The South Rim of the Grand Canyon, Part 1

 

*insert adjective plus exclamation point here*

It's a hoax. Do you expect me to believe that something 277 miles (446 kilometers) in length, up to 18 miles (29 kilometers) in width, and which plunges to a depth of over one mile (6093 feet/1857 meters) was the result of a puny channeling its way through over millions of years? Oh c'mon! It had to have been created by a divine being just over 6000 years ago, in one of those mysterious acts mere mortals aren't capable of understanding. Or it's a hoax perpetuated by the same liberal elite who want to take our away our guns and murder our unborn children with vaccines.

The truth is the Grand Canyon is unbelievably, indescribably huge. As a friend pointed out, it uses up every adjective you have. I had visited once before as a teenager, way back in the 1970's, on a family vacation. Today I returned, again on a family vacation, only this time taking over my father's role. We began this morning by taking a National Park Service shuttle from the Visitor Center to the Bright Angel Trailhead and the Trailview Overlook. From there we walked to Maricopa Point, Powell Point and Hopi Point. From the latter the walking distances between overlooks grew longer, so we used the hop on/hop off shuttle to take in the views at Mohave Point, the Abyss, Monument Creek Vista and Prima Point (where the sounds of the Colorado River could be heard far down below). Upon returning to the Visitor Center, we walked to Mather Point for one final attempt at taking it all in before returning to our hotel in the middle of the afternoon for a much-welcomed dip in the pool.

Of course I took a lot of photos, both with my Canon and with my phone. As it became impossible to remember at which overlook which pictures were taken, I've organized today's shots into three broad categories. The first grouping is of those photos taken of the Grand Canyon itself; the second is of family members; and the the last is a handful of pics shot later in the day (and in the evening). Enjoy!

1. The South Rim of the Grand Canyon

The free shuttle bus, showing up every 15-20 minutes at the designated stops. I was expecting huge crowds and long lines, but we only had to stand a couple of times. However, as tomorrow kicks off the Fourth of July holiday weekend, I expect the park will get much busier:

 

This squirrel has obviously been fed numerous times by visitors (despite the signs warning not to), and so knew what it took to score free handouts:

A pair of ravens, a common animal in the Grand Canyon. Also common are javelinas, a family of three which we saw from the shuttle this morning:

2. Fun for the whole family

Taking a rest by the monument to John Wesley Powell:

The wife utilized her selfie stick at every opportunity:

Feeling insignificant in the grand geological scheme of things:

Having lunch at Hermits Rest:

3. Later on

Souvenir shopping:

Right after dinner at a Mexican restaurant, we spotted a group of elk acting like they own the damn place as they nonchalantly crossed the main drag in town in search of food:

We made it out to Desert View in time to catch the sunset at 1949 hours:

It's Scottish, it's named after my daughter and it's an Arizona craft beer, and thus checks several boxes:

Tomorrow it's back to the South Rim...