corner against a railing to avoid the worse blasts and enjoyed the view.

An elder hostel group arrived and one man lost his newly purchased Zion ball cap to the canyon via a pinyon pine tree.

After hanging out for over an hour I walked back to my truck to eat lunch. I’d barely bit into my sandwich when I heard over the park radio that the scenic road was being closed for safety due to high winds possibly approaching 60mph. There was only one other vehicle in the parking lot so I walked back to the overlook and informed the couple that we had to leave.

Why close the road? Because of past fires there are many standing dead trees along the road. Crews had already been out clearing roads the night before and that morning. No sense taking a chance.

After telling the LE (Law Enforcement) parked at the junction that Point Imperial was cleared of visitors I continued to the Widforss trailhead and found no parking available. So I found a wide spot just up the road to finish my lunch and waited for a vehicle to leave. When I did park there were many people milling around, wanting to know when the scenic road would reopen and what the weather forecast was.

NOAAs report around noon: high 64°, low 16°, SSW winds at 23/mph with gusts of 37/mph and a 10% chance of snow flurries after midnight.
Gunnar Widforss - Golden Birches

Some people left in a hurry. I went for a hike on the Widforss trail named for Gunnar Widforss, a famous canyon painter who took up residence during the 1920s.

What a beautiful place to be. Even in the wind.

After working at the visitor center for a couple of hours explaining why the scenic road was closed I led a sunset walk to Bright Angel Point. Seven sturdy visitors braved the wind and cold with me as I explained how people throughout history have seen Grand Canyon many different ways, for development, preservation, hunting, prospecting, exploring, as an obstacle, and as home. My favorite quote comes from Lt. Joseph Christmas Ives after an 1857 exploration of the western canyon. He reported to the U.S. War Department, “The region is of course altogether valueless. Ours has been the first, and will doubtless be the last of whites to visit this profitless locality.”

I finished my evening watching the space station fly overhead.

And I’m still blown away by Grand Canyon.