The beginning of my trip was not quite unlike my last visit. I flew into Las Vegas, rented a car and drove from there. After grabbing a sandwich in Colorado City, I applied for a backcountry permit in Pipe Spring National Monument. They faxed my application over to the South Rim office, but the timing was such that I had to wait for rangers there to come back from lunch. I used the time to explore the small monument, established around a spring that created an oasis important to both native tribes and early settlers. Finally, my newly issued permit was faxed back, and I was good to go.

It is almost 54 miles on dirt roads to the Toroweap Ranger Station. A volunteer ranger checked my permit. Beyond the station, the road narrows and in the last three miles starts crossing rock slabs. Unlike the the last time, I was driving a new generation Jeep Cherokee whose off-pavement capabilites I had doubts of. No one really drives their SUVs off road. They never did ever since the SUVs became family cars, or rather glorified minivans, and the car manufacturers have gradually replaced them with cross-overs that perform better on asphalt. So I negotiated the road with a lot of care, and finally reached the campground.

As I walked the remaining mile to the overlook, I reminisced about the last time when I camped in one of the two sites right at the overlook. The sites are no more, but other than that, not much has changed. The canyon is still there and it is awe-inspiring!

When I arrived at the overlook, I found three off-road vehicles parked there. Loud music was blasting from one of them into the emptiness. Luckily, the obnoxious tour left shortly, and I was left alone to explore the rim. The sun was hiding behind a thin layer of clouds until finally, shortly before sunset, the sun rays illuminated the landscape.

After the sun dipped below the horizon, it illuminated the clouds in an amazing display of pink. As much as the diffused light does not really make for great landscape shots, it was great to experience the magical atmosphere.

The nights are dark and quiet at Toroweap. There is no town of any size within 70 miles. Before the moonrise, seemingly an infinity of stars dotted the sky. It was not even very cold with temperatures just above freezing. Even at these latitudes, the nights in the beginning of January are long and I had plenty of time to ponder the emptiness around me.

I got up for the sunrise. Some more clouds streamed in overnight, but the sun did break through the gaps at times to illuminate the landscape.

As the middle of the day approached, the sun would enter deeper into the abyss of the canyon. However, the low January sun never rises that high up in the horizon, and the river flowing at the bottom remained shaded. One lone explorer arrived at the overlook. I felt crowded out and retired to my campsite for a lunch.

I followed the Saddle Horse Trail back to the overlook and did more rock hopping along the edges of the canyon until the sun started going down.

It was a calm clear sunset without the pink color drama of the previous day, and an opportunity to enjoy the magnificinet views.

The sun rose behind a thick layer of clouds as if the canyon was telling me to go. I obliged, packed up and drove back to the ranger station where I chatted a bit with the staff. Next up was another canyon - in Zion National Park.