grand canyon

February 8th, 2014

Clear and cool (57 degrees)

Lat/Lon 36.05N 112.14W

We left Quartzite, AZ on the 5th of February headed for the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.  

Our intent was to drive the White Whale up to stay near the canyon.

 Upon arrival in Flagstaff, we bumped heads with a winter snow storm.  

Needless to say, the Whale does not like snow, so we hunkered down in Flagstaff for a couple of days.  Once the weather cleared, we decided to cut our losses and (rather than take the Whale to the canyon to spend a few days),  just make a day trip up to the Canyon in the pickup. 

And it was beautiful!  Clear, sunny and relatively warm.  

Visibility was excellent and I was amazed at the shear SIZE of the Canyon.

We took a ton of photos, but I will try not to bore with repetitive photos.  

I'll try to use the ones that look a little different. 

There is just no camera large enough to capture the enormity of this place.  

Mother Nature is a talented landscaper!

This raven was very curious about us, and followed us as we walked along the south rim for about a mile.  

Down at the bottom of the photo is the Bright Angel Trail which goes from the top of south rim, to the bottom of the canyon and to the river.  Across the canyon is Bright Angel Canyon.

Charley checks out some of the earliest 'cabins' at the canyon.

With many, many layers of paint, and constant up-keep, they are still in use today.

One of the many museums.

Every turn is a different view, and every hour, the movement of the sun changes colors with highlights and shadows.

I thought with the cold and the snow we might be lucky to spend and hour or so at the Canyon, but we spent well over 4 hours, and walked our legs off.  I had forgotten to eat all day, so about 3:30, when the sun started to set, my energy hit a brick wall, and it was time to head home.

On the drive home, we passed the highest peak in Arizona.  

Humphrey's Peak at 12,637 ft.

After seeing so much desert, I was surprised to see how much this northern area looks like parts of Idaho.

It was an amazing day of breathtaking vistas.

But I confess, I was ready to get the Whale headed south again,…. 

back to sunny 70 degree weather again!