A World Of Wonder - Grand Canyon & Walnut Canyon

From the moment we arrived in the Grand Canyon Forest Reserve we were enveloped in the splendor of one of the world's most beautiful wonders.

 We parked up at Mather Point. It is one of the South Rim's premier overlooks and then caught a shuttle to the start of our trail of choice South Kaibab Trailhead. We walked down as far as Ooh Aah Point before turning around and trudging back up. The walk captured an inspiring landscape as it wove its way down. 

South Rim - South Kaibab Trail

It kind of overwhelms all of your senses.(My grasp of Hollys hand was causing us both to sweat!) Sheer cliffs greeted anyone who slipped over the edge with no railing.

After our hiking effort we went into the Grand Canyon Visitor Centre and relaxed in the air con watching the park film Grand Canyon: A Journey of Wonder.
Its story tells of geologic processes played out over unimaginable time spans as a unique combination of size, colour, and dazzling erosional forms: 446 river kms long, up to 29km wide, and 1.6km deep. Its rugged landscape hosts a fascinating variety of plant and animal communities. From the desert next to the Colorado River deep in the canyon to montane forests atop its North Rim it is also home to five Native American tribes; Hopi, Navajo, Havasupai, Pauite and Hualapai.

Me and my dad, oh and the Grand Canyon!

Trail blazers, explorers and tour guides.

As we travel there is a fine balance of wanting to see as much as possible but also managing every ones needs. This is not always easy to juggle. We decided we would try to squeeze in a little more before returning to the comfort of our room and swimming pool.

We cruised along the rim passing various view points. We stopped at the Desert View Watchtower for a quick look. The tower 

Desert View Lookout

provides fantastic views of the Painted Desert. From the car we got an expansive perspective, it is hard to see anything but a harshly spectacular and ruggedly beautiful landscape. Man made structures are often hard to spot because they have such a minimal footprint on the canyon's grandeur.

Later we drove back to Flag Staff and detoured to the Walnut Canyon National Monument. This was really fascinating as the Sinagua tribe lived there between 1100 and 1250. We were warped back in time to see how this small Indian community/tribe lived.

We walked a trail and discovered the many cliff dwellings and the plants that grow precariously there. We cited the cacti plants we had been searching for. 

The visitor centre had lots of static displays which were really educational. Models of Indian living etc.

Another day of adventure, another day of sun, heat, hours in the car. All in need of a good nights sleep. Hope all is well in your patch of the world.