Type B personalities might be tough to travel with—we’re not exactly known for our strict itineraries—but when everything goes wrong, we’re exactly who you want around. We roll with the punches, take changes in stride, and honestly, what even are set plans? Our planned trip Outwest had some slight change of plans. Nathan twisted his ankle and many of the places we were planning on going were closed due to covid restrictions at the time. State to state was different on their rules so we just wandered around out west and hopped from park to park.
The Grand Cayon, we were only there two days and hiked Bright Angel trail. Nathan had a wonderful time sitting at the welcome center making friends that walked by since he couldn’t hike. We stayed just outside the park near the north rim entrance. This was several years ago but I was actually very surprised how few places there were to stay, shop and eat considering the Grand Cayon averages about 5 million visitors a year.
The hike was just what I needed after being on the road for several days. We were lucky enough to pass the mule train on the way back up. After our hike, we wasted no time and jumped into the car to head out of the park towards Horseshoe Bend. Horseshoe Bend is a gorgeous lookout point over the Colorado river. Our goal was to get there before sunset and watch the sunset from the lookout point. This was about a 2-hour drive from the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately, as we got to the exit of the national park that connected us to the highway a park ranger was blocking off the road with barricades and chains. Nathan jumped out and asked what happened and why they were blocking off the road. The ranger just said “desert preservation” and that was all.
He hopped back in, and we were despaired because we knew that meant we were going to have to go the long way around through the south rim to exit the park. This was frustrating because this was going to turn our 2-hour drive into a 4.5-hour drive, and we would most definitely miss sunset at Horseshoe Bend. Nathan pulled up the map and was so determined we were going to make it there. He found something on the map that said unpaved road. He turned down it and said, “Let’s try this”. So, we went winding back and forth down a dusty unpaved road. I kept saying “I think we are not supposed to be here, and I think this is private property”. He insisted that it was fine and if we were not supposed to be on the road it would have said so or been blocked off.
We came up behind a car that appeared to be making the same short cut to the highway. We then saw another and another. Pretty soon there were 10 or more cars all on this road. The road reminded me of a dusty, wild west, wagon train road and was rough like it was only used by horses. We followed our leader not knowing where it would go. The road was only wide enough for one car. If a car came up going the opposite direction to us; our leader (who we named John Wayne) would roll down his window have a chat letting them know that the road up ahead was closed and then the car would get in line and join our convoy. We had no idea if this road was going to take us to the highway or not, but we just followed John Wayne for over and hour through the pine trees, through desert land, and through burned woods. We followed his dust trail and listened to the song Convoy blinding following the leader and those behind us doing the same. All at once the dirt road was coming to an end. Just up a small hill was the highway. We made it! We all hopped on the highway; cars covered in dust and dirt. All the cars took off down the highway. We honked and waved at all the cars we passed or passed us and laughed and waved at each other and said goodbye to our wagon train.
We made it to Horseshoe Bend with plenty time to spare before sunset thanks to the short cut. We found the perfect spot for overlooking the Colorado river far below. We watched kayakers and picnickers far below. As the sun began its slow descent, the kayakers floated on down the river and the sky lit up in soft, glowing waves of gold, and deep blue, — colors that felt too vibrant to be real. It was peaceful and everything grew quiet. All we could do was watch and take it in.
Standing there, with the vastness of the canyon stretching out in every direction, I couldn’t help but hear the words: “O beautiful for spacious skies…..” The land so— bold, sweeping, and carved by wind, rain and floods— is the kind of beauty that stirs something deep in your chest. It’s the kind of place that makes you feel proud even though we had nothing to do with it.
Audrey Hikes a Lot 