After spending two weeks (one) (two) in Death Valley, and a week in the Mojave Preserve before that, I figured it was time to get out of the Mojave Desert for a bit. My first inclination was to head east towards Cedar Mesa to continue my search for the Juniper Tree ruin. This, I figured, would be a relatively straightforward affair, since I'm confident that I've narrowed down its location, so I knew I'd need more to fill a trip.
Pouring over my usual sources of inspiration, I came upon a reference to the Shamans Gallery along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and was blown away. For those - like me - who are unfamiliar, the Shamans Gallery is one of only a handful of rock art sites that fall into a group known as the Grand Canyon Polychrome, nearly all of which are found on the Esplanade. Over the next several days, I searched diligently for clues to any of the remaining sites. Alas, those who know where they are, also know how that keeping them special means keeping their locations unknown. Still, I was able to find several more places in the Arizona Strip to keep me busy over the course of a few days, so I put the Juniper Tree ruin on hold, lined up my permits for the north rim, and set out for the single-digit temperatures that would make for a few chilly days in the strip!
3000 Feet Down at Toroweap | Chilly Strip #1 - 17 After spending two weeks (one) (two) in Death Valley, and a week in the Mojave Preserve before that, I figured it was time to get out of the Mojave Desert for a bit. My first inclination was to head east towards Cedar Mesa to continue my search for the Juniper Tree ruin. This, I figured, would be a relatively straightforward affair, since I'm confident that I've narrowed down its location, so I knew I'd need more to fill a trip. Pouring over my usual sources of inspiration, I came upon a reference to the Shamans Gallery along the North…
Shamans Gallery | Chilly Strip #2 - 46 0 Our night - near the Tuckup Trail - wasn't nearly as miserable as we imagined it would be. I don't know if Mike ever turned his engine to warm up his cab, but my earplugs and heated socks made for sound sleep on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Photos of deep canyons are difficult to capture once the sun is blazing down from above. With one side of the canyon bathed in light, the other is deep in shadow, a contrast that's hard to balance with anything but the human eye. And so, as is often…
Miserable Miscalculation in Upper Snake Gulch | Chilly Strip #3 - 45 There's almost nowhere I like to camp more than on the edge of a cliff or on the top of a mountain. The expansive views and feeling of being on the edge - literally, I suppose - are the reason I love to explore. So, it was with a good dose of hesitation that I made the decision to leave my campsite on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon less than two hours before sunset, opting instead to camp at a trailhead parking area. At least it would allow me to get an early start on the following…
There Are Not Many Place Like This | Chilly Strip #4 - 24 Back at the Tacoma, and after consuming breakfast a smidge late, I packed up the tent and hit the road immediately. I'd hoped to tackle a top-secret hike - to some allegedly amazing rock art - for much of the afternoon, but my late arrival back at camp left no time for such activities. Instead, I needed to turn on the afterburners to reach my next camp site; even then, I'd was almost certain I'd be arriving in the dark. Rolling out of Snake Gulch. Amazing how places can look so different from the air. It took a couple…
That was an awesome trip! I'm enjoying your travels and maybe visit some of these places myself. I have been fortunate enough to visit a lot of the desert region over the last 20 some odd years and you make me wonder just how many of these wonderful sites I have driven past, blissfully unaware. Anyway, well done! Safe travels and keep 'em coming!
Mike
PS, I have a 2006 Tacoma, a little lifted with Method wheels, over 500,000 miles and still running. It's great to see an older Taco still doing it!
Thanks Mike, glad you enjoyed it!
Wow, 500K... I sure hope I can see that on mine someday. For a few years - when I was driving back and forth from the PNW to the Mojave once or twice a month I was racking up 40-50K/year and I thought, "won't be long now." With the truck in Vegas during the winter though, I'm down to like 20-30K/yr, so it's going to be a while, hahaha!
Reach out any time if you have suggestions on places you think I'd like to visit or questions about some place you're headed that I've been to in my travels. I'm always happy to chat about this stuff!