A new adventure is about to begin as we start an exploration into a corner of the country as of yet unseen by Caroline and me. Joining us for this road trip is our friend Jay Patel, who is moving back to India later this year. At 10:00 a.m., Jay and I pick up our rental which is a shiny new red four-door Chevy Impala. We packed the car with clothes, coolers, and a hundred CDs. After lunchtime, we collect Caroline from her office and we are underway. We are driving north, and only two hours up the road and reaching Flagstaff we are in need of the kind of medicine only Starbucks can offer. Eleven shots between us, and we are ready to continue after Caroline and Jay stock up on free samples of espresso brownies. With Jay’s pockets full, we leave.
On Arizona State Road 89, we pass Sunset Crater National Monument where Jay and I just a few weeks earlier had been visiting on a day trip that took us to Monument Valley on the Arizona / Utah border. A little further up the road, we pass the turnoff for the Grand Canyon and are now on the western edge of the Painted Desert and the Navajo Reservation.
Caroline asks that we stop at the Gap Trading Post for some quick shopping. The red woolen yarn she wants is not available today, so we pile back in the car to resume our journey. The Gap is in the shadow of the Echo Cliffs and is named for a small passage that allows travel to Kaibito further into the Navajo Reservation but that’s not the direction we are heading today. A half-hour up the road we are on and we will come into view of the Vermillion Cliffs.
Here they are, the Vermillion Cliffs. The road is about to divide, with one leg going northeast to Page and Lake Powell and the other northwest in the direction of Marble Canyon and the north rim of the Grand Canyon. The Vermillion cliffs run above the Colorado River and are an imposing wall that helps frame this beautiful area of Northern Arizona.
It is about 6:00 p.m. when we reach the Navajo Bridge straddling the Canyon, perched high over the Colorado River. We can’t linger as the shadows are growing longer, and we need to get down to river level while we still have good light. The beginning of Marble Canyon is just around the corner and down a short road. This will take us to the river’s edge and Jay’s first close encounter with the mighty Colorado River at Lees Ferry, where whitewater trips into the Grand Canyon begin.
Caroline is quick to doff her shoes and make her way to the river. We encourage Jay to do the same and he obliges with enthusiasm until his tender little toes hit the freezing cold water on Paria Beach. We spend a bit more time here smelling the sweet wildflowers along the shore and canyon walls bathed in the golden late afternoon sun.
Driving up and over the Vermillion Cliffs, we are ascending the Kaibab Plateau. Along the way, we dip into a special treat Sonal and her mom made us earlier in the day. Jay is serving up the Pav Bhaji, which is a sort of mashed potato mixture with tomato, onion, lots of garlic, peas, and a particularly spicy masala. He rolls these up burrito-style in an Indian flatbread called Methi Roti, and we chow down while we continue our drive toward Utah. The heavy spices, green chili, and chili powder have nearly the same effect as the Starbucks from earlier, bringing new life into the car – our taste buds are now wide awake.
At the LeFevre Overlook, 6700 feet above sea level on the Kaibab Plateau in Northern Arizona, we watch the sun dip below the horizon, painting the sky orange and gold with wispy clouds capturing the last rays of our setting star. By the end of the day, we had driven 507 miles, ending up in Richfield, Utah, to stay at the Apple Tree Inn. The time zone shifted us from Pacific to Mountain time, and with the lost hour, we finally got to our rooms close to midnight.
