Sunday April 23-Wednesday, April 26                                                                               Maswik Lodge and Mather Campground, South Rim

It was a beautiful drive out of Zion and through Utah to Arizona.  I tried to capture some of the landscape from the car.

We made a stop at this very interesting park.

Although this volcano last erupted around AD 1066, when you walk through the lava flow it seems to have happened much more recently.  It’s an eerie scene of lava rocks with some regeneration of vegetation.

We made a reservation at one of the lodges at Grand Canyon for our first night, because we didn’t know what time we’d arrive.  This park is like a small city; there are many choices of lodging, restaurants, stores, campgrounds, etc.  And lots of people; even at this time of year.

Our first glimpse of the canyon was Desert View, which is near the east entrance to the South Rim of the park.  The North Rim doesn’t open until later in the season, so we didn’t get to see that part.  Even though the skies were overcast and the colors muted, looking out over that incredible vastness is a jaw-dropping experience.

It was great to climb the tower and look out over the miles.

By serendipitous good fortune, we got to spend a little time with our good friends from Belfast, David and Linda Smith.  They arrived the same day.

We walked around the village for a bit, enjoyed a nice dinner, and got up early the next morning to explore and hike.  Linda, with family and friends, hiked ALL the way down into the canyon and back up on the SAME DAY.  This is an amazing accomplishment, as the hike is 16 miles and its more than a mile of change in elevation in both directions.  She’s my hero!

Andy and I hiked about a mile down and back on the Bright Angel trail.  Even that short distance was pretty strenuous.

We spent the next two nights in Mather Campground, which was fine; I forgot to get a picture, but we would definitely camp there again.  We had a chance to explore many shops and exhibits and do some hiking on the rim trail, which offers lots of amazing views.

Mike and Tricia rode mules down into the canyon years ago and talked a lot about what a great time they had, so we wanted to have the same experience. Unfortunately, rides down and back on the same day aren’t offered anymore, so we did the next best thing and took a ride around the rim.  It was a lot of fun.  My mule was named Tater Tot and Andy’s was Josephus.

I will post a few of the hundreds of pictures I took with a caveat: there is no way to photograph the over-whelming majesty of this place. I can’t describe with words or pictures the feelings I experienced walking, riding, and standing on the rim.  The best word I can bring to it is reverence. For the power of God’s creation, for the timeless, patient history of the natural world and our tiny, tiny, part in it. Just remembering makes me a little teary.  If you haven’t seen it, and there’s any way you can get there, go!!