March 28--The Grand Canyon

Ok, all my life I have wanted to visit the Grand Canyon.  Everyone who has been there says it's the most amazing sight they've ever seen.  There was discussion within our group about whether it was worth the 6 hour round trip all the way there just for a few hours at the Canyon, but I was determined.  Jeff, Den and Laurie had all seen it before.  I never had, and I insisted it was the one thing I really wanted to do.  So my whining, crying and begging on bended knee was rewarded with a united "OK" and after the usual breakfast we hit 89A, again going north.

After passing through Sedona (and saying goodbye) we started through Oak Creek Canyon.  We got a glimpse of it while having our picnic yesterday, but that was just the beginning.  The dry desert landscape of the Verde Valley and Sedona was replaced with a bubbling stream surrounded by the white trunks of Birch and Aspen and lots of pines.  High walls of multicolored rock rose on either side and the road snaked over and around the river.  Gradually, we started upward to the top of the Mogollon Rim where it seemed like we could touch heaven.  We stopped at a rest area and took in the view, and there were also a lot of Native American vendors selling all kinds of crafts.  Jeff and I looked, found and bargained and became the proud owners of some of those crafts.

Looking south from the top of the rim

Suzy, my Navajo vendor

We drove through the high desert plateau to flagstaff at 7000 ft.,  then took the turn to the Grand Canyon.  It definitely was a long drive.  It reminded me of the high plateau on the way to Reno, except it was longer and more boring.  Thank goodness Jeff had the stamina to get us there without a problem and we were soon entering the gates of the National Park.  The pass Jeff and I had bought in Glacier Park last summer came in handy and we had to pay $0 to get in!  We drove to parking lot B and headed for the canyon rim.

Words really can't describe how I felt at my first sight of the Grand Canyon.  I was literally breathless and tears came to my eyes.  What an amazing sight.  Pictures don't do it justice, but here are a few anyway.

We walked to the lookout point and further down the rim trail to see even more amazing views, but little did we know we were about to be smothered by a busload of Japanese tourists.  I hate to say anything negative about a whole race of people, but if there are any more pushy people than Japanese tourists, I haven't seen them.  They quickly filled every available viewpoint and every person had a camera all pointed at the canyon.  It was almost as amazing a sight as the canyon itself.  An 80 year old, 4'10" Japanese woman gave Jeff an elbow in the ribs that practically knocked him over the railing.  Jeff did apologize to the woman for having his ribs get into her space.  She did not seem to understand his sarcasm.

Attack of the Japanese tourists

Don't forget to take some pictures

A big smile for the big canyon

We decided to get out of that crowd before we were stomped to death, and go in search of food.  We found sandwiches and sodas at the Market down the road and enjoyed lunch in the sun while watching folks from all over the country and the world wander around.  Then it was off to find the road and overlook less traveled.  Thankfully we found several places to view the canyon that were less crowded and took our time taking it all in.

Laurie enjoys the view

Foot shot over the canyon

Jeff takes a shot

Taking in the view

The canyon had beauty, but also had some wildlife.  Everywhere we stopped we saw huge Ravens.

Jeff here - At the last overlook we stopped, Grandview, it was just that, a truly grand view.  I was blown away at the beauty and serenity before me until I was brought back to Earth by a 30 something guy who was walking out with a 14 inch diameter flat rock.  I approached him and asked what he was doing and he informed me that he was bringing his son a souvenir.  I posed the question to him that what would happen if all the tourists took home a rock that size for a souvenir?  His response and I kid you not, and this is verbatim, "Well then the Grand Canyon would be even bigger then it is."  Gee, how do you argue that kind of logic!  Tourists should be banned or at least folks like that should be hung from the nearest Pinyon tree.

We headed back down interstate 17 and lopped off close to an hour due to the 75 mph speed limit.  We got back before six and took our siesta but a little on the late side.  Dinner out in old town Cottonwood was excellent and a hour of veranda time checking out the stars and planets polished off another exceptional day.  I keep thinking how if I wrote the script for this vacation, it wouldn't have been nearly as nice as the reality we are living.

One of a herd of 15 Elk we saw

One last look at one of America's great natural wonders