The GRAND Canyon - Part One

When our wonderful friends, Ed and Marilyn asked us if we would like to go to the Grand Canyon with them, we jumped at the chance.

You see, they have been here 18 times before, so we knew it would be an awesome trip with all their experience.

These early birds picked us up at 5am on Tuesday, and away we went.

It seemed to take forever to get out of the Phoenix area, but we were all chatting away, and soon enough we were in some pretty country near Flagstaff.

As we rose in elevation, we noticed more and more snow.

We stopped at Cracker Barrel in Flagstaff, and had a delicious breakfast, near the roaring fireplace.

We were anxious to get going, so with full tummies, we hit the road again, in the cool morning air.

We did not drive too much longer, and as Ed parked the car our excitement was growing to walk over to our first view ever of the Grand Canyon.

Now, I am not foolish enough to believe that my description in words will even come close to adequately convey one's feelings, nor will photos depict the grandeur of this natural attraction but I will do my best.

With pounding hearts and held breath, we approached the lookout, and peered over the edge.

How do you put this view into words ??   We tried a couple of adjectives, like stunning, spectacular, captivating, overwhelming, and even Spiritual, but again, there are no words that do it justice.

We felt like we were trying to take a drink from a gushing fire hydrant, as we were unable to take it all in.

There is a very nice paved trail, that parallels the rim, and we walked that from one viewpoint to another.

Our buddies provided us with valuable information, gleaned from their many trips to this unique landscape.

They told us of the many hikes they have taken down into the canyon, which planted the desire in our hearts to come back some day, and attempt to hike ourselves.

We took a tour of the Village, had lunch at the Bright Angel Lodge, and checked into our rooms at the Makwa Lodge.

After a filling pizza for supper, we headed to our rooms to relax and stretch out a bit.

Teresa and I watched a little TV, but it wasn't long before we were yawning ourselves inside out, and knowing that the next day would be a full one, we turned out the lights pretty early.