With one of the cultural relics of the area better understood, it was time to better understand the geological one, the Grand Canyon. Our first problem: we didn’t have a place to camp.
We knew of some wild camping spots outside the park, but figured that we’d try our luck at the campground, since it was still early enough in the season. Luck was on our side, as several group campsites were not reserved and the ranger let us share one with other campers who didn’t have reservations. Camping outside the park wouldn’t have been a big problem, but staying inside the park made sunsets much easier to manage.
At the campground, however, I wasn’t prepared for so many deer.
They’re all over the place and not bothered in the least by humans. When you have a photographer with a sense of humor as your wife, that means that things like this happen.
I was getting water, if you’re curious.
The Canyon
We woke up the next morning ready to spend the whole day checking out the canyon and that’s precisely what we did. I was extremely impressed by the way the park has been established. You can drive in some places, but the frequent buses are a much better way to get around. Just park somewhere in the morning and bus it the rest of the day.
When you do get off the bus, pretty much anywhere takes you to a nice view of the canyon. A weird thing about it is that it just kind of appears. I expected more build up or hints of the thing appearing, but as it’s a huge rift in the ground, it’s not like there’s anything to see in the distance as you walk up. Instead, you’re walking through trees and then you see this.
I hadn’t been to the Grand Canyon for 15 years or so, but I don’t remember all the wealth of information the park provides. As you walk around the rim, there’s a interpretive section that discusses the geology, with examples of the kinds of rocks you can see and where to find them. It really helped me appreciate and understand the strata.
Desert View Watchtower
We had spent an entire day taking in the vastness, but if you’re at the Grand Canyon, you’ve got to see a sunset or sunrise, right? We drove to the Easternmost point of the Southern Rim drive to see more canyon and take in the sunset. It was just awesome.
Ahh, what a phenomenal place. The Grand Canyon isn’t a place that you can visit too many times. I’m sure that we’ll be back.
