Road Trip - Part 3: The Grand Canyon
Oh, the Grand Canyon. I'm a kind of at a loss for words trying to describe it, so, once again, I'll let the pictures do most of the talking.
After wandering around Mather Point for a while, we headed back towards the Visitor Center and boarded a shuttle bus that would take us along the Hermit's Rest Route to bigger and better views of the canyon. At the suggestion of a knowledgeable bus driver, we used the few hours we had to see the most popular (and most scenic) points of the trail. We walked from Maricopa Point to Mojave Point, via Powell Point and Hopi Point in the middle; I can't tell you much more about the pictures that follow, except that we saw those points in that order and that they were all equally breathtaking.
We saw only a small fraction of the Grand Canyon and could have easily spent another day and probably another week hiking the trails, but, considering we had only driven 4 hours that day, we needed to get back on the road and get a few more miles farther from Utah and closer to North Carolina. So, we boarded the shuttle bus again and headed back to the Visitors Center. There, we used the restrooms, chatted with a few chipmunks, and prepared ourselves and our car for a good, long drive through the Navajo Nation of Arizona.
The sunset got only more amazing as we drove out of the National Park. Unable to get a satisfactory view from the car, we stopped somewhere in the middle of the Navajo Nation to breathe it all in for a few more minutes before heading to Cortez, Colorado for the night.
Like at the Hoover Dam, I didn't learn much trivia while at the Grand Canyon, opting instead to just see it. So, at the end of the day, all I really know about this place is that it and its rushing rivers, shifting sands, and fiery atmosphere are truly something magnificent.
Up next: The Great Sand Dunes!
We arrived at Grand Canyon National Park sometime in the early afternoon, and got started right away by visiting the areas surrounding the Visitor's Center. The overlooks there are designed to be easily accessible for people from all walks of life and all levels of walking ability. They are, therefore, paved, railed, and pretty crowded. We walked them anyway, eager to get some initial exposure to the Canyon and in need of a way to burn some time until the next shuttle bus arrived. Once again, we were surprised to find that almost everyone we ran into during the day, especially at these first few overlooks, was something other than American. Why are there no Americans visiting our national wonders?
After wandering around Mather Point for a while, we headed back towards the Visitor Center and boarded a shuttle bus that would take us along the Hermit's Rest Route to bigger and better views of the canyon. At the suggestion of a knowledgeable bus driver, we used the few hours we had to see the most popular (and most scenic) points of the trail. We walked from Maricopa Point to Mojave Point, via Powell Point and Hopi Point in the middle; I can't tell you much more about the pictures that follow, except that we saw those points in that order and that they were all equally breathtaking.
We saw only a small fraction of the Grand Canyon and could have easily spent another day and probably another week hiking the trails, but, considering we had only driven 4 hours that day, we needed to get back on the road and get a few more miles farther from Utah and closer to North Carolina. So, we boarded the shuttle bus again and headed back to the Visitors Center. There, we used the restrooms, chatted with a few chipmunks, and prepared ourselves and our car for a good, long drive through the Navajo Nation of Arizona.
We left the park around 5pm, just in time to almost miss some of the day's best lighting on the canyon walls. Unwilling to let that happen, we pulled over at a scenic overlook for just a few more glimpses of the Grand Canyon in the setting sun.
The sunset got only more amazing as we drove out of the National Park. Unable to get a satisfactory view from the car, we stopped somewhere in the middle of the Navajo Nation to breathe it all in for a few more minutes before heading to Cortez, Colorado for the night.
Like at the Hoover Dam, I didn't learn much trivia while at the Grand Canyon, opting instead to just see it. So, at the end of the day, all I really know about this place is that it and its rushing rivers, shifting sands, and fiery atmosphere are truly something magnificent.
Up next: The Great Sand Dunes!
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