Grandeur of the Grand Canyon!

From the Cottonwood/Sedona area, we drove up to Flagstaff, AZ.  It is a short 90 miles to one of the world's most scenic locations:  The Grand Canyon.

I think this may have been my fifth or sixth visit.  Last one with our young 5 and 6 year olds in 1988. We camped at Mather campground in our first RV - our 1978 Volkswagon Westfalia.

This time we only got to spend the day there.

We left Flagstaff about 7:10 A.M. and were there by about 8:30 A.M.  We were expecting some rain but early on it looked bright and sunny.  When we arrived we went over to the Grand Canyon Visitor Center and got a map and the lowdown on the free shuttles.

We used to drive over to the scenic overlooks but now they are accessible by Shuttle Bus only.  But they have the system down.  It is about as easy as it gets.  Very organized and only a little bit of waiting.

Then the a short walk over to the rim to Maricopa Point and a view of Mather Point and Bright Angel trail down to the canyon floor.

This is where it initially became a little overwhelming.  The senses have a hard time comprehending it.  

I am seeing it but not quite sure how to process and absorb it all.

After a while we walked some more along the Rim Trail to Powell Point and Hopi Point.

And we went to Mohave Point, past The Abyss and took in the views at Pima Point.

After a couple of hours we finished up the Hermit's Rest Stop Route, changed buses to get back to the Grand Canyon Visitors parking lot, when it started raining.  We made it back just in time, had a picnic lunch and then went over to Verkamp's Visitor Center and took in some more views.

We also swung through the gift shop, found a some items we couldn't live without and then called it a day.

We made the 82 mile drive back to our Camp Tuthill Campground just outside of Flagstaff and were tired!  Chalk up another day in one of America's premier National Parks.

Thanks for joining us - until next time....