The South Rim of the Grand Canyon, Part 2

 

Like a painting come to life

There were more noticeably more cars on the road going into Grand Canyon National Park on this first day of the three-day Fourth of July holiday weekend. But having seen the overlooks stretching between Mather Point and Hermits Rest the previous day, instead of going straight to the Visitor Center, we left most of these visitors by turning east and driving toward Desert View. Our first stop was the Tusayan Museum and Ruins. While the small museum was closed, we were able to walk around outside and examine the remains of a small ancestral Pueblo village that was built around 1185 CE:

In the distance loomed Humphreys Peak, standing at 12,633 feet (3851 meters):

Continuing our drive, we turned into the parking lot for the Desert View Watchtower, a 70-foot (21 meters)-high stone building completed in 1932. Like the aforementioned museum, the watchtower was not open to visitors, but that didn't prevent us from enjoying the magnificent views from the same location where we had caught the sunset yesterday evening:

From the watchtower, we headed back toward the visitor center, pulling into Navajo Point, Lipan Point, Moran Point, Grandview Point and several other unnamed overlooks along the way to further appreciate nature's handiwork:

Despite the obvious risks, several tourists still ventured out onto rock ledges for closer looks and photo ops. The Chinese-speaking woman below was turning in an Oscar-worthy performance on the difficulty she was having getting down from one boulder and climbing up onto another:

This man appeared to be livestreaming his view:

A resident raven who was none too pleased I didn't have any food to offer:

The first of what would be several elk sightings this Saturday:

Family photos taken at some of the various overlooks:

Due to an upsurge in COVID-19 cases in Coconino County, mask restrictions in the park were tightened starting today:

Lunch at the Yavapai Tavern. That Grand Canyon Prickly Pear Wheat went down so well that my daughter ended up having to drive us back to the hotel:

The Melted Elk:

After lunch we split up. Amber had decided that she couldn't leave the Grand Canyon without buying one of the raven plush toys she had seen at the Hermits Rest gift shop yesterday, so she and Shu-E rode the Red Route shuttle bus to get in that final bit of shopping. I elected to stay behind, first walking over to the Train Depot. The Grand Canyon Railway runs a daily service between the nearby town of Williams and the national park, and I arrived just as the train was getting ready to pull out of the station:

And then I walked the Rim Trail for one last opportunity to take in the grandeur of the Grand Canyon:

I made it back to the Visitor Center about ten minutes before the girls returned from their shopping trip. Amber was fortunate to get one of the two remaining raven plushies at the gift shop:

On the way back from my having eaten elk, we saw several alongside the road:

At this point I should wax eloquently on the beauty and majesty of one of America's most stunning natural features, but alas I lack the literary or poetic skills to do it justice. Suffice it to say, if you have never visited, the Grand Canyon should be included on your bucket list. And with that, tomorrow we bid farewell to Tusayan and plunge back into the southwestern desert. But not before...