Page 55 - 2002 DT 12 issues

three miles of sightseeing, the pavement
Friends Budget Proposal 2002 - 2003 gives way to dirt and the fencing be-
comes scarce. Five miles farther and it’s
○ just you and the cliffs, baby! The views
○
○ from this trail are breathtaking. Come
○
to think of it, the seven thousand foot
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○
elevation can be somewhat “breath-tak-
○
○ ing” too! Major bonus: if you get tired
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○ of walking, you can ride the free shuttle
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○ bus from several viewpoints along the
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○ way. If this were a Boot Trails report,
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○ I’d have to give the Rim Trail eight boots
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(out of ten). It loses three points for trail
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○
condition and proximity to Hermit Road,
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○ but gains a point for vertigo-induced
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○ sheer terror. If you have an extra day
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○ and don’t want to hike to the bottom of
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○ the canyon (and back up), I would defi-
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nitely recommend the Rim Trail.
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○
On my last day at the Grand Canyon
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I drove east along Hwy. 64 stopping at
○
○
○ every viewpoint and hiking a short way
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○ along each trail. The Tusayan Ruin &
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○ Museum (the locals pronounce it Too-
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see-Awn) was a worthwhile stop to learn
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○
about the Pueblo Indians and how they
○
○ lived in this area eight hundred years
○
○ ago. Three miles from the museum is
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○ Desert View, the eastern-most point in
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○ the park. Except for the Canyon, the
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most prominent feature here is the
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○
magnificent seventy foot Mary Colter-
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○ designed “Watchtower.” It was getting
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○ late and I missed my chance to go in-
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○ side and snoop around. So I pulled up a
○
○ rock and sat down along with fifteen or
(1) Includes Harvest Festival $2,600; Red Rock Days $2,000; Storytelling $100; Art $500; ○
Desert Babies $1,400; The Keystone $ 5,000; balance discretionary. ○ twenty other sunset watchers, and
○
(2) Includes $1,200 for recycled dumpster pick-up. ○ waited for the show to begin. I had just
(3) Includes any expenses for Special Events. ○ met a couple from Russia and taken a
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○ picture for some nice folks from Italy.
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dark and when the lights come up . . . ○ ○ Adventure, continued from p.5 ○ Cuddling on the rock next to me was a
well, you’ll just have to go and see for ○ ○ ○ ○ newlywed Japanese couple. As the sun
yourself what happens next and what ○ way back up to the rim, just to get up in ○ ○ lowered, everyone grew quiet, except
becomes of Hugo’s and Hector’s deal. ○ ○ the morning and do it all over again. ○ ○ the three children of a Chinese family
Fittingly the performance ends with ○ ○ They love it, but I swear I’ll never com- ○ who began to sing a soft lyrical chant,
○
a solo by Marta in ballet dress dancing ○ ○ plain about our natural resource projects ○ which I imagined to be a “sunset” song.
in her own theater. Who says that dreams ○ ○ again! ○ We had all come from around the world
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don’t come true? ; ○ After the class I had the great fun of ○ ○ to be at this place and to watch this sun-
hiking along the Rim Trail to Hermit’s ○ set together. It was very peaceful, with
○
○
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○ Rest, the western-most point of the ○ only a sweet breeze cooling our faces
—In the writing of this article I am in- ○
○
debted to Martha for her description of her ○ ○ South Rim. This is a ten-mile trek (one- ○ as the sun gradually set, sending golden-
○
labors and have drawn on her book, Marta ○ way) which starts out as a nice wide ○ orange and red beams over the cliffs and
Becket, a Theatrical Portrait. ○ path, both fenced and blacktopped. After ○ into my memories. ;
FORRC/July, 2002 Page 7