Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon Saga

Every great saga begins with a long journey. Of course, one must build suspense to capture the audiences attention. I started my day early, expecting my team to arrive around nine. The reality of the situation is my mother has a handicap, and I'm not talking about golf, or her physical condition. I'm talking about my dad, her husband. Hours of scientific research has been dedicated trying to discovering why my dad can't seem to be ready on time, resulting in more hours of research. Having a complete grasp of the situation, I hurried over to Starbucks to get a little piece of heaven for those who were suck in traffic with my dad. The first picture portrays some of the driving joys of our trip (nothing like being stuck behind a big ass).

The second picture of smiley faces is my posse (from left to right, Muff, Mom, Dad, and me). I would say that eighty percent of the trip we were all smiles, but the other twenty was a combination of toleration and grumpiness. Mom and Dad were the only drivers because Enterprise didn't have a copy of my drivers license for insurance purposes. Mom loves to be in control, therefore loves to drive, but 14 hours later she had to give Dad the wheel. Dad hates to drive, so that became an unhappy moment for everyone listening to him bitch. There was only two other incidents that occurred, one the following morning. Dad was grumpy due to allergies which we all tolerated until we got him drugged up. The following morning we slept late to recover from the journey. We spent the day in leisure, enjoying the shade grown organic coffee at the Canyon Coffee House. Then we headed to the IMAX, which was great for my mom and grandma. It took them inside the Canyon, where they are unable to go themselves. The next pictures illustrate the beauty we enjoyed on a sunset tour as the sun sunk below the rim.













The next day we went on a tour that consisted of a small, intimate group. We were chauffeured to exclusive spots sheltered from the bulk of tourism. We enjoyed our guide's educated and entertaining dialog. His name was Andrew, and he is the one to the left in the group photo. We even got to see four rare California Condors soaring through the canyon. Andrew did a great job explaining the geological theories of how the canyon was formed, but it's really just a big hole chisel by water. We went to a couple of spots that thrived with tourist. The tower to the left I believe was made by the Native Americans. More importantly, I found a cute stuffed fox for my mom. The tour offered many great scenic pictures; it was hard to choose which pictures to include. We even enjoyed a picnic lunch that had a variety of food that satisfied each person's different tastes.





















The next day Dad and I set off on our trek into the depth of the canyon. We witnessed the sun creeping over the eastern edges until finally the rays beat us down with extremely oppressive heat. The morning started off cool with a harsh wind that almost knocked us down. We decided to go down the steepest way(Kiabab Trail), and come up gradually (Bright Angel Trail). We were making pretty good time going down, until we met with the dreaded donkeys. We were instructed to stop and let them pass, while they stink and stir up a dust storm. We had stopped to let them pass, but apparently the spot we picked wasn't good enough and they directed us to continue to another place. In my rush to get there I twisted my knee on the steep trail. The scene of the incident is to the left. The pictureof Dad in the distance is as close to him as I got injured or not. In reality, I just didn't want to get that close to him. He kicks dust up in my face (drags his feet too much), and he gets smelly when he sweats. If you look at my face closely in the picture we took together you can tell I am holding my breath. I love hiking with my dad though because it builds patience and tolerance. The pictures of the river proves that I made it to the bottom. I also took a picture from the bottom to the top to illustrate visually the 5000 feet elevation to the top.











Just like every hike with Dad, it always turns out better than I thought. The only draw back was that I hurt myself pretty bad and couldn't exercise for a month and a half. I even went to the doctor and got an MRI to figure out why it was taking so long to get better. I am so grateful I can walk without limping now. My leg feels irritated sometimes, but the doctor gave my some drugs to help. The canyon had many beauties to share, like the oasis by
the feeder stream below. I think the round trip was sixteen miles in seven hours (from 6 to 1). After that hike I needed a good dinner and a couple of beers.

I had set reservations at 5 the best restaurant, but Dad didn't think we'd be able to finish the hike and shower in time. We finished at one, please, did he forget I was there to keep him in check. We went to the El Tovar, and had great service and fabulous food. The establishment is pictured on the right with a group shot of us sharing drinks before the meal.


The last day before we started our long grueling trip home was Easter. We were lucky enough to spot an Easter Bunny as we pulled into the parking lot before dinner. Mom loves animals, so she was happy to finally get to see something other than ugly bald birds. She was even more pleases to see the elk herd that slowed our progress out of the park. I was the only one who had my camera handy. I rolled down my window and got my shot as they headed back into the trees.