Back to civilisation...or at least as far as Flagstaff

Tuesday 12th November

We were awake at first light having had a slightly better night, it had not been quite so cold and we had both managed a bit more sleep. The first thing I saw when I emerged from the tent at about 7.45am was a large elk! I left Martin taking photos of it and by the time I got back from the rest room it had wandered off into the woods.

After breakfast we took the tent down and packed the car. We had changed our plans for the morning as we were both feeling a bit jaded after the previous hard day - so instead of doing the tough hike down the Hermit Trail (now we have to come back on another trip to do it) we drove over to Mather Point to act like conventional tourists and gaze in awe at the wondrous sight of the canyon. It is an awe inspiring view but for me it has to be experienced rather than looked at and I feel sorry for people who can't or don't hike down at least part way into it.

We drove east along the rim and then into the Kaibab National Forest to the Grand Tower Trail ŷhead where we got the bikes out and set off on the Coconino Rim Section of the Arizona Trail. Unfortunately the only loop route available was further than we wanted to do so it was an out and back along a fairly level single track path winding through the trees with some slight undulations and quite a few rock strewn sections. We kept the mileage low because our legs were tired after yesterday's exertions but it provided yet another good reason to return for another trip.

Back in the car we continued east along the rim of the Grand Canyon to Desert View where we plan to camp on our next visit in order to explore the trails at the eastern end of the canyon.

Next stop was Flagstaff and a welcome return to civilisation. We arrived at our motel during the early afternoon and thoroughly enjoyed a relaxing few hours: badly needed hot showers, use of the motel laundry room and the internet to help plan our next few days. I was feeling particularly jaded and it was just so nice to have a chance to relax for a few hours somewhere warm and comfortable.

In the evening we made a return visit to the Beaver Street Brewery which proved just as excellent second time round.