Day 131: Grand Canyon Caverns Campground, Peach Springs, AZ
Sunny and cool.
We decided this morning to go to the Grand Canyon. It wasn’t too far – maybe 60 miles. We took off early and drove the rest of Route 66 to Seligman, Arizona, another crazy-for-Route-66 town, and quite fun, then caught the regular highways to the park.
We had a lovely day both at the Visitor Center and on a two-mile hike along the canyon rim to the Bright Angel complex. There we had wings and sweet potatoes at the lodge and returned to the Visitor Center. It was a sunny, cool day, where walking in jeans and long sleeves was just right. We took a few last looks at the canyon, now lit by late afternoon sun, and left. We saw lots of elk along the road out of the park, as well as mule deer and bighorn sheep in the park.
The ranger at the Visitor Center figured we could camp in the National Forest around the park, and our RV hose system should be able to handle nighttime temperatures in the high 20s without freezing. So we found a nice road off the beaten path, checked the signage at the road, and determined it was OK to camp there. We had dinner and were listening to our book when Tom put the thermometer outside. It was 29° at 8:00 pm. Soon it was 27°. Not knowing how much cold the water hoses could withstand, we debated if we should leave. At this point we would have to drive a long way to find warmer temperatures.
Tom has this reflectix material that we were using in the windows when it gets cold. We decided to cut and tape it to fit under Arvi between the axles and the sides. Soon the temperature under the van, near one of the hoses, was 37°. We will stay the night, but I made sure everything is put away in case Tom can’t sleep and wants to depart in a hurry. Everything is ready to go, except the reflectix material outside, that is.
Morning update: At 7:00 the temperature under the RV is 31°. We made it through the night without the water hoses breaking.
Arvitrekking 
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