Arizona does not practice Day Light Savings Time so we are now on Pacific Time. With that said, we were up at 5:00 AM and it seemed to be 7:00 AM outside. The weather was cool, in the mid 50's and very windy. We all got up for our morning exercise. Al and I ran a little and walked a whole lot. Between the altitude difference - we are currently at 6,765 feet - and being exhausted from driving, we were only able to manage 2.2 miles today. We followed it with a TRX session on a tree near our campsite. In the meantime, Blake and Tilley discovered he dog park.
It was a little after we all returned to the RV when Al and Blake heard a loud noise on the right side of the RV. Al went outside to see that the awning had broken off and was hanging across the large slide out. Mystery solved on the loud noises heard on the road and upon arrival to the KOA.
Yes, owning an RV is a great thing - it provides lots of opportunities - opportunities to travel and experience new things and opportunities to throw money into an empty pit! Needless to say, the onsite RV repair service had to be called to fix yet another problem with the RV.
There was no time to sit around and wait for the repairman because we had a reservation for a Pink Jeep Tour at the Grand Canyon! Al quickly figured out a way to secure the awning and away we went.
There are no words to describe the grandeur of the Grand Canyon! I can't even begin to imagine what the Spanish explorers thought when they came upon this huge canyon the very first time. In the IMAX movie we saw today, we learned that the explorers thought they could cross the canyon easily in four days. They were unsuccessful at this and turned around. Our guide, Sean from Deland, Florida, told us the distance around the perimeter of the canyon measures about 2,400 miles which is about the same distance it is from NY to LA. The canyon at its deepest point is 6,000 vertical feet. The width at the Grand Canyon Village measures 10 miles from rim to rim but at places it is 18 miles wide.
We traveled up the eastern edge of the south rim to Desert View Watchtower. From this point, you can see the Utah mountains, Navajo nation, the Little Colorado River and into the canyon itself. We climbed to the top of the watchtower where we could see a panoramic view of The Painted Desert stretching 100 miles! The Desert View Watchtower was designed in the 1930s by Mary Elizabeth Colter who is referred to as the architect of the southwest. She wanted to design a structure to give patronage to the native puebloan people who made the canyon their home over 13,000 years ago. The watchtower is 70 feet high.
Ten years ago, Al and I traveled to the Grand Canyon in January. We stayed on the rim and it snowed the night we arrived. Determined to see the sunrise over the desert and canyon, we got up very early and drove out to Desert View. We were the only ones there and when we left there was only an icy parking lot and a single car with someone sleeping in it. We laughed about that today as there were so many cars and people at the canyon this time around.
Regardless of how many times somebody comes to see the Grand Canyon, it is always magnificent in color, in wonder, and in beauty! We plan to return tomorrow afternoon and I'm sure it will not disappoint! Tomorrow morning we will rest - until then, good night!
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