Photo Gallery: Off The Beaten Path at Grand Canyon National Park, Point Sublime

I sought out U.S. 90, a wide gash of a super-highway, multiple-lane carrier of the nation's goods . . . No roadside stands selling squash juice, no antique stores, no farm products or factory outlets. When we get these thruways across the whole country, as we will and must, it will be possible to drive from New York to California without seeing a single thing.

– John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley, on the burgeoning Interstate Highway system of the late 1950s and early 1960s

When Brooke and I passed through the North Rim of the Grand Canyon during our honeymoon, we found this Jeep trail of sorts that leads to Point Sublime. 19 miles of unimproved dirt track through the forest due west of the village and ends at the very edge of the Canyon with a view fit for the inspiration of artists.

Point Sublime at the Grand Canyon, and it ain't that easy to get to....
The Canyon dives off hundreds of feet straight down and opens up into a several-mile-wide mouth of limestone and sandstone with vertiginous, untouchable cliff walls in all directions.  It's like God swiped his finger one day - as he would with a stick in the sand - and simply came up with this staggering micro-dot on the planet and said, "Now that right there is good."

The National Park system issues backcountry passes to this point for those who wish to camp here, which it's uncommon to be able to drive to a backcountry destination in any of the National Parks. That makes the drive out to Point Sublime a unique and memorable privilege. We've been out to Point Sublime a number of times now.

On this particular trip last October, we endured 40-miles-per-hour winds and cold rain. In situations like this – you know, huge disappointment in the travel plans with no back-up ideas – toddlers give you something you didn't bargain for.  Namely a bright shining glimmer of joy in an otherwise grim situation. We adults thought the whole thing was a drag – this ideal, remote campsite with beyond-unpleasant weather.

It's like God swiped his finger one day and said, "Now that right there is good."Naturally, when we left, we were mildly grateful for the part of being out of that blowing, cold wind. But like vagabonds, we had no other place to go. We started that 19-mile trail out and soon found our road blocked by a fallen aspen tree some 40 or 50 feet long.

The trunk had fallen perfectly into a trio of close pines on the downhill side of the road.  We tried to winch the tree down the hill but only managed to jam it into the pines even worse than before. We had two choices at this stage:

1. Wait a few years for it to rot away, or
2. Chop the tree and move it by hand

So that's what we did.  The only tool that we had on hand for doing so was a Hi-Lift Handle All, but the boys took turns taking swipes at the tree.  And an hour and a half later, we'd cut the tree, moved it, and made our way back to civilization.

Now, did John Steinbeck know about these kinds of tribulations of back-road travel when he penned his words regarding the Interstate System?

Pictures of Driving to Point Sublime at Grand Canyon National Park: