Francis Line Filmmaker

XXXIVJottings at Phantom Ranch Phantom Ranch cabins have perhaps the earliest check out time of any place in America — 8 a.m. In many hotels and motels the guests aren’t even up by then.*    *    *On our 50th anniversary visit to Phantom, hikers and the mule parties ate dinner and breakfasts together — with nearly […]

XXXIIIDispelling a Myth, on Our 55th 1983“Your 55th wedding anniversary? You shouldn’t attempt hiking down that Canyon. You’ll fall and break some bones. Especially if you go down the Kaibab Trail. It’s too steep.” That, in essence, was the nature of the comments which we heard from several persons — including a physician — when […]

“When we get to the Grand Canyon you children are not to touch a thing.” InterludeTHE FAMILY CIRCUS Visits Grand CanyonWriters with words, artists with paint, photographers with film — they all attempt to portray Grand Canyon. But there are also the cartoonists. With pen in hand and tongue in cheek, they draw it. Arizona […]

XXXII“Imagine . . . Imagine . . . Imagine” One of the greatest compliments ever bestowed on the Grand Canyon, in our opinion, came from an Englishman, J. B. Priestley, who wrote: “I have heard rumors of visitors who were disappointed. The same people will be disappointed at the Day of Judgment. In fact, the […]

XXXI“The Great Unknown” We have endeavored to explore Grand Canyon, not alone physically, but intellectually, aesthetically, and spiritually as well. Searching out, in our reading, rare descriptive or otherwise revealing passages about the Canyon has made us the recipients of rich treasure. What exclamation leaped from the lips of the first Spanish explorer who looked […]

XXXThe Cemetery Is a History Bookl The 1980sSome Grand Canyon visitors find that their greatest exhilaration comes at Grandview Point. Others go into the Canyon’s hidden depths for solace and satisfaction. Among those who love the Canyon best, Point Sublime is often the chosen spot for seeking uplift. All of these places electrify the spirit. […]

XXIXColor It Gold, Again! 1978Our second hike to the Grand Canyon village of the Havasupais, on May 1 of 1977, really started something. We take a trip, somewhere in the world, on every wedding anniversary. May 1, 1977, was our 49th anniversary. Although we had been down to Supai before — probably because we had […]

XXVIIINotebook Journey on Rim and Trail Think tanks are the mode these days — places set aside where cogitators can prop their feet up on desks and let their minds float free, perhaps to snag some new scientific or psychological truth. This Grand Canyon is the big brother of all think tanks. Whether feet are […]

XXVIIMiracle Falls and Other Surprises Legends are not to be scorned. That Indian man and his maiden who were turned to stone for attempting to leave Supai were not the only ones who have tried to escape this village — to their sorrow. The men — especially — leave frequently and often crash into disillusionment […]

XXVIThe Legend of Havasu Canyon Where the waters of Havasu Creek originate is not known for certain. But, even before continuing the mile-and-a-half downstream to Supai Village, we took steps to solve for ourselves, at least partially, the mystery of its origins. Heading upstream, we soon came to a beautiful pool, under the shade of […]