While in the Page area we decided to head to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  This was the Sunday before Memorial Day weekend and we had no idea where we were going stay that weekend.  We don’t do reservations more than a couple of days ahead since we don’t really know where we might be and everywhere would be already reserved.  This was weighing on my mind a bit.  Researching the North Rim via Campendium showed many boondocking NFS areas and a few NFS campgrounds up that way.  The North Rim had only opened 5 days previously but the NPS campground was already booked, naturally.

We drove the 80 miles between Page and the North Rim turnoff, which goes past the Vermillion Cliffs (very beautiful):

We went to the campground (Jacob Lake) that was right next to the North Rim cutoff.  This campground has one loop that takes reservations (fully booked), and one loop that is first come, first served.  Both loops were full or reserved, but were they?  The camp host told us there was one spot left in the reserved loop, #35.  We drove over to look at it and decided to take it:

It appears that if there is a multi-day reservation and the reserver does not show the first night, the camp host waits until 2 pm the next day to release the spot.  This is what happened here and we could only have it for one night.

The camp host also told us to get up the next AM and look for a non-reservable spot in the other loop.  Once you get in there, you can stay for 14 days.  That is what we did.  We looked for another spot at around 10 am and found one!  We paid for 2 nights to see the North Rim and figure it out.

The North Rim is quite different than the South Rim (we were there about 1 1/2 months ago).  Fewer people and different views.  We were there for 2 different days and took a few hikes.  Here are some pictures:

We discussed what to do for Memorial Day and Roxie suggested we just stay at Jacob Lake through that weekend.  That would be 8 nights there but what else can we do?  The local private campground allowed outsiders to use their dump but not use ANY water.  The local Chevron allowed people to fill up however even though the water up there was shipped in from about 30 miles away.

During one of the days there, we took a trip to Kanab (in Utah) to see the biggest town around and see the RV parks there as we would like to use that as a base for a trip to Zion.  We talked to the RV Corral in Kanab about coming down there the Tuesday after Memorial Day and they had space.  We made the reservation.  However, there was one spot where the RV’er was possibly going to leave in a few days.  I asked him to keep us posted on that.

After night 5 at Jacob Lake, on the day we were going to go dump (you also could only dump from 11-12) and fillup I contacted the RV Corral.  They told us the RV’er had left that morning and we could take the spot.  This was on Friday of the Memorial Day weekend and we had a spot!  We headed down there and thus our visit to the North Rim was over.

 

We are scheduled to meet our friends on June 13 so that means just under a month.  As we wander like this we are many times unsure where to go next.  We knew laundry was coming up so we needed to be in a decent sized town.  I thought Page AZ which is right by Lake Powell.  It was only a 140-mile drive.  I tried to get a spot in an RV park in town but they were full.  Memorial day was coming and we had no idea where we would be which makes it hard to get reservations.

Monument Valley is right on the border of Utah and Arizona.  Our campground at Gouldings was at 37.007010 latitude which puts it just north of the border.  But to get back to Lake Powell, which is also on the border, we had to go down to Arizona.  This time of year that poses a problem of timing.  Utah is on Mountain Daylight time but Arizona is on Pacific Time (they never follow Daylight time).  To make this even odder, parts of the Navajo nation, even if in Arizona, follow Mountain Daylight time!  We rarely knew what time it was.

On our way south of Monument Valley we stopped at Kayenta to get some groceries.  Upon leaving the parking lot we saw another Airstream.  We are always looking for other ‘Streamers.  This one looked oddly different but similar.  It was a long 30’ trailer but it was being towed by a Mercedes SUV.  This sounded familiar.  When I saw a faded spot on the side of the trailer where a sticker had been I knew who it was.  It was Rich, Eleanor, and Emma Luhr!  He was pulling in for some diesel so we turned and followed.

They did not know it was us for a short moment and then realized it.  It was very nice to see them as it had been quite a few years.  We spent a few minutes catching up with each other and went our separate ways.  They were headed to get Alumapalooza going.

We were heading to Lone Rock Beach Campground.  We had heard good things about this dry camping area and wanted to give it a try.  Also it was only $14/night, $7 for us.  We stayed 2 nights:

We visited the Glen Canyon Dam visitors center and Roxie even walked out on the bridge, I commend her for that:

Here is a view of part of the lake:

This area is also on the border of Arizona and Utah so we fought the time change issue here also!

Lake Powell also brings up memories.  The first time there I went with my parents and we took a boat tour to Rainbow Bridge for a day trip.  One of the next times there we rented a Boston Whaler for our own trip and the weather turned so violent we had to ground the boat on the shore and wait it out.  It appears the marina was ready to send out a boat to look for us.  The third time with my parents and we rented a boat again and spent one night on the lake.  My parents slept on the shore but my sister and I slept on the boat seats folded flat.  I remember catching a fish with a stick, hook, and corn.

Roxie and our family went there once on a vacation.  We rented a boat and had a day on the lake.  Roxie still talks about it because the lake was so rough at times.

The campground has a dump and water fill and we took advantage of it since we were probably going to dry camp again.  We did some laundry on our way out of Page.  One other thing, the Walmart at Page must allow overnighters but I have never seen RV’s so encamped at a Walmart as there!  People were disconnected, had generators and barbeques out, etc.  It was very surprising.

Off to our next spot.