I called the motel at Caliente and asked them to post my converter plug back to Lake Tahoe, which they did. I wanted to pay the postage, but what they asked for was a good review on the Web! For now I bought a charger adapter for my phone and used that. I could use another US Cable to charge my camera battery.
Preparing our trusty steeds at Springdale
Some of the party took off for the Zion NP for a hike in the morning and were back a 11 am so we waited for them. When Rafe got back we attached ourselves to his back wheel so we wouldn't get lost. That was a tactic we used for the rest of the trip given that the others were inclined to disappear (at 70 or 80) at the drop of a hat!
We headed back to the park visitor centre but took off up a side valley behind and through a tunnel that was controlled as one way traffic only. We heard the story later that Mark, Barry and a few others fell foul of an over zealous NP official ( a woman of course in her Smokey the Bear hat) and some how Mark had behaved in a way she considered harassment. It took the peace making abilities of a Highway Patrolman to sort out the impasse.
As we got to the top of the plateau I felt a slight sting on my right arm and stopped to shake out a dead bee. It wasn't uncomfortable at the time, but later it was to prove a big problem. During our rides with Rafe he would often exclaim about the natural wonders of the USA to which Alan and I would reply that we had something similar in Australia. This would make Rafe a little peeved and he was emphatic that we wouldn't be able to say that about the Grand Canyon! We stopped at the look-out at Fredonia to marvel at the view of the broad plateau we had just crossed. There were a few stalls selling Native Indian jewellery. I was interested in buying and found a nice piece for Morag and struck up a conversation with the lady selling the stuff. I happened to mention my difficulty sleeping and she recommended a juniper bead necklace which I bought and wore for the rest of the trip and my sleep patterns did improve. While admiring the view we were approached by a couple of Nice Sorts and Rafe immediately took an interest in where they were traveling to and provided some advice. Alan as usual tried his old and worn out pick up lines and was firmly rebuffed.
Alan gives directions while Rafe seems mesmerised by the Nice Sort
We had started the day in warm sunshine but as we headed south east the clouds rolled in and rain started and the last 40 miles into the Grand Canyon was in steady rain. The North Rim resort was run by the NP and was in the truly grand style like Yosemite and Glacier NP. Rafe had pre-booked 7 cabins for us all but they weren't available until 4 pm. So we had lunch in the magnificent dining room of the main lodge with very high ceilings and huge picture windows overlooking the Grand Canyon. The GC is truly amazing as it is very wide and very deep sort of like the super pit in Kalgoorlie on steroids. You cant even see the bottom. There was a bit of mist about because of the rain, but it cleared up during our lunch. We took a walk after lunch along a ridge line outside the lodge and the views were spectacular. Billy went off on a hike and got half way down to the floor of the canyon but decided to come back before it got too late. Many use mules to trek down to the floor but we didn't have enough time for that. Later it closed in again and we saw no more of the Grand Canyon up to when we left the next day which was a bit disappointing.
Looking towards the South Rim from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon
We finally got access to our rooms and dumped our gear and had a shower. They were cute little log cabins but had obviously been built decades ago and were in need of a facelift. My arm was now really starting to worry me (but not anyone else!). I was having an allergic reaction to the bee sting and my arm had swollen up and the swelling was slowly spreading up and down my arm. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to ride the bike the next day. I went to the first aid centre but they told me the medical team were all engaged in the aftermath of a car roll-over that had injured the occupants badly. They advised that I apply cortisone cream and ice packs and that seemed to stop the swelling getting any worse.
Colin feels sorry for himself with a swollen arm from a bee sting
We had dinner in the main dining room and enjoyed some Californian wine with our meal. Steve didn't think much of our choice or the meal, but I thought it was OK. It rained all night and I could hear it hitting the roof of our cabin. That and my throbbing arm kept me awake most of the night. Not much like fun but the weather was going to get worse the next day!
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