On to the Grand Canyon

Day 1 – Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Our first stop after entering the park was the (very-crowded) visitors center.  Although there is a lot of parking there, the first two parking lots we tried were full and we were about to give up and go to our campsite when we saw a spot in the third lot.  We took a chance that it would still be there and it was.  With much maneuvering and the assistance of a very capable bystander, who could measure the distance between our van and the cars around it in inches, we were able to fit the van into a very tight spot.

At the visitors center we picked up some maps, spoke to a ranger about getting around the park, and saw a very good 22-minute introductory movie.  The movie was excellent, but the best part was the huge screen panoramic images of the canyon, something most of us cannot get with a camera.  Some of the things we learned:

• The Grand Canyon is 277 river miles long.
• The canyon varies in width from less than one mile to over 18 miles, but averages 10 miles across.
• Overall, the canyon averages one mile deep.
• All of the water for the Grand Canyon comes from Roaring Springs, more than 3,000 feet below the North Rim.  A 15-mile pipeline carries it to the South Rim.
• The Grand Canon was established as the 17^th U.S. national park by an act of Congress in 1919, signed by President Woodrow Wilson.

We walked from the visitors center to Mather Point, an overlook at the rim, and continued along the rim for a short walk.  What can one say about the most famous hole in the ground in the world? (I think we wrote this last year about the North Rim, which we loved.) The views at the South Rim of the canyon are even more stunning. 

So here we were, elevation 6,000+ feet (the average elevation of the South Rim is 6,800 feet) and looking down a mile.  The experience is humbling; standing beside this awesome beauty makes one feel so small.

Getting settled in our campsite, visiting the camp store, and having dinner rounded out the day.  We are in Mather Campground; it is huge but because vehicles over 30 feet are not allowed, and there are a lot of “tenters,” it does not seem crowded.  No internet connection, no hookups, just quiet – except from 7 am to 9 am and 6 pm to 8 pm when those who do have RVs run their generators during the park-allotted time.

Day 2 – Thursday, July 4, 2019 – Happy Independence Day

OK, we figured we deserve this.  After over a week of 100+ degrees F weather, we woke up to a beautiful day: blue skies, temperature in the 80s, good visibility.  So, we decided to expand on yesterday’s walk and do a 3+ mile walk around a portion of the South Rim.

The Grand Canyon has a free shuttle system to get around that uses natural gas instead of gasoline, and the park encourages visitors to ride the shuttles, which do not pollute, instead of taking their cars.  We took advantage of the shuttle to ride to a second visitors center in the Village area of the park which is where several lodges are located.  There we entered the El Tovar Hotel which looks as if it was built from turn of the 20th century lumber and decorated in the same manner.  Of course, we went into the really nice gift shop there.  Next to the lodge was a Hopi House (reconstructed) that sold very fine Indian art and jewelry.

We then walked back to the main visitors center at a fairly leisurely pace.  We couldn’t help ourselves; between the two of us we took over 200 photos.  The canyon looks the same from all spots, and yet it doesn’t – the colors and shadows are different and ever-changing; the formations are different with their sculpted slopes, ledges and cliffs, yet they all have a similarity; the vegetation along the rim is different….  The canyon changes from day to afternoon to evening; just moving over a few feet gives one a whole different perspective.

And all this was, and is still being, carved by the Colorado River.  From the rim, the river looks puny, yet it averages 300 feet wide; from its origins high in the Colorado Rockies, it drops more than 12,000 feet and passes through a series of canyons – including the Grand Canyon – 1,450 miles to the Gulf of California.  The Colorado’s width has not changed over time; it sculpts deep, not wide.  The cliffs, ledges, and slopes are the result of erosion.

The walk we took is called a Journey Through Time, and all along the way there are examples and explanations of the different rocks that are found in the various strata, including shale, granite, and sandstone.  Bill took photos of all of them representing a geologic cross-section dating from the beginnings of the formation of the canyon to the present.  Each rock layer represents a period when a different environment prevailed.  The oldest rocks lie more than 3,000 feet beneath the rim.

After our rim walk, we rested and ate lunch on a bench at the visitors center, not as crowded as yesterday.  Though advertised as gourmet coffee by the mall coffee shop we visited, Bill was hard-pressed to taste any actual coffee in the cup.  Sima’s ice cream bar was great.

We then walked back to our campsite, about half a mile along a lovely path.  While resting at our site, a herd of seven elk walked almost up to our RV grazing on the surrounding vegetation.  Though not very aggressive, there were a couple of babies, and the parents can be dangerous if they feel threatened – for example, if one gets between the mother and her calves. 

Although today was July 4^th, there were no Independence Day celebrations in the park, though we were told that the park rangers were represented in the parade of a nearby town.  Most of the visitors to the park seem to be foreign and, indeed, most of the RVs we encountered – though “tenters” made up the majority of the campers – were rented.    

We met a registered nurse who worked at the clinic in the park.  We struck up a conversation and learned that she was originally from Kenya, moved to the States as a child, and was on the U.S. Olympic track team in the London Olympics in 2012.  She has a friend who will be in Israel in March to run in one of our marathons.

After a couple of exploration walks in the surrounding area we turned in for the night.

Day 3 – Friday, July 5, 2019

We figured we had about half a day to explore before we started getting ready for Shabbat, so we took the shuttle back to the visitors center, walked to the rim, and then went in the opposite direction from yesterday.  We went past Pipe Creek Vista, a place where many people seemed to drive up to, get out of their cars, take a picture, and leave.  The walk was less traveled than yesterday’s walk, and afforded us different views of the canyon.

On the way back to the campground, we stopped off at the Market (the general store which carries food, souvenirs, and clothing; the South Rim also has a deli, bank, and post office).  A sales associate at the Market (who shared with us that when her son was a teenager, he spent a summer in Israel working on a kibbutz and that he climbed Masada in orange Converse sneakers) told us that of the 5+ million people who visit the Grand Canyon each year, only 1% go below the rim – see Sunday.

We walked back to our camper and prepared for Shabbat.

Day 4 – Saturday, July 6, 2019

It was a lovely Shabbat; the stars filled the sky at night, and the weather was perfect.  There is a beautiful paved walk through the forest which goes right along the campground and we took advantage of it to take two nice walks, the first went through the residential area (yes, there is one here), and the second towards the visitors center.  Still, surprisingly, the campground was not full, even on this 4^th of July weekend.

Day 5 – Sunday, July 7, 2019

Our last day at the Grand Canyon. 

We decided to be among the 1% of people who went down below the rim, into the canyon.  Bill had gone into the canyon with our daughter Tomi, but that was on mule back; this time we both walked in. 

We took the shuttle bus to the Bright Angel Trailhead and started our descent.  We took our time, careful not to fall on the slippery rock trail.  When you get below the rim and look across, instead of simply down, the canyon looks different.  It is even more astounding. We walked for about 40 minutes, and then decided to climb back up.  Walking uphill was faster than walking downhill because we had to be more careful on the rocks going down.  Going up just meant you were breathing harder.  After arriving back at the trailhead, we felt a definite sense of accomplishment.

Back on the shuttle, we went to Mohave Point, a lookout with the best views of the Colorado River which runs throughout the canyon.  We then had lunch literally sitting on the edge of the canyon.  We walked back to Train Depot – there is a train that runs to and from Williams, Arizona and the Grand Canyon – then walked a little more, saw an Indian tribal dance demonstration at the Hopi store, and returned to the campground via the forest trail.

• 

Epilogue

We were not quite sure what we would find at the South Rim, specifically Mather Campground.  We had read that the Grand Canyon was overcrowded, especially on holiday weekends, and we thought that was what we would find.  Gratefully, that was not the case.  Yes, when we first arrived and had a hard time finding parking at the visitors center, we were wondering if the whole park would be like that, but that was the exception, not the rule. 

The Grand Canyon is such a big place that it can handle the crowds. The campground was spacious, clean, and well patrolled.  All in all, we have had such a good time that it has gone high on our National Park Favorites List and it is a place we hope to return to.

And the Grand Canyon in a few words: “How great are your works, Hashem.”

Tomorrow we head to Great Basin National Park, Nevada.