July 22, 2012 - Flagstaff, AZ - KOA Campground

We left Needles at 6:55 AM with the temperature already at 91 degrees.  We grabbed a quick breakfast, gassed up and headed for Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon.  We rearranged some of the items in the camper to make it track better.  It seemed to work.  I didn’t get the swaying I had yesterday.  Still…we can’t do the 75 MPH speed limit, but 62 MPH or so is better than 55 MPH. 

Entrance To The South Rim Of The Grand Canyon

View From South Rim Looking West

View From South Rim Looking East

View Looking At Plateau Half-Way Down With Trail

We just rode to the Grand Canyon exit and headed north.  We had both been there several times and our goal was to get Don’s NP passport stamp.  We found the visitors center, and parked.  We walked the rim trail, took some pictures and got the stamp.  We might have been there an hour or so.  It was beautiful.  The Grand Canyon was the first national park I visited in 1970.  Damn…that is almost 42 years ago.  I had always wanted to see it, walk to the bottom and see the grandeur.  I did that 42 years ago, and had since walked down part-way several times.  The area just outside the park boundary on the south rim had only one motel and one greasy spoon back then.  Now it is a suburbanites dream.  There must be a dozen motels, and every fast food joint you can name.  And don’t you know it – the same mom-and-pop motel from 42 years ago is still there, under the same name - Red Feather Lodge.  They have expanded, but still there. 

We headed for Flagstaff and the KOA.  We have stayed here before and it is nice, quiet, and convenient to the interstate.  There was a little rain in the forecast and we hit just enough drops to spot the windshield.  We checked in and headed for WalMart for some supplies. 

My clutch lever lost the cruise control fix I had put in.  Not a big deal, I have spare parts and have fixed it again.  My hand was severely cramped from holding the throttle and not having the cruise control working. 

Don is beat, has a headache, and decided to take a nap.  The heat has taken it out of both of us.  The weather here is about 80 degrees with a forecast low of about 50 tonight.  Our plans for tomorrow are to make it to Albuquerque and stop.  I think from here on out, heat is in the forecast.  We are going to play it by ear and let the weather and our endurance dictate where and when we stop. 

We will have to find someplace in NM, TX, OK, AR, and MO to get a NP stamp for Don.