Toroweap is on the north rim of the Grand Canyon, but with more than 60 miles of dirt road to get there, it provides an uncrowded and remote experience, especially with 100º August daytime temperatures. The National Park Service describes the services available at Toroweap: “there is no water, gas, food, lodging, or phone service.” But the lack of crowds (there were none when we arrived) and the spectacular views of the Canyon made it well worth it.
Uncovered from an archaeological dig in my grandmother’s old desk, this is a group of old postcards dating from the 1960s and ’70s — some even earlier. Beginning in the west then heading east.
Normally we ride mountain bikes when in Sedona, but overnight on Christmas Eve the area received 4″ of fresh powder. Since there is nothing quite as spectacular as fresh white snow on red rocks, we abandoned the bikes for hiking boots and tennis shoes (as the case may be).
John and Peggy took us to Dick’s Hideaway for breakfast – this sign is on their front door. The place is so cool, that they don’t even have any signage outside. Great food and great service, and a killer copper-clad table in the back room — we will be going back.
COPS Racing at the 2012, Best in the Desert, Parker 400. The course consisted of four, 100-mile laps — Zak Langley would drive the COPS Class 1 car the first two laps of the race, then Dan Martin would get in half-way to finish the race. COPS had one pit at the main pit area, plus three remote pits.
Carol and I visited Toroweap on the way home from a summer trip to Colorado. Toroweap is on the north rim of the Grand Canyon on the Arizona Strip. The road to the rim of The Canyon is 50+ miles of dirt and silt, finished off with lots of rocks the last few miles. There’s only a few NPS campgrounds, which consists of a table and fire ring. From the rim at Toroweap, you can look straight down 3,000′ to the Colorado River without railings or other people.
Carol and I were lucky enough to spend a few days hiking and wandering around Saguaro National Park, a park bisected by Tucson. The weather was great, but it was later in the season, so most of the tourists and snowbirds had retreated. After exploring the park, we headed south and visited the Mission San Xavier del Bac, an old Spanish Catholic mission built in 1699.
Wikipedia: “Mission San Xavier del Bac is a historic Spanish Catholic mission located about 10 miles south of downtown Tucson, on the Tohono O’odham San Xavier Indian Reservation. Named in 1692 by Padre Eusebio Kino for a pioneering Christian missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order), the Mission is also known as the “place where the water appears,” as there were once natural springs in the area.”
Among the many legends surrounding the building is a popular myth suggesting that early taxation laws exempted buildings under construction, so the builders chose to leave one dome unfinished. Another legend is that the second tower is being left unfinished until the “Excellent Builder” will come to direct its completion.
