View of the Grand Canyon from the South Rim at Mohave Point looking west in the late afternoon. The Colorado River can be seen in the background.
Grand Canyon South Rim
From Petrified Forest I headed up into the mountains to visit the Grand Canyon National Park in Northern Arizona. It was the first time that I had seen the Grand Canyon since our family vacation over 20 years ago. I was a young child at the time, so I didn’t remember much of the visit (other than my mother freaking out about the kids going too close to the edge).
Walking along the rim trail near Mohave point, west of the visitor center.
I had decided in advance to camp in the park, and made reservations. This meant that I wasn’t too worried about the time I got into the park since my spot was guaranteed.
By the time I got into the park it was a few hours before sunset. I had enough time to set up my campsite before heading out to the rim. In order to cut down on traffic within the park, they have a bus system set-up to get people around the main area of the park. I took one of the buses down along the rim west of the main complex so that I could hike part of the rim before sunset. Each lookout point along the route was amazing, but different.
Grand Canyon South Rim at Powell Point looking East (right before sunset).
As sunset approached I settled down to watch the colors change across the land and sky. While capturing the sun itself was an exercise in futility, I was able to get some great pictures of how the sun cast some amazing shadows that varied over time.
Grand Canyon South Rim at Powell Point looking East (right after sunset).
Another entertaining thing was watching all of the people who were there visiting the park. Some people were trying to take lots of twee photos with the sunset, while others even brought easels and settled down to sketch or paint the sunset.
Of course, one of the interesting features of visiting famous landmarks is the fact that visitors come from all over the world. It is always fascinating trying to identify the languages being spoken as you walk the trails.
Mather Point Overlook
The following morning, I headed over to the main overlook at Mather Point, near the Grand Canyon Visitor Center. Because this is the default first stop for most visitors, the overlook was pretty crowded. But it was a gorgeous view, especially as the overlook gave a nearly 270 degree view of the canyon.
View from Grandview Point along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
After stopping at the visitor center, I decided to spend the morning slowly driving along the road that follows the south rim of the park. Every few miles I would stop at an overlook to see the latest view of the canyon. It was interesting to notice the contrast between the tree lines at each viewpoint, depending on the exact shape of the slope.
Heading North
Navajo Bridge across the Colorado River near the Vermillion Cliffs.
As I left the park, I headed east and north, to get around the canyon and head towards Utah. Once I got around the wide parts of the canyon, I headed down the slope to a point where I could actually cross the Colorado river.
The closest crossing to the south rim was passing through the Vermillion Cliffs National Monument and driving across the Navajo Bridge. It was a beautiful sight, with lots of rocks and boulders around the road.
Looking north from the Kaibab forest towards Utah.
From there I drove up the quite steep slope towards the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, entering the Kaibab forest. I was surprised how chilly it really was up at these high altitudes, unlike the warmer temperatures I had just experienced. I decided that I didn’t need to see the North Rim, so instead I headed north out of the forest towards Utah.
At the Kaibab forest overlook.
My next destination was Zion National Park, a couple of hours north into Utah. One of the odd things about spending one night in Arizona, then heading up into Utah, was the time difference. Since Arizona is on Mountain time but doesn’t observe daylight savings time, it is in sync with California in the Summer and with Utah in the Winter.
By the time I got into the park, it was close to sunset. I had been unable to reserve a campsite and the first come, first serve sites were completely full. So I ended up driving down to a hotel for the night. I would head back into the park the next morning.
Dreams from the Radio Cosmos 