Grand Canyon

We spent Spring Break in Northern Arizona, Our first stop was the Grand Canyon, which I've never seen before. It was wonderful to see it in the changing light, shadows deepening the crevices, midday sun flattening it to a painting. The size of it is just not humanly perceivable; the fact that it is ten miles across, that it would take ten Golden Gate Bridges to span it, is just not something a person can see. 

We stayed at the Bright Angel Lodge, which is right on the rim - just skip out the door and take a look at one of the wonders of the world! Incredible location, and charming, simple accommodations.

We hiked down into the Canyon on the Bright Angel Trail, only for about half an hour; it felt great, and we were not prepared for anything more ambitious than that. 

We participated in a fun ranger-led program about fossils. Rangers at the Grand Canyon are eager to teach you about the geology that makes the Canyon what it is: sandstone, limestone, schist, and shale, uplift from the same plate tectonics that makes the Rocky Mountains, vertical downcutting by the Colorado River, and widening by erosion, especially from heavy rains that cause flash floods. In some layers, fossils are abundant. We found our own. No dinosaurs: these were all little sea life, like scallops and sea lily stems.

We also toured Hermit's Rest and the Desert Watchtower, two of the wonderful examples of Mary Colter's architecture in the area. 

Inside the Watchtower are fascinating and beautiful recreations of Hopi art.

We did a little artistic recreating of the human figures on our own, too.