The North Rim of the Grand Canyon from the Walhalla Overlook. You can see the bend of the Colorado River from there. This was taken on Monday, August 10, 2009. There was still smoke in the air from the Aspen Fire.
Arizona
Scenic Sunday
This photo was taken at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon on the Uncle Jim Trail in June 2008. You can see the charred tree trunks from a forest fire that burned all the way to the edge of the canyon, and the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff, Arizona in the distance.
For more photos from Scenic Sunday, click here.
Fire On The North Rim
One of the most frequently asked questions I get from visitors at the entrance station is “How long ago was the fire on Highway 67 a few miles back?” That fire, known as the Warm Fire, was caused by a lightening strike on June 8, 2006, and burned over 58,000 acres before it was contained on July 4.
While the burned area visible to visitors who drive along that section of Highway 67 to get to the North Rim may look devastated, the vegetation is returning. There are lots of young aspens coming up, and plenty of wildflowers and grasses there, too. To us humans, it looks like a terrible loss. But to mother nature, fire is one of her tools of renewal.
The aspens come back first. The shade cover from the aspen slow the growth of the pines and firs. But aspen grow quickly and don’t live as long. So when they die the canopy opens up and allows the pines and firs to grow. This is forest succession. Plus the Ponderosa Pine are very fire resistant. The thick bark and self-pruning of the lower dead branches helps protect them from fire. Many have scorched trunks , but are still alive and provide the seed for new pines.
If you click on the picture above to enlarge it, and look closely, you’ll see the new growth coming up around the dead, burned trees. You may or may not see the nesting holes of the woodpeckers and flickers who live in the shells of the dead trees, eating the many insects that also occupy the area.
Last week, we had thunderstorms in the area again. Five new fires were ignited by lightening from those storms, in various areas of the North Rim. No, I am not afraid, we’ll be evacuated long before we are in any danger, if any of the fires come too close. The fire above is called the Aspen Fire, on the Wallhalla Plateau, near Cape Royal. It is probably north of where my friend and I hiked a few weeks ago. I don’t know for sure, because they have closed the road. It is about 3.5 miles or so across the canyon from where I live. So far it has burned about 730 acres.
There is a lot of smoke from this fire. At night, it sinks down into the canyon so that in the morning all you can see is the smoke.
According to the Wildland Fire Policy, “…the role of federal agencies in the wildland/urban interface includes wildland firefighting, hazard fuels reduction, cooperative prevention and education, and technical assistance. Primary responsibility rests at the state and local levels…” “….Finally, agencies and the public must change their expectation that all wildfires can be controlled or suppressed. No organization, technology, or equipment can provide absolute protection when unusual fuel build-ups, extreme weather conditions, multiple ignitions, and extreme fire behavior periodically come together to form catastrophic events…”
(the road to my home)
As this fire continues, I am sure I will be asked lots of questions about it from visitors when I go back to work on Tuesday. I hope I can give the correct answers, and let them know that even though it looks like a bad thing, it really is nature doing what it does.
For more information about fires on the North Rim, see Geogypsy’s post here.
The View From My Cubicle
On the days that I work the morning shift at the entrance station, it can be pretty slow in the early hours of the day. On those days, I like to watch the flowers grow.
These little asters are in reality, only about four inches tall. But, they can seem like towering plants, depending on your perspective.
Yes, I was practically lying on the ground, in my spiffy uniform, hat and all, trying to get a good shot of them. And while most of them are pathetically out of focus, I still like the feel of the photos enough to share them.
I can only imagine that this is the what a bug or a ground squirrel would see on their little journey through that patch of weeds.
And while there is no picture of him, one of those little ground squirrels did come by, and peek his head in my door that day. I just wasn’t fast enough to capture him. The view from my cubicle is great!
Scenic Sunday
This is the view from the entrance station on Friday, July 24, 2009, where I work. A thunderstorm was approaching from the north. The rain and the breeze it created helped to cool the temps down to 70 degrees. Nice!
For more Scenic Sunday photos, click here.
Going To Flagstaff, or Who Says It Never Rains In Arizona???
We started out from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon this morning around 8:00 a.m. The sun was shining, so bright I had to wear shades:
Going across Marble Canyon, the sun was still out, but we could see the clouds building up as we went along:
When we turned towards Flagstaff on Highway 89, the coulds started looking dark, heavy, and omnious:
The farther we went, the darker the clouds got. We could tell it was going to rain soon:
When we got to Gap, Arizona, we could see the rain falling from the sky across the desert:
And when we stopped for a potty break, the bottom fell out while we were in the store:
It rained on us almost all the rest of the way to Flagstaff, and has continued to rain all afternoon and most of the evening. Who said it never rains in Arizona???
Working In The Campground Has Its Rewards…
I have many duties on my job. My first love, the part of my job that I love the best, is being out at the entrance station, welcoming visitors to the park, selling passes, and giving directions to scenic viewpoints.
(Me at the entrance station)I also work at the campground, checking people in when they arrive, and IF there happens to be a vacancy or cancellation, selling sites to campers. The campground here at the North Rim is very nice, with spacious sites. There are no hook-ups, but we do provide every site with a fire ring and picnic table.
(The group area of the campground in early spring)Today, one of my duties was to walk through the campground inspecting all the fire rings, and noting if any of them need to be replaced or repaired. Every time I walk through this campground, people camping here invite me to eat with them–breakfast, or lunch, or dinner depending on the time of day. I usually decline the invitation, saying that I can’t eat wheat so I have to be careful what I eat.
(the North Rim Campground in early spring before any campers arrived)Today, though, as I was walking through, there was a family camping in a pop-up, cooking a delicious smelling chocolate cake in their covered grill. As usual, they invited me to have a piece, indicating it would be ready in a few minutes. I gave my usual reply, “It smells very good, but I can’t eat wheat.” And THEY said, “Well, lady, this cake is for you!”
(the North Rim Campground in fall)The mother said they have been eating a strict gluten free, egg free, and dairy free diet since October of last year, and the cake they were making was made with chick pea flour, tapioca flour, brown rice flour, and potato starch. So, of course, I stopped for a piece of it. It was out of this world delicious! Tanya, the mother, said she makes her own homemade mixes, even grinds her own chick pea flour. I was very impressed.
I didn’t have my camera with me, so no photos, but trust me when I say this was a very good cake. She also asked me not to publish her recipe on my blog because she is trying to write a cookbook. Well, let me tell ya, I will be her first customer when that book is published! Tanya also gave me three of her mixes to bring home–a chocolate cake mix, buckwheat pancake mix (that her teenage son raved about), and a corn bread mix. I can not wait to try that cornbread!
I should get out there and walk that campground more often!
Scenic Sunday
Since I couldn’t decide which of these I liked the best, you get a double view from Point Imperial at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona this week. It was a nice clear day, it had been raining so the ground was wet and the colors were vibrant. Did you know that the full name for this place is The Grand Canyon of The Colorado River? I learned that this week–I never knew that before.
