The Grand Canyon, Part I

My sister, Karen, promised me last year, after our trip to Yosemite, that she would take me to the Grand Canyon!  My, oh my, what a gorgeous trip we had.  Pictures actually do no justice to the beauty of this National Park.  We spent three days hiking and walking around the south rim.  We found a Best Western in the Village outside the park and rode shuttle buses to the Visitor's Center every day.

 These pictures were taken on the afternoon we arrived and as we wandered around the rim just to get an idea of where we would go tomorrow.

Karen, Dale, AnnMarie and Zeke hiked all the way down about 10 years ago and spent a night at Phantom Ranch, a trek of almost 13 miles!  People need to reserve the ranch a year in advance and Karen remembers waiting on the phone for two hours to secure their reservations.  

 The second day we decided to hike down and back up about 1 mile each way on the South Kaibab Trail.  Even the entrance to the trail caused me a little anxiety, but we made a plan to go slow, take some pictures and just enjoy the incredible views.  The shifting clouds made the colors change in the canyon, but for the most part we hiked in pure sunshine this day.

Ooh-Aah Point, our destination!  Well worth the trip down and climb back up!

Glorious photo depicting all the reasons we chose to spend time here!

 We enjoyed a lovely meal at this restaurant, exceptional service and a large screen that showed pictures of the history of the park!  I loved the daffodils at our hotel and wondered if any were blooming in Lewiston.