May 15: SW Road Trip Day 6

The Grand Canyon

We wake up to our first full day in the Grand Canyon. After coffee, et al, we head out from our hotel in the northeast corner of the Village for the 9:00 AM Fossil Talk. It is given in the area around the Bright Angel Trailhead, about a half mile from our hotel in the northwest corner of the Village.

View from the Bright Angel Trailhead

We are entertained for a full 45 minutes by a Ranger who has been here for 18 years after a 20-year career in manufacturing and sales. He explains that the Fossil record is incomplete, but can still yield enough clues for a partial picture of the history of the Canyon. Jumping straight to the conclusion, even though we are currently at almost 7,000 ft. elevation, 270 million years ago the layer under our feet was at sea level. It was the floor of an approximately 40 foot deep section of ocean, that is, adjacent to a land mass. The fossil record is how scientists conclude that this was a shallow ocean and that up thrust occurred in the interim. I highly recommend this talk if you visit.

After the talk, we continue along the Rim Trail, walking westward. The views to the north are all awesome.

From the Rim Trail North of Bright Angel

We continue along the trail for about a mile and a half, stopping frequently to take in the magnificent views. We can see across the Bright Angel Gorge to our hotel (on the left) and the rest of the Village.

The Village from the Rim Trail

After walking a bit more, we board the Red Route Bus at Mojave Point to head to Hermit’s Rest, the westernmost stop on the Rim Drive. A quick note: west of the Village, the Rim Drive is closed to private autos. Buses are free and frequent. Further, the Red Route stops at every stop west-bound, but only 3 east-bound. This makes for good traffic flow. (Plan accordingly if you visit and don’t want to walk the full 13 or so mile round trip.)

At Hermit’s Rest, we buy sandwiches and chips from the snack stand and enjoy a pleasant lunch. After lunch, we board another bus and head back to the Village. We succumb to the temptation of the “Fountain”: Amy has espresso chocolate and I have plain chocolate both in waffle cones.

I am feeling the 7,000 ft. elevation, so we call it a day and head back to our room. The room is cozy! We relax for a few hours, then head to the Arizona Room (in the Bright Angel Lodge) for dinner. The wait is 25 minutes, so we order drinks and talk about the day. Dinner is fair, but the location is superb. We head back to the room to veg out for tomorrow’s effort, heading into the canyon.

Afterword: The English Language is insufficient for this location. Superlatives were invented for such locations as this, but don’t really convey the feelings that I feel being here. Similarly, photos do not completely convey how visually stunning this place is. I hope they at least suggest why this is the “Grand” Canyon.