Grand Canyon & Lee's Ferry

While we were in St. George after Summer's birthday, we took a quick road trip to the Grand Canyon.

After days and days of triple digits, we kinda forgot about the elevation change and cool nights in the Grand Canyon.  ooops.

It was 58* and rainy when we arrived at the GC.

This cute little lady on the trail with us volunteer to take our picture. 

She had trouble with the zoom, even though she told us they looked good.  Oh well.

This is the view of the GC when there is a constant rainy mist happening.

It was chilly, but it did smell heavenly.

Some young man wearing wranglers gave us this invitation to a shindig. 

Working on our Jr. Ranger activities.

At the Grand Canyon Lodge.

Sierra and Cole taking their Jr. Ranger oath.  Very serious business.  

(Summer was a Jr. Ranger dropout at this location)

We took a few scenic drives.  This is the view from The Roosevelt Loop.  

We sent Rick out on the point to take the pictures because the rest of us were too cold.

Our cabin at Jacob Lake

Summer, Sierra, and Cole

After we left Jacob Lake, we drove over to Lee's Ferry.  It was fun for Rick to reminisce his river guiding days on the Colorado River. And it was a good thing that it was raining because it was just us and a group of people loading up their gear to head out on the river.

It was fun to read and review some of the events that took place over 100 years ago at this location.

Summer was highly engrossed in rock hunting adventures.

This is the location where the ferry actually launched from the north side of the river.  The last ferry sank in 1928, killing 3 men.  (It was 8 months later before the bridge was completed and there was a way across the Colorado River.  During that time, it was an 800 mile drive around the Grand Canyon to get to Arizona.)  The water in COLD.  As you walk down the bank to the water, you can feel the air temperature drop at least 10 degrees in just a few feet.

Next we drove down to where the bridge connects Utah and Arizona.  The bridge (on the left where we were walking) was built in 1928.  It was opened to traffic on January 12, 1928 at a cost of $390,000.   

In 1990 it was determined that traffic flow and load capacity were too great for the bridge and a solution was needed.  It was determined that the old bridge could not be rebuilt or strengthened and still meet all of the highway safety standards. There was a lot of opposition to building a new bridge which included issues like protecting sacred Navajo lands, protecting native plant species in Marble Canyon, and possible construction debris polluting the river below.  The bridge (on the right) was finally completed in 1995 with a $15 million price tag.

The view of the Colorado River from Navajo Bridge.  

Every necessary precaution was taken during construction that not even a rock would fall down into the river below and thus endangering the safety of those in rafts on the river.

We met a cute Park Ranger that gave us some peaches that were grown at Lee's Ferry.

Fun little walk down memory lane with a history lesson on the side.