Views from Highway 89:
This was a rushed visit: 124 miles of mountainous road from Page to North Rim, and I was going back to Page that night. When I got to the Bright Angel Point, it was close to 4pm.
Then I drove for a long time to Cape Royal. Beautiful scenery along the way, but I was running against the setting sun, so I didn't stop to enjoy. Next time I should camp at Grand Canyon.Cape Royal at sunset:
Navajo Indian Reservation is to the east of the Canyon:
Sunset on Highway 67:
It felt like a really long way driving back to Page. I stopped several times to take a nap. The first place I stopped was on Highway 89, just coming out from the mountains, where during the day vendors gather to sell souvenirs. Now they were all gone, and stars started to appear. Looking back to the west, I noticed three stars and the crescent moon form a perfect line. I carried no sky map so I was at a lost (Oh I need an iPhone and the Star App!). Days later I learned on APOD that they were Saturn, Mars, and Regulus. How wonderful!
I stopped again some 40 miles later. I took another nap. Then I figured out how to turn on high beam, which is very useful for driving in total darkness. By now all the stars are out, and the Milky Way was visible. However, it was harder to identify constellations for there were too many stars and I had no sky map! I missed a good chance for stargazing because Utah and Arizona have really dark skies. You can't plan everything for a trip, can you? So this is a big pity of my 2008 summer tour of US southwest.
By the way, don't drive like me, because I almost felt like falling asleep that night!
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