Day 9 of our trip arrived and we headed north west out of Sedona.
Which pretty much looked like this….
For miles on end.
Our destination?
And I was seriously hoping we wouldn’t find the golden arches at the bottom.
It was a little over a 2 hour ride, and then we saw…
Hey, Fred. Long time no see…. say hello to Wilma for us.
And finally, we were there.
The Grand Canyon has always been on the top of husband’s bucket list. Me? Not so much, but he was happy… which made me happy.
And that’s what marriage is all about.
Well, yes.
That too.
Our first stop at the Canyon was the visitors center because…. well… a 2 hour ride and a quart and a half of Gatorade do not mix.
Naturally, it was closed due to the government shutdown and I had to pee behind a bush. (Not like it was the first time, and no… there aren’t any photos)
Let me take a minute to give a shout out to all the Park Rangers and volunteers who kept the Grand Canyon National Park open for tourists like us who had traveled a long way to be there. We appreciated it.
You rock!
So we walked… and yes, that’s snow.
We came, we saw, we froze.
Like idiots we picked the coldest day of our trip to visit, and it was a good 20 degrees cooler at the canyon due to the elevation.
Windy?
Uh, yeah…..
But we didn’t care.
We were at the Grand Canyon…
And it was grand.
Yes, it’s a giant hole in the ground….
But oh, what a glorious hole it is.
First stop was Mather’s Point..
Which was pretty spectacular.
And even though I never really thought I wanted to be there?
Once I was…
I didn’t want to be anywhere else.
I fear I’m going to run out of adjectives long before I run out of pictures.
Because it was just that good!
And though my photos and videos will never do it justice?
I’m going to flood you with them anyway…
It’s what I do.
So… bloggers?
Grand Canyon is coming.
At least you got to see the Grand Canyon Park undisturbed by busloads of camera-toting tourists. Just saying, peeing behind a bush is a small price to pay to not be annoyed by bunches of loud people.
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It was a perfect, albeit cold, time to visit. No buses, and from Nov to March you can drive in and out of all the areas at will.
😊
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This is definitely on my bucket list, too – I’m glad you took one for the team because this was a great teaser!
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Oh, the things I do for blog fodder….
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Rivergirl you take some pretty mean pictures, those are beautiful.
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Thanks.
It’s all about volume. I take 600, and post 12.
😉
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It is stunningly beautiful isn’t it? I loved it. We only got a couple hours there but it was a glorious couple hours and I am beyond glad I have those memories.
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It’s almost indescribable…
But I’m trying!
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yes you are.
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Looks great! So many great photos – my favourite was the one with Fred Flintstone! The other ones of the big hole were ok.
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Are you saying if you’ve seen one hole, you’ve seen them all?
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No, not at all – some holes are better than others. I’ll never get tired of looking at holes but it’s not every day you see Fred Flintstone! Yabba dabba do!
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I wanted to pull in and see if I could buy a baby mastodon vacuum cleaner, but the husband drove right by damn it.
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Ya put your right foot in, you take your right foot out, you put your right foot in and you shake it all about ~ Wabba Dabba Doo ~ now that’s what it’s all about! Mona
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We put Mathers point walking to the Grand canyon village. The trips was empty, we were dead lucky. Nice with the snow. Nice you got to avoid the buses and could drive everywhere.
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It was. We took our time and did what we wanted, when we wanted. If we ever go back, I’ll plan for that frame again.
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We went onto the north rim but it’s closed at that time of year – from there it’s a great drive up to Bryce (altitude!) Or Zion,much lower
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The canyon was as far north as we ventured as our resort was in Sedona. Maybe next time…
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I was looking for the Golden Arches, but didn’t see them in any of the photos. I guess there’s always the next two weeks worth of Grand Canyon posts to spot them….
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No Golden Arches at the canyon, but stay tuned… I can promise the only green ones later on.
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I’ve been the Grand Canyon twice . . . but I haven’t seen it yet. Here’s why:
On the first trip, at the tender age of 13, I had had enough family togetherness for one summer (2 adults, 4 kids, and a Great Dane sharing a Suburban and a pop-up camper . . . you do the math!) and refused to get out of the car:
Mom: You have to get out of the car. It’s the Grand Canyon.
Me (Surly Teen): I’m not getting out. I’ve seen Bryce Canyon. I’ve seen Zion Canyon. I’ve seen the Petrified Forest. I’ve seen the Badlands. I get it. The West is full of rocks. Big, bright, badass rocks.
Instead of peering over the rim at the vast expanse dug out by the Colorado River, I stayed in the car and read a book.
On the second trip, twenty years down the road, at the more mature age of 34, I bounced out of the car, delighted to have a second chance to see the Canyon’s splendor . . . for the first time.
No such luck.
Standing at the very edge of the rim, I could see nothing but . . . F~O~G.
I couldn’t even see my hand held out in front of my face:
Me: Excuse me, when do you suppose the fog will burn off?
Ranger: Beats me. I’ve never seen fog like this at this time of year. It’s like Mother Nature is running the F~O~G machine at full blast for her own or God’s amusement.
Me: No doubt.
Ranger: Excuse me, I’ve got to stop that kid from walking off the edge of the South Rim into the foggy abyss . . .
Me (staring into the dense fog): Very funny, guys! I get it. Sometimes once-in-a-lifetime opportunities only come around once in a lifetime.
I’ll just have to take it on faith that it is a grand canyon.
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It sounds like the canyon was getting back at you for being a sullen teenager the first time around! Canyons can be petty that way…
Be no worries. You can visit it vicariously through my endless posts and pictures!
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Not even a picture of the McDonald’s????? Sure like your followers to starve!
It is a beautiful place–looks just like I left it in 1972!
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To be honest, we didn’t see the McDonalds… which is a good thing. Calling their product food is stretching it…
😉
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Are you guys retired? I so want Greg and I to travel around the US (and internationally, of course) and have these awesome experiences (minus the elevation sickness, of course) like you guys. 💕💕
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I haven’t worked in years. The husband was planning on retiring this April but the closer it gets, the less sure he is. It’s a great job… good money, wonderful benefits, travel. He should retire…. but he’s not the fishing or porch rocking chair kind of guy and really does enjoy working. So we’ll see.
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I’m glad he has the time to travel even with work. Major pluses for that job then. I probably wouldn’t want to leave it behind so readily either. 😉
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I hate to admit it, but he gets 4 weeks off every year. Plus compensation time and sick leave.
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I must have looked at a bazillion photos of the Grand Canyon, but nothing quite prepares you for that first walk up to the rim. A photo just doesn’t do it justice …
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You’re right, they don’t.
But it certainly didn’t stop me from taking hundreds!
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That’s beautiful. Wow wow wow on the clouds. I think your photos are beautiful.
Nothing is ever as beautiful as when you’re in it. The most beautiful place I’ve ever been was a welcome center in West Virginia — Hand to God, most beautiful place ever. Purple mountains majesty and a field of yellow daffodils in the valley under a bright blue sky. Oof. I’ve seen a lot of pretty, but that one, that one was nearly religious in beauty. And the pictures are crap. Just sayin.
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As much as we travel, there are times when I wish I had taken a photography course and had better cameras. I do the best I can, sometimes I get lucky.
😊
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