The Unsolved Mystery

Wednesday June 8, 2011
Grand Canyon National Park

Well it was a strange day in
Grand Canyon today.

It started when the last of the
packages we’d hoped to have
delivered here didn’t show up
and we leave tomorrow.
David called the vendor and
they had “mistakenly” sent it to the
address on my credit card and I
suppose it is sitting on the porch there.

SO now the new LP Gas Detector and
a stop/turn tail light for Winnona
are their problem to find.

We don’t HAVE to have either of those
but we don’t have plans at this point
to be anywhere for a week unless it
just “happens” that way.  At which point
it’s a tad late to request delivery of anything.

Ok well, on with the day.
We hopped on the Blue Busto the Visitor’s Center for some
information on the North Rim Campground
(they didn’t know) and on Desert View
(they did know which overlooks would
be doable with a 34’ RV towing a car and
that the parking lot at the Watchtower was
plenty big enough)

Then David wanted to stop by the
”Shrine of the Ages” to see the
Pioneer Cemetery.

Now why this place is called
Shrine of the Ages we have NO CLUE.
The only things there are
an amphitheater and an administrative building
in which some of the Grand Canyon Villages
hold their Sunday services;
we could see nothing “shrine like”.
So any of you who have been there
and know the answer to this
Please comment and let us know what
we missed.

We went beyond the building to the
Pioneer Cemetery dedicated in 1928.

 

We discovered that most of the folks who have been buried here have died since then.
The cemetery is still in use and is limited
to Canyon residents who meet certain qualifications,
by permission of the park superintendent.

We took photos of the only
"pioneer” grave sites we could find.
Folks who lived in the canyon in the 1880’s,
most of whom died in the 20th century.

And then off we went on the blue bus
to the Backcountry Information Center.

We saw a great information sign on
Harvey Butchart who was renown as
the champion back country hiker
in the Grand Canyon.  Over 17 years
he hiked the entire length of the Grand Canyon.
He was the first person to do that.

In 1997, his books about his hikes
were republished in one volume titled
Grand Canyon Treks: 12,000 Miles Through the Grand Canyon.

We took a picture of the information on how
many hikers have died in the Grand Canyon and of
what.  Cardiac Arrest and dehydration were the
two major causes.  But falling happens as well.

And David asked for some “back country” information
of course.

After dinner it was laundry time since we
weren’t sure where we might run into
a laundromat again.

So here are our exciting pictures of the
day.  Mather Campground laundry

and a pair of interesting socks being worn with flip flops
at the laundry.

The unsolved mystery is
WHAT HAPPENED to the pictures from
both of our cameras for June 8???

We took them.  Not as many as if we were
on a trail but we both took them and remember
what we took.  Neither of us can find any
of those pictures  on our cameras or computers.
Other than the laundry pictures of course.

Now how in the world could that happen
to both of us on the same day???

You’ll have to come back tomorrow
if you want to see photos.  :-)
(photo of cemetery entry gates courtesy of the Pioneer Cemetery Website)