Grandus Maximus - The Grand Canyon!

Well here we are in America's most famous natural attraction and well ...... words and pictures cannot grasp the scale and intensity of one of the wonders of the natural world. Elvis and I stood on the rim, peered down and just soaked up the multi layered rocks, cliffs and crevices, it's just an incredible spectacle of technicolour rock strata (oooooh - alphabet soup for lunch). Such an amazing sight, it brought tears to my eyes (well Elvis' actually) and a lump in the old throat!!
For you fact buffs the canyon is 277 miles long, roughly 10 miles wide and a mile deep. It's been carved by the Colorado River over millions of years with the oldest rocks being 1800 million years old.
This is the Grand Canyon on the south rim, the GC is treat like two parks, North and South because although they're 10 miles apart if you were a crow, if you're in a car it's a massive 275 miles. Most people visit the more 'tourist friendly' south rim. We had plenty of time so we visited both sides.




Sitting perched on the edge just trying to take in the vista. This is the view from just a little way from our camp site at desert view.







There's much talk made of how the light changes at different times in the canyon. This picture and the next picture are of the same place. Look how the colour has completely changed the look. These pictures are only capturing a small portion, imagine this view spread right across your vision from left to right. It takes your breath away.










It's 4.30am and Elvis and I are about to venture down to the floor of the canyon. You need a back country
permit for this and these are few and far between, usually booked six months ahead. Miraculously we managed to get one for both campsites and here we are ready for two nights camping below the rim. That our beds strapped to my back - BOTH of them, they don't look too comfortable. We did toy with the idea of strapping a double mattress to our backs.

No pictures for the first 40 minutes of hiking - it was dark! Then the sun rose and we got glimpses of the view down the side of the canyon.

Supposedly hiking down into the canyon is a most breathtaking experience and they're not wrong there! This is just a short way into the South Kaibab Trail. This picture shows the road ahead - 'switchbacks' down the side of the canyon. It's a 7 mile steep hike with marvellous panoramic views and for those who are not feeling as active (lazy buggers) you can take a mule ride down and stay in cabins at Phantom Lodge.

This is about one third of the way down, it's hard to take in that all of this was carved by a river and at one time was level with the surface. You really do feel the millions of years it has took to carve it out, and you can clearly see the layers of rocks that were laid down millions of years before that when ancient seas covered the area.

Some inhabitants of the lower levels of the canyon. A perfect environment for 'Charlie Drakes'. The canyon is one mile deep which means on average that the floor temperature is 25 F more than the rim. I wanted to see a rattle snake, but we weren't lucky enough! For a COT can anyone name this species (google snakes of the canyon!!). I think we may have covered this before but does anyone know what steps you take if you are confronted by a snake.

Half way down!! A well earned rest at Tonto's trail

It's hard to explain how beautiful this walk is, we're now deep in the canyon, perched on a path on the side - oh you have to share this with mule trains carrying supplies and passengers! All supplies to the lodge on the floor arrive by mule trains - there's no other way!

When the mules come by - get out of their way - and always make sure you're standing against the wall and not the edge! Just a little trivia - no humans have been killed riding mules, but some mules have died. It's nee the wonder when you see the size of some of the hugies on their backs. This mule train was only carrying supplies - lucky mules!!

A welcome sight - the Colorado River. Despite the red hot temperature down there the river is freezing because it comes from the rocky mountains, which are still covered with snow, it's also got a wicked current and we've already been warned that we can't swim but we can plodge on the sandy shoreline. Nevermind that horse sh*t - straight in!!!

Wahay, just about to cross the suspension bridge, not too far from the campground now.

Phew it was hot, hot, HOT!! As you can see a scalding 135 degrees, me heed was alight. This was about 5pm and the heat continued way into the night with nee need for any of ya bedclothes or extra layers.

This was our first camp spot in Bright Angel campground. It's right on the floor of the canyon and next to the Creek. There's little shade though and we just sat fully clothed in the creek trying to cool down. You have to bring all your food and while we were in camp, a naughty little squirrel nearly had it away with our provisions - lucky it only got a bit of melon, otherwise we would have ate the squirrel (some Americans do eat squirrels you know - my nephew for instance - bloody foul!)

Me demonstrating the 'cooling down' technique!
If I could breath underwater the heed would have been under too!

This was a hike we did from our second campground Indian Garden. You can walk right out and look down into the canyon. I have millions of beautiful pictures from this point, but a picture with us two on is the best I'm sure you'll agree! We stayed to watch the sun set, which is a different experience to normal because remember, the canyon is really a hole in the ground, so the light goes from the bottom quite quickly.

After a night on the floor, we hiked half way up and stayed at Indian Garden (no - it's not a restaurant!) then we set off at 4:30am to beat the heat and make for the top. This picture shows the sunrise hitting the top of the rim but it's still in shade for us. Look at the different layers of rock as you look up the canyon. Each layer represents millions of years.

The sun has finally caught up to us and the canyon is lit in a warm sunrise. It looks majestic.

Hat's on and it's hiking in the sun for the last bit to the top!!

After 4.5 miles completely uphill we have made it up the remainder of Bright Angel Trail. Elvis' fyace has never been so red. We had left that morning in the black dark at 4am and this was 7.10am. It was welcome relief and a great sense of achievement. What did we do next? We got into the car and drove to Williams. We went to a bakery and gorged with cake. We had looked up this place before (the hotel is called the Red Garter) and we wanted to stay but it was way too expensive, but that all changed. While we were eating cakes, the owner said he had rooms available and would give us a special rate. So we took it at half price and that night we had a proper room with a real bed and a Victorian 'claw foot' bath. You should have seen the tide mark around the bath. The hotel was very interesting by the way, it was an old Whoooore Hoose that had been restored. We stayed in 'the Madams' room!!

Yes we are still in the Grand Canyon not at home in Blighty! This is now the North Rim and as you can see git big hail stones on the windscreen and it was a little chilly. The North rim is 1,000 feet higher than the South rim at 8,000 feet above sea level, this means lovely days (in the 70's) but cool nights and the occasional hail storm.

This is an elk just hanging around a junction with three of his mates, not bothered about the traffic at all! It's amazing how animals in National Parks learn that humans aren't a danger. Of course the minute it steps over the boundary they'll be a firing squad waiting for it!

A sunset over the south rim from a place called 'Hermits Rest".

No spots at the campsite on the North Rim so we did some 'dispersed' camping again. Hey, it was great, only us around in this beautiful forest just four miles outside the park and FREE firewood - it was like 'bomby neet' every night! Probably one of the most beautiful campsites ever! We did get a visit one night though, and when I shone the torch, a pair of yellow eyes shone back! I knew deer eyes are red so I wasn't sure what was checking us out!

The North side also has a trail named the 'Kaibab Trail'. This is at the first look out. It is possible for the extreme athletes to hike down the South Kaibab trail to the floor, then up the North Kaibab trail to finish on the north rim. Maybe next time!

The canyon at sunset from the North rim. That's the south rim (where we were a few days ago) in the distance. As I say, only ten miles across but quite a drive away.

This is a picture of a 'side canyon' formed when water runs into the main canyon and cuts away the rock.

We read a quote in the visitors centre -"Some places you see with your eyes, others you see with your heart".

Well let me tell you this ones heartfelt!!

Finally, what's a man to do when he has no toasting forks?

Yes, get 'whittling' - another Hodge money saving tip!

COT palaver - Ooh you judges and the outsourcer - I was just teasing you although good to see that you're awake. Anyway, still well done to Millie (I have to keep in with the mother in law you know!!) Millie, when we get back I'll make you a cup of tea for trying. Outsourcer, stop getting your knickers in a knot, it was Wyatt's little booth after all.