Grand Times

SIGHT SEEING: We're still playing catch up on our grand adventure last week.

Our travels to the American Southwest included a couple of visits to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

The amazing attraction lived up to its billing. 

My camera couldn't possibly do the destination justice.

The layers of the canyon walls and the stories they tell were so compelling. 

Below, CJ used one of the spotters along the trail to zero in on a point of interest.

I believe this photo, below, is from the Verkamp's Visitor Center. More on that place later. ...

Here are some of Annabelle's recollections regarding our Grand Canyon visit.

During our 2-day visit to Grand Canyon National Park, we visited the South edge of the canyon, from “Hermit’s Rest” to the visitor’s center. This spans approximately 9.1 miles of the canyon’s edge, possibly more due to winding trails and viewpoints. On our first visit, we took around 4½ hours, from 2 p.m. to sunset at 6:30. The trail was surprisingly packed with plants and vegetation; much more than promotional materials may lead you to believe. One of the most notable types of plant is the Blooming Agave plant, which can reach over 6 feet high. There’s also quite a bit of wildlife, including everything from lizards to ravens and the endangered condor.

The canyon itself is so much larger than I had expected. It’s extremely wide, reaching the horizon from most anywhere you stand. Rock formations jut out into the middle, with small steppes closer to the bottom. Rocks in the canyon are commonly layers of limestone and sandstone, with a few more clay-dense areas tinted a stunning red. The light rock, combined with most trails being in direct sunlight, makes the canyon especially hot during the warmer months. Thankfully, there are stations scattered on the trails where you can fill water bottles using purified water from the canyon spring itself. The heat is nothing compared to the view of all the crazy rocks and shapes you can find, including holes, cliffs, and an odd rock shaped like a duck.

On our second day, we visited the much more remote West end of the South rim, where there are multiple “points” with amazing views. These points are purposefully remote, allowing you to admire the canyon in absolute silence (except for the wind and other people, which is admittedly predictable). Among the most scenic is Hopi Point, right in the middle of the “Hermit Road” trail. This point was recommended by our tram driver, who repeatedly mentioned to more stubborn passengers that this was not a spot on the return trip. We stopped by nearly every point on this trail, before heading back to the village and saying goodbye to the canyon. In conclusion, while the sunset we saw was mediocre, everything else about the canyon was just as breathtaking as I had hoped.