Day Ten (Still): The Grand Canyon!

Wow!

Tim and I just left the Grand Canyon and honestly that is all I keep thinking! Just, WOW! So, let me try to put this spectacular experience into more words than "wow"...

To quote Tim, "today was a great day". It really was. First off, we drove through a National Forest, which was extremely beautiful. We actually got to see most of it 2 times because Tim forgot to get gas before we left Flagstaff, and didn't realize until we had gotten about 15 miles from the last gas station. We were really low, so he didn't want to keep driving and risk not coming to a station before we ran out. It worked out really well though, because we didn't get any pictures the first time, so the second time we made sure we had the camera out and ready! It was totally worth it, if not for the assurance that we had enough gas, for the documentation of the surrounding beauty.

But the forest was just the tip of the iceberg... or should I say Canyon. We got to the park ready to hop on the back of a horse or mule, and enjoy a guided tour though the maze of colorful stone that is the Grand Canyon. Sadly, we were disappointed to find that they were completely booked for those tours, and really you are supposed to book those things MONTHS in advance! We were quite bummed. Luckily there was a place called Apache Stables that had open spaces for a one hour tour of the nearby forest. It didn't take us into or even within view of the Canyon, but we felt that it was a decent consolation prize. Anyway, once we got our first look at the Canyon on foot, nothing could have been better in our minds. We were able to follow a paved road that curved along one of the Canyon walls, giving us a spectacular birds-eye view of the vast chasms below. We could see the Colorado River, and were astounded by the layers of red, brown, and gray carved out by it's waters. We were feeling adventurous, so we decided to take some small dirt trails out to some of the more narrow cliffs along the edge, which we were sure would give us a better vantage point. We were right! Not only was the act of daringly venturing out into the Canyon a stimulating and exciting experience, but the views out there really were worth the effort and the risk (don't worry Mom, we were careful). Unfortunately, we had to leave all too soon so that we could make it to our horseback riding, which we had reserved for 3 pm. That's a whole other paragraph!

I have been wanting to go horseback riding since we crossed the Texas state line. Actually, maybe "wanting" is too weak a word... really it's more like I've been dying to go horseback riding to the point that I have been bothering Tim with my never-ending rambling about it for the past 3 days or so. Even if it wasn't in or near the Canyon, I was just happy to be getting on a horse again after... I guess it's been at least 5 years or so. Tim has never really been on a horse for any extended period of time, so this was kind of a first for him. He was a little nervous at first because he didn't know what to expect, but once he got on he fell right in love with it! We enjoyed an hour long ride among some incredible scenery that could have come right out of an old time country film. In fact, Tim's horse actually was in a movie such as that! His name was Mobster and he had a small role in the movie "Open Range" along costars such as Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall. My horses name was Calvin and he wasn't famous, but he was quite a character none-the-less. He liked to stop and try to sneak bites of foliage, even though I'm sure he knew darn well he wasn't supposed to. The guides told us not to let them stop and eat, so I had to keep reminding Calvin that no matter how delicious the bushes looked, he couldn't make snacks out of them. On the ride we got to see some mule deer, which are quite different from the white-tail variety we have back East. We also saw a squirrel as we were leaving the Stables, which was a lot bigger than what we are used to seeing in Maryland. He was even a slightly different color, with a brownish-gray that blended in quite well with the soil.

After a quick meal at Wendy's, we headed on back to the Canyon to view the Sunset in style. This is the part were everything just gets kinda, "Wow". Tim and I got a perfect seat perched on the edge of a smooth flat rock, right along the ledge! We had a clear view of the sun, and the Canyon surrounding it was just awe-inspiring. It was so breath-taking to watch the patterns of the shadows being cast onto the walls of the Canyon change as the sun sank lower in the sky. I swear between this trip and the one earlier today we must have taken over 400 pictures, and each one is different and special in it's own way. However, Tim and I agreed that none of these pictures can truly do this amazing sight justice. Trust me, if and when any of you get out to see the Canyon yourselves, you will know why they call it "Grand".

Tim is currently driving us towards the Hoover Dam, which we plan to see tomorrow morning before heading up to Las Vegas for the next two nights! In case any of you were wondering, we have driven a total of 3,051 miles so far, and counting. This whole trip has been so wonderful and exciting, and we aren't even half way done! Thank you all for being so supportive of us in taking this trip and all the help you have given us before-hand as well as along the way! We can't tell you enough how much we love and appreciate you all!

Pictures are coming soon for this post and the last one. Make sure you take a look at our Photobucket albums as well! And so I will say Good Night for now, or rather, Good Morning if you run on East Coast time.

Grand Canyon

Love from I-40, AZ!