They Don't Call it Grand for Nothing

Today was mostly a travel day (though we had a couple of memorable stops at the Hoover Dam and in Las Vegas - I'll let Marianne tell you about that). We've made it to California, and tomorrow we start our journey north up the Sierras.

But yesterday was a full day of exploring the Grand Canyon's south rim. It's just as spectacular as they say. We had a great campsite in the park, so it was easy to get everywhere we wanted to go (which did NOT include the canyon floor) by bicycle or park shuttle bus. We did several big sections of the rim trail, and hiked a little bit down into the canyon (where we saw a fun lizard we named Lenny). Many of the old buildings there are quite interesting, too (mostly the ones designed by the amazing Mary Colter).

It's hard to sum up the place. On the one hand, every view of the canyon is the same canyon with the same river at the bottom. On the other hand, every view is epic in scope and full of color and you can barely look away. It's something everybody should see at least once, and something I can't imagine ever tiring of.

Ok, here’s Marianne. I loved walking around the Hoover Dam, and I loved driving “The Strip” in Vegas. Both were sights to behold, but in vastly different ways. The Hoover Dam was a remarkable structure costing millions of dollars and hundreds of lives to build, while the hotels and casinos lining Las Vegas Drive pool billions of dollars and are still being built up. Both were spectacles, and I was glad to have seen both.

But an even more remarkable spectacle was the Grand Canyon! I’d never been there and had no idea what to expect. So a few takeaways: 1) It was way bigger than I’d imagined! 2) You can either see it by helicopter ride; by taking shuttle buses around the rim; by hiking the rim; or by taking days to hike or take a mule to the bottom and back. Our choice to bike, hike, and shuttle the rim suited us well. My highlights were going inside the Hermit’s Rest building, which used to provide early travelers with refreshment before their 8 mile hike down the canyon (remarkable stone and fresh baked cookies for purchase!) and the half mile trek we took down toward the Colorado River (where we met the lizard). 

I also hadn’t expected two built-up areas for shopping and lodging along the rim. Matt described it as “Disney World” and I wouldn’t go that far, but picture a library, galleries, grocery store and restaurants in the middle of a huge canyon. It was kind of strange, but also fun!

Lastly, the most striking thing to me about the Grand Canyon was the smell. It was so vibrant, with the aromas of pine and fresh dirt all around us. Our campsite was delightful: providing a new fragrance and wonderful display of stars.