The Grand Canyon

Once we left Wupatki NP we wanted to drive straight to the Grand Canyon and settle for the next couple of days. We were looking forward to some downtime and couldn't wait to see the amazing Canyon that is known and loved worldwide.
As the navigator I found a route that leads to the side entrance of the Grand Canyon, yet the GPS kept rerouting us back South to Flagstaff.
I was honestly getting annoyed with the GPS, saying to Tony that she must be having a bad day. She wanted to send us down several dirt roads to make a U turn. That is definitely not happening towing a vehicle.
If you come from Wupatki , take a right onto 89 to Cameron, then left onto 64. That road is perfect for an oversized vehicle and leads straight to the east entrance. Called Desert View. You certainly don't have to drive all the way back to Flagstaff.
Once we were at the gate, we asked where the campgrounds are located and where we could dry camp in case the campgrounds are full. With a park map in hand, we aimed for the full hookup campground first. The place was booked with nightly rates of $ 50. Right beside it is another campground that does not supply any hook ups and basically charges you for boondocking. No vehicles over 30 feet are allowed. Well, we had no other option but to camp in the forest or in a parking lot.
Thankfully a camper service area was easy accessible, where we filled our freshwater to the brim and made sure the other tanks are drained.
We drove to the Grand View parking lot which has spots for RV's. We saw the sign "overnight parking for hikers" Great!
Super excited we bundled up, watched the sunset and later the night sky.
I was fast asleep when a loud knocking woke me up. Startled and disoriented I called Tony over to see who is at the door.
As he opened the door, the high beam of a flashlight blinded him. The park Ranger told us we were not allowed to sleep here. He told us where we can set up and waited for us to leave. The sign in the parking lot is very misleading, we were not the only ones that received a visit by the park Ranger. Cars started cranking up left and right.
At 11 pm we had to maneuver our way through Kaibab Forest, ( between mile makers 253 and 254) ,drove down a very dark and bumpy dirt road. About 2 miles into the woods we found an area big and level enough to park.
Exhausted we climbed back into bed.
The following day we checked out the visitor center, watched a movie about the Grand Canyon, had Landon complete his ranger assignment and checked out the park.
The expected overnight temperature was 18 degrees. We gathered plenty of firewood and built a camp fire before sunset.
The coach stayed warm overnight, but the propane was almost on empty. It certainly wouldn't have lasted another night.
Since we had to drive into town to fill up the propane tank, it was best to continue our travels. We stopped at several outlooks at the Grand Canyon, taking pictures and videos and slowly working our way towards the park exit. We had 2 memorable days at the Grand Canyon, but new destinations were awaiting us and it was time to continue on.