Grand Canyon National Park
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK
Tail of the Scorpion
Adventures with the Parkers
Mike Graf
Illustrated by
Marjorie Leggitt
FALCON GUIDES
GUILFORD, CONNECTICUT
HELENA, MONTANA
AN IMPRINT OF GLOBE PEQUOT PRESS
Text © 2012 Mike Graf
Illustrations © 2012 Marjorie Leggitt
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Photo credits:
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Khoo Si Lin
Courtesy of National Park Service: 8; 19; 22; 23 (bottom); 26 (top); 42; 63; 67; 71; 79; 83 (top, Mark Lellouch; bottom, Chad Olson)
© Jeff and Paula Hartgraves, www.arizona-vacation-planner.com: 52
Map courtesy of National Park Service
Excerpt from Brighty of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry reprinted with permission of Alladin Paperbacks, an imprint of Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing Division. Text copyright 1953 and renewed © 1981 Marguerite Henry.
Illustrations: Marjorie Leggitt
Models for twins: Amanda and Ben Frazier
Project editor: David Legere
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.
ISBN 978-0-7627-8689-3
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Copyright
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
1
“This part is called ‘Sunrise,’” Mom said.
“The name sure fits the music,” Morgan said.
“I don’t know what would be more spectacular in the Grand Canyon,” Dad thought out loud, “a sunrise or a sunset.”
The music grew louder.
“I can picture the sun lighting up the canyon now!” James, Morgan’s twin brother, said.
Morgan called out from the backseat, “I can’t wait to get there!”
The family was on a long drive to the Grand Canyon. While on the way, they were listening to the Grand Canyon Suite, classical music composed by Ferde Grofé in 1931. The CD switched to track two.
“This part is called the ‘Painted Desert,’” Mom said.
“Which is what a lot of Arizona is,” James remembered. He pulled out his state road map. “See this area east of the Grand Canyon? This is where the Painted Desert is.”
THE PAINTED DESERT
The Painted Desert stretches from southeast of the Grand Canyon to near the New Mexico border. Minerals in the soil make it rainbow colored. Some people call the Painted Desert an area of “badlands” because plants have a hard time growing there. The most famous and picturesque part of the Painted Desert is in eastern Arizona at Petrified Forest National Park.
“Grofé wrote this music for the Grand Canyon?” Morgan asked.
“I remember my teacher telling us that in fifth grade,” Mom explained. “Then, when my parents took us there, we listened to the record before we left.”
“And we get to hear the CD now!” James exclaimed.
A SUITE OF THE DAY
Ferde Grofé was a musician who composed many musical pieces. In 1916, he drove across the Arizona desert to watch the sunrise at the Grand Canyon. This experience inspired him to write the Grand Canyon Suite from 1929 until 1931. This turned out to be Grofé’s best-known work. The suite represents a typical summer day at the Grand Canyon. The most famous part is the “On the Trail” section, which has the clip-clop sound of hooves.
Dad continued driving through the desert. They were still a few hours away from the North Rim of the canyon. While the Grand Canyon Suite switched tracks to “On the Trail,” James pulled out his journal.
Monday, August 1
This is James Parker reporting.
I’m sure excited about seeing the Grand Canyon! We are driving ten hours in one day just to get there. Mom and Dad say we have to see a Grand Canyon sunset, and hopefully we’ll get to see one tonight.
I’ve been looking at maps of the Grand Canyon for a long time. I can’t wait to get an “official” park map. Then I can study all the trails we’re going to hike on.
While we’re there, we’ll spend time sightseeing, learning about the park, and backpacking from rim to rim. That’s twenty-one and a half miles of hiking we’re going to do in the middle of the desert. That will be awesome! I know I’ll have lots to say over the next few days. So expect to hear back from me soon.
Your Grand Canyon Adventurer,
James Parker
Mom took over driving in Fredonia. Soon after, the road started to climb. The hills were covered with pinyon pines and junipers. As they gained more elevation, there were ponderosa pines.
“I guess that’s the end of the desert,” James said, looking out the window.
“I thought Arizona was all desert,” Morgan said.
“The North Rim of the Grand Canyon is more like a mountain than a desert,” Dad said. “Its elevation is around 8,000 feet. It is actually very cool and wet most of the year.”
“Can you play the ‘Sunset’ part of the Grand Canyon Suite again?” Morgan asked. “That’s my favorite part.”
“Sure,” Mom said.
Listening to “Sunset” gave Morgan a feeling of peace. She pictured the sun gently slipping below the horizon with a huge canyon sprawled out before her. While the music played, Morgan got out her journal.
Monday, August 1
Dear Diary,
I’m listening to music written about a Grand Canyon sunset, and guess what? We’re going to get to the Grand Canyon right at sunset, we hope! For James and me it will be our first glimpse of the Grand Canyon. But it’s been twenty years since Mom and Dad have been there. They went there together right after they started dating! Dad has been talking about how amazing the Grand Canyon’s geology is. Well, he’s a geologist, I guess he would know! And Mom says there is an incredible variety of plants and wildlife that live in the park. Since she’s a wildlife biolog
ist, I know she’s been reading up on the animals there. I can’t wait to take pictures of all this with my new digital camera. Dad says it’s one of the most photogenic places in the world. I’ll write more later!
Yours,
Morgan
The Grand Canyon Suite switched to a piece called “Cloudburst.” The music started peacefully, and then deep, ominous tones gave the feeling a storm was coming. A strike of a chord sounded like lightning. It was followed by a drumroll of thunder. The orchestra created the sound of howling wind. Then “Cloudburst” burst into a full-blown raging storm.
A giant drop of rain splatted against the car window. And another, and another.
Lightning lit up the sky.
Huge raindrops started pouring down.
Mom turned down the CD. “It looks like we have our own storm to deal with.”
“Look at how dark the clouds are!” Dad said.
Morgan pointed toward the forest. “But it’s clear way over there.”
“It’s really coming down now!” James exclaimed.
Mom turned the wipers to full speed just as tiny white balls of ice popped against the car and bounced off the pavement.
“It’s hailing!” James called out.
The family drove through the storm. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. Rain and hail pounded down. Some of the hail stuck, quickly turning the side of the road into a meadow of white.
They finally reached the park entrance station.
Mom rolled down her window. “It’s quite a storm you’re having,” she said to the ranger.
“Oh, this?” the ranger replied. “It’s nothing more than our typical late afternoon summer thunderstorm. It is our monsoon season, you know. This is normal.”
“Not where we live,” Dad said.
“But as long as we don’t get hit by lightning, we like it,” Morgan added.
“You’re safer in your car,” the ranger said. “Here you go.” She handed Mom a newspaper and a map of the park. “Enjoy your stay at the Grand Canyon.”
“Thanks,” Mom said. She rolled up the window and passed the map back to James. Mom slowly drove away from the entrance station.
“It looks like the rain’s letting up,” James said. He unfolded the map and looked at it.
“And the hail stopped,” Morgan added.
Mom turned the wipers down to slow speed.
“And it’s clearing up ahead,” Dad said. “Hopefully in time for us to catch the sunset.”
Mom drove the family toward the Grand Canyon Lodge.
LIGHTNING
Thunderstorm season in the desert Southwest lasts from early to mid-July until early to mid-September. This time of year is called the monsoon season. This is when moisture in the atmosphere comes up from the south and brings regular afternoon thunderstorms to the area. Many days start out mostly clear, but by late afternoon the storms roll in. Lightning is very dangerous. If a thunderstorm is approaching, a person is safer in a car or building than outside. Many buildings at the Grand Canyon have lightning rods, which carry the electrical energy into the ground. When people are out on the trail during a thunderstorm, it is important for them to get away from rocky points or open areas. People should also get out of their tents during thunderstorms, and they should not touch metal. If lightning is close, people should get away from other people, avoid tall trees, and stay near a group of small trees surrounded by taller ones. People can also make themselves smaller by crouching down, covering their heads and ears with their arms, and touching as little of the ground as possible. People should not touch the ground with their hands or lie flat on the ground.
2
James shut the passenger door. “Hurry up, you guys!”
“Wait. I need to get my sweatshirt,” Dad said. He fumbled through the luggage in the trunk.
“Can you get mine too?” Morgan asked. “It’s cold out here.”
The family was parked near the Grand Canyon Lodge. The storm had stopped, but the parking lot was full of puddles from the rain. A bright orange glow cast over the far western sky. It looked like there was going to be a sunset.
After putting on their sweatshirts, Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad walked quickly through the parking lot toward the lodge.
They walked by an ice machine.
James stopped. “I want to fill up my water bottle.”
A couple was in front of him filling their bottles. “We’ll miss having ice around in a few days,” the man said to the woman.
When the man finished, James stepped up and filled his bottle.
James and his family continued on to the Grand Canyon Lodge. It was a historic building with a sloped roof, massive rock walls, and flat stones on the porches. They entered through heavy doors into a carpeted lobby with giant wooden beams on the ceiling.
“Wow! This is quite a place,” Mom said.
Stairs led to a room with a huge rock fireplace, some chairs and couches, and large windows that overlooked the canyon.
They hurried down the stairs. Morgan accidentally bumped into a large metal statue of a burro. “What’s that doing here?” she thought, catching up to her family.
HOTEL IN THE WILDERNESS
Grand Canyon Lodge first opened in June 1928 as a “hotel in the wilderness.” The lodge is at the end of the road, and this large log structure dominates visitors’ view before they see the canyon. In the lodge’s early years, a welcome crew of concession employees greeted visitors by singing. Nightly variety shows were also held there. In 1932, a fire destroyed the first lodge, but it was rebuilt a few years later. Grand Canyon Lodge’s gigantic windows face the canyon in the sunroom, where many visitors view the canyon for the first time.
Grand Canyon Lodge has a rustic feel. The park wants to keep it that way. One way they do that is to keep modern technology away. There is no television and limited cell phone service from the North Rim.
“Let’s go this way,” Mom said. The family scooted out a side door to a large patio.
People were everywhere outside. Some had cameras. Others had binoculars.
“Down here!” Morgan called out. She guided her family to steps leading to an overlook crowded with people.
The family got their first look at the Grand Canyon. They stood quiet and still for a moment gazing at the view.
“It’s huge,” James exclaimed.
“It’s one of the world’s largest canyons,” Dad said.
“And you can’t even see all of it,” Mom added.
A few of the canyon’s pinnacles and mesas were bathed in fading light. The rest of the canyon was buried in shadows.
“Wait until you see more of the canyon tomorrow,” Mom said. “You will be awestruck.”
“Wait until we actually cross it,” Dad added. “Then you’ll see how big it really is.”
The sun dipped below the horizon.
The family stood silently and watched, along with the other visitors from all over the world.
As the sun dropped farther, the colors of the sky slowly faded to black.
“I guess we missed it,” James said.
“Well, it’s not like it will be our only sunset,” Mom said. “We’ll be here a whole week.”
Bundled-up visitors climbed back up the stairs and headed toward the lodge.
“I’m glad we got to see the sunset last night,” a man said to a woman beside him.
“What did it look like?” Morgan asked.
“It’s really hard to describe,” the man said. “But it is incredible.”
“You’ll just have to see one,” the woman said.
“Hey! Didn’t we just see you at the ice machine?” James asked.
“Yes, that was us,” the woman answered. “We arrived here yesterday, all the way from Minnesota.”
“It was a long drive,” the man continued, “but, so far, it’s been worth every minute.”
“He says that now!” the woman said. “I wonder how we’ll both feel after we cross the canyon.”
“We’re crossing the canyon too,” Morgan said. “Maybe we’ll see you on the trail.”
“That would be great,” the woman said. “I’m Joanna, and this is my husband, Steve.”
“This is my mother, Kristen, and my father, Robert,” Morgan said.
“It’s good to meet both of you,” Dad said. “I hope our paths cross again.”
Joanna and Steve walked back up to the lodge.
Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad stood a moment longer. At night the canyon was like a giant, mysterious black hole.
“We get to hike out there in two days,” James said.
“Except for me,” Mom said. “Remember, I’m staying here.”
“You sure you don’t want to go?” Dad asked.
“Of course I want to go,” Mom said. “But I’ve already signed up for that painting class. That’s something I’ve always wanted to do. Besides, you need someone to pick you up at the end of the trail.”
“Sometime between four and eight o’clock on Friday, right?” James asked.
“I’ll be there,” Mom said. “Just make sure you are.”
“We will be,” Morgan said. She flicked on her flashlight.
The family followed Morgan up the steps. They walked through the lodge and out to the parking lot. Then they drove to the campground a mile away.
3
Morgan, James, Mom, and Dad stood at Point Imperial. It was early the next morning.
“Well, if we missed the sunset, at least we got to see the sunrise!” Morgan exclaimed. She snapped some photos of the canyon.
“It’s all desert out there, and full of trees up here,” James said. “I wonder why.”
IT’S NOT A DESERT
The highest elevations at the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park rise to more than 9,000 feet. The weather is much cooler and wetter in these areas than in the rest of the Grand Canyon. The spruce and fir trees are similar to those found in northern Canada. Deer, mountain lions, coyotes, wild turkeys, and many types of birds also live in these thickly forested areas.