Vroom…vroom! Glancing up I took in a familiar sight and sound. If the roar of an engine wasn’t a dead giveaway, the picture before me told me everything I needed to know…we were about to take off on a motorcycle adventure.

There’s nothing quite like being on the back of a motorcycle. Feeling the wind and sun kiss your skin and the purr of an engine beneath you, you feel a sense of freedom and reckless abandonment. This motorcycle venture was no exception, and I could barely contain my excitement during the hour long journey to our destination. Where were we headed? A Navajo Indian Reservation, home of Arizona’s 5th largest waterfall, also known as Grand Falls.

Grand Falls is dry a majority of the year. Taller than Niagara Falls, these muddy falls flow during the months of March and April and during a short window, monsoon season, in July and August. Knowing we had been gifted rainfall that week, but our chances of seeing the waterfall flow were slim, we took off in hopes of seeing the chocolate waterfall.

The drive to Grand Falls was beautiful. The sun was shining, clouds filled the sky, and the scenery gradually shifted from forrest to desert. Not only was there a change in terrain but also in temperature. We quickly went from a breezy 82 degrees to a temperature over 100, and by the end of the trip, Joe and I were sporting matching sunburns from the intense rays.

Though the bulk of the ride was smooth and cool, as soon as we entered the reservation, the washboard road jilted our internal organs and solidified our decision to take Joe’s dual sport motorcycle with off road tires, the trusty KLR.

Finally, we arrived at our destination, and much to my chagrin, the Grand Falls were little more than a Grand Trickle. Despite, the lack of water flow, the Grand Falls was still a site to behold! Nestled in a volcanic field, evidence of the lava flow could still be seen in the charred, black rock and sand that pressed against the red cliffside of the Grand Falls.

Though we didn’t quite hike all the way to the bottom, Joe and I waded through the dark silt and marveled at the surrounding landscape. It felt like we were on a distant planet from Star Wars! I am continuously amazed by the diverse topography our country offers.

Overall, we immensely enjoyed our adventure to Grand Falls, Arizona. After all, it’s not every day a person can boast of riding a motorcycle through a Navajo Indian Reservation!