With the Grand Canyon I didn’t know what to expect. I pulled in to the Grand Canyon Trailer Village the night before (read the post here) and had yet to see the canyon. . Until you actually stand on the edge of the rim and gaze over the edge into the abyss, I could not appreciate the marvel of it. To think in my lifetime less than an inch, yes one minuscule inch, will be carved by the Colorado River adding to the thousands of feet it carved over millions of years. It really puts into perspective just how short in the our lives are in comparison to that of mother nature.
The breath taking part of the canyon is the shear enormity of it and the fact you can walk right up to the edge and look straight down, one wrong slip and the next ground you touch will be 5000 feet away.
The birds ride the thermals right on the edge of the canyon, I saw a bald eagle fly by and they had some of the condors soaring as well.
For lunch I headed over to the El Tovar Restaurant and Hotel you can see a full post about it here.
In the late afternoon I went on the Hermits Rest Tour which in the winter also includes a sunset view. We cruised along the rim, stopping at various lookouts, Maricopa , Powell and Hopi Point. I think this one is from Powell Point.
As we drove along, something caught everyone’s eye:
It amazes me what a some wildlife can do, I wonder if those Elk just sit out there and play games seeing who can get the most people to jump out of their seats on the bus.
We drove out to the end and there on Hermits Rest awaited some tasty hot cocoa. With temperature dropping and expected to hit a low of 17 degrees Fahrenheit that night, the warm drink hit the spot. Plus I found a cool shirt in the shop and all official purchases help support the canyon preservation fund.
With that purchase I managed to get back to the bus just in time to see it drive away, luckily there was another tour guide doing the same tour and I caught a ride with him to go see the sunset at Hopi point.
After the sunset tour I went back to the El Tovar Hotel for a beer and ended up meeting Knut, we got to talking and it ends up he was from Carlsbad, used to work for Invitrogen and branched out on his own doing some DNA/genetic research business and projects. He invited me to dinner with his wonderful family and we had a great time. I hope to make it by his lab when back in San Diego to see just exactly what he does in the genetics world, but from what I heard and the fun guy that he is, it will be an interesting time.
I headed back for an early night, since I had decided I would rise before dawn to catch the sunrise. At three pm the day before it sounded like a great idea, but at 6am the next morning it’s another story, but I made it and glad I did, it was beautiful.
