SW US Trip with Marion C. and Sue Hope
Grand Canyon Arizona, Stop 8
Thursday-Friday, May May 21-22
We arrived at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon shortly after lunch. We had saved a day in Chinle and Flagstaff so we were a day early to the Grand Canyon. We went by the hotel in Tusayan (community closest to the south entrance) to be sure we could check in a day early since this was the Thursday before Memorial Day Weekend. After successfully changing our reservations, we went to the Visitors' Center and Bookstore. We walked on the Rim Trail briefly but it was extremely crowded so we drove around the rim and checked out some of the overlooks. The weather was horrible - overcast, foggy and raining as you can see from these images taken on the hike and/or drive.
Gave up on seeing the canyon since the rain and overcast dulled the colors of the rock walls. We went back to the hotel, checked in, had dinner and collapsed. Up the next morning and, after a great breakfast, decided to hike the rim trail. The weather was still overcast and threatening but we went for it anyway.
This is Bright Angel Lodge from the Rim Trail.
Below are some examples of the overcast sky and canyon views.
The structure below was interesting. If you look closely at the rock outcropping, you can see that outermost part is completely split away from bulk of the structure. You can see completely through the crack.
One of several photos of Marion Cone and Sue on the rim.
As we were walking back (beginning to rain lightly), Marion Cone spotted this coyote strolling through the narrow region between the rim trail and the road. He was moving and the light was low so this is the best of the generally miserable shots I managed to get.
There were a lot of wild flowers along the rim trail. Here are a few that I photographed.
The Rim Trail was replete with Rock Squirrels. They were almost tame, having become accustomed to humans - and probably fed by them. Every few yards, a Rock Squirrel or two would come begging. Here are a few I photographed.
After the rim hike, we had a mid afternoon lunch at the Bright Angel Lodge. Afterwards, we headed back to Tusayan to the hotel. We had earlier decided that the weather was so lousy that we'd leave the canyon early and had arranged to check out on the next morning and see if the conditions weren't better somewhere else.
Next morning, May 23, we checked out and, after breakfast, decided we'd drive along the rim towards Cameron and ultimately to Page to see the slot canyons. We stopped by the Tusayan ruins, the remains of a thousand year old Anasazi village. As we drove along the south east rim, we stopped at a number of overlooks. The weather was still overcast and gloomy, with many low clouds obscuring the view of the canyon. The photos below are representative of the many taken along the way.
Below, Dot enjoys a view of the canyon.
And, of course, here's the mandatory photo of the four of us at one of the overlooks.
If you look carefully at the image below, you can see a tower on the promentory. This is the Desert View Watch Tower, built in 1932 and designed to look like a prehistoric Indian watch tower.
The inside walls of the tower are decorated with Hopi Indian murals painted by Hopi artist Fred Kabotie, a few examples shown below.
While on the upper level of the tower, a raven was soaring past the window and I got a few shots. The best is shown below.
So, with this we left The Grand Canyon and headed for Page and the slot canyons - ultimately to St. George Utah . . . but that's another story.