SOUTHWESTERN USA
RS ROAD TRIP
August 30, 2017 (Day 23)
Grand Canyon South Rim - Kanab, UT
Miles Today: 215 / Total Trip Miles: 3,394
TODAY'S ROUTE
Mary and I drove to Kanab, Utah. Although Kanab is directly north of our South Rim location, the most direct route to Kanab is eastwardly, following the South Rim. We had to backtrack some of our initial route into Grand Canyon National Park. After exiting the Park at Desert View Station, we drove to Cameron, Arizona, and took U.S. Highway 89 and then U.S. 89A north to Kanab. Today's temperatures reached 102 degrees Fahrenheit.
PHOTOS
(Click on Photo for a Larger Image)
Pinion Pine with North Rim in Background
Viewed from South Rim between Yaki Point and Desert View (approximately 7,000 ft elevation).
Grand Canyon Gorge
Viewed from South Rim at Desert View (approximately 7,400 ft elevation)
California Condor Soars Over Gorge
Viewed from the South Rim near Desert View. Rare and majestic birds are not rare sights in Grand Canyon National Park. You’ll see swifts and swallows darting through the air, while red-tailed hawks, golden eagles, and turkey vultures coast on lofty thermals.
Near the river are less common birds, such as bald eagles and peregrine falcons, both of which have thrived in the canyons recently. The rarest of all is the California Condor, the largest land bird in North America. The California Condor was reintroduced to the wild near Lee’s Ferry in 1996. Gracefully soaring on its nearly 10-foot wingspan over the magnificent rock formations, this huge bird glides on air currents to soar as high as 15,000 feet.
Old Navajo Bridge
Driving along Highway 89A between Bitter Springs and Jacob Lake, AZ we arrived at two bridges similar in appearance spanning the Colorado River. These two bridges (elevation 3,100 ft), one historic and one new, represent one of only seven land crossings of the Colorado River for 750 miles.
In the 1870s, pioneers from Utah began to expand their settlements into northern Arizona. Nearly 600 miles of deep canyons along the Colorado River stood in their way. One of the only places a wagon could reach the river was at the mouth of Glen Canyon. Since the area was accessible, and was a natural corridor between Utah and Arizona, a ferry (Lee's Ferry) was established there in 1873.
In the 1920s, automobiles began using the ferry as a means to cross the Colorado River. It was recognized that it was time to find a safer, more reliable way for vehicles to cross. A bridge site was selected 5 miles downriver at Marble Canyon.
Construction of the bridge began in 1927, and the bridge opened to traffic in January 1929. At the time, it was the highest steel arch bridge in the world. In 1934, after much debate in the Arizona legislature, the official name was changed to Navajo Bridge.
Navajo Bridge served the area well for 66 years. However, as automobiles and trucks became larger, wider, and heavier, the need for a stronger, wider bridge became evident. The historic bridge was only 18 feet wide and had a 40 ton limit.
Construction on a new bridge began in 1993 and was finished in 1995.
Vermilion Cliffs
Reddish or vermilion-colored cliffs are found along U.S. Highway 89A west of Navajo Bridge. The elevation of these cliffs ranges from 3,100-7,100 feet above sea level. Highway 89A (elevation approx 5,000 ft) runs alongside the Vermilion Cliffs for most of its route between Marble Canyon and Jacob Lake. The cliffs are made up of deposited silt and desert dunes, cemented by infiltrated carbonates and intensely colored by red iron oxide and other minerals, particularly bluish manganese.
Vermilion Cliffs are the second "step" up in the five-step Grand Staircase of the Colorado Plateau. In 1984, 112,500 acres of the region were designated as the Paria Canyon-Vermilion Cliffs Wilderness. An even greater area was protected within Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in 2000.
The monument is home to a growing number of endangered California Condors. Each year, condors hatched and raised in a captive breeding program are released in the Monument.
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TOMORROW
Mary and I will stay in Kanab tomorrow, and depart for Green River, Utah the next day.
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COPYRIGHT
These photographs are the property of Leon Jackson, and are protected by copyright laws. Photographs may not to be downloaded or reproduced in any way without the written permission of Leon Jackson. © 2017 Leon Jackson. All Rights Reserved.
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1 comment:
Fun trip ... nice pics !
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