Grand Canyon

So today we went to the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

Let me say two things about the Grand Canyon. First of all, I loved the extreme natural drama of the area and really appreciated the general awesomeness of the landscape. Secondly, the Grand Canyon National Park is a masterful tourist trap.


We were awed by the amazing vistas, but it was tiring to be constantly herded towards cheesy gift shops and overpriced food. In some areas the crowds of witless tourists were almost overwhelming, but fortunately all it took was a short hike up the easy trails to get away from the thick crowds. Like the Hoover Dam, we were astounded that a weekday in February would draw so many people, and we were thankful that we were not visiting in the midst of the summer.

Here are a bunch of pictures:







On our way to the park we stopped in for fuel at a local trading post. The friendly proprietor was quite a character and we ended up staying in his shop for about a half hour talking with him. He was an old ex-marine with oxygen equipment behind the counter, and whenever he got excited about something he was talking about, he got louder and more animated, and then had to put his oxygen tubes on. He had been everywhere and done everything, and had lots of suggestions for where we should go over the next few days of our trip.

One thing he recommended was the Grand Canyon Caverns, something we had been planning on seeing anyway. I was glad for the endorsement though!

So we are hoping to visit the caverns tomorrow, and after that, who knows.

I was glad we saw the Grand Canyon - it's amazing place. However, I was EXHAUSTED at the end of the day!

Time to veg out.