We woke up around 9 and moved the RV to a parking lot.  We couldn’t stay in the spot, and we didn’t know how long it would take for us to hike, so a parking lot was the only choice we had.  (And it was in front of the General Store, so we could stock up on over priced supplies if we wanted.)  I wore gym shorts, my fly fishing hat, my hiking boots, and my backpack with lunch in it, my camera and knife attached, and a Nalgene bottle hanging from it.  I had already made my first mistake.  Mark and I drank a bit the night before, and were probably already dehydrated, and had not drunk any water before heading out on a hike in the desert.  I also didn’t take any ibuprofen which would later lead to my knees killing me on the stairs all the way up.)

We walked the trail of time around part of the rim, which gave us some good views.  We found a trail that was much less popular and further out than the Bright Angel Trail, and it went to a dripping spring (it was named the Dripping Spring Trail).  It was only about 3.75 miles each way, so we figured it was a good day hike.  There was a snack bar at the top, so we grabbed something to eat before heading out, I think I grabbed a breakfast Danish (sadly, it was not nearly as good as those in Copenhagen).

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Tags: Arizona,Dehydration,Drinking,Gambling,Grand Canyon,Las Vegas
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We left as soon as we woke up, and headed for the Grand Canyon.  Along the way we passed through many Indian/Native American (Depending on who you are talking to) Reservations.  We stopped at a sign that said it was The Largest Navajo Reservation, and looked around a bit.  We got a few cigars because they are untaxed and are REALLY cheap.  (Go to TPtobacco.com to buy online at the same prices we paid!)  They advertised Buffalo Jerky everywhere, but nobody had any in stock.  Every store recommended another, so we bounced around for a little bit before we settled for normal Beef Jerky, but it was also good, and cheap!  The rest of the way there, there were tons of reservations, seemingly one every few miles, they looked really depressing just driving through, I think they really got the short end of the stick.

We drove to see the Petrified Forest, with the top down in the Jeep, and it was OK.  The Painted Desert was cooler than the petrified wood.  There was not a lot of petrified wood there, and the rangers were really worried about us stealing the wood.  We didn’t.  After leaving, we got back on the highway and saw a sign that said the Crater Natural Park was coming up.  We headed off the highway and over there to check it out.  When we got there, we found out what a ‘Natural’ park is, it’s designed to look like the word ‘National’, but way more expensive.  Just to look at it, cost 15 dollars a person.  We quickly fired up Google Maps on our phones, checked it out from above and decided against heading in.  The rest of the trip to the park was uneventful; we just drove, drove, drove, and eventually arrived.  And when I say ‘we drove’, I mean ‘Ethan drove.’

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Tags: Arizona,Crater,Grand Canyon,Hunting,Indian Reservation,Painted Desert,Petrified Wood
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