The Grand Canyon... WOWSERS

We have visited this indescribable place quite a few times during our married life and the vast vistas never cease to amaze.




As I marveled at the view, what kept impressing me was the fact that 17 years ago Steve and I DID the Grand Canyon. This was pre-blog yet Steve made a cool short video capturing it all if you'd like to experience it, too (link here). We hiked from the South Rim down the South Kaibab Trail and up the Bright Angel Trail after a two night stay at the hospitable Phantom Ranch. This particular hiking plan is a premier, strenuous 15–18 mile Grand Canyon day hike (or multi-day trip) typically completed in 8–12 hours. This route offers the best of both worlds: the panoramic, ridge-line views of the South Kaibab for the descent and the shaded, water-supplied, less steep ascent of the Bright Angel. I still feel a great sense of accomplishment for this one and done.



A first for us was a visit to the Yavapai Geology Museum, perched right on the very edge of the canyon rim. This historic building offered one of the best vantage points for an overview of Grand Canyon geology. Annotated displays at the base of the panoramic windows showed us where to look to see each group of rocks. We were able to walk between rock column models of the North and South Rims to try to learn the names of the various rock layers, while we discovered information about the geologic history recorded in the rocks, and visualized the carving of the modern landscape. The mini geologists in our group loved it.



This was the first time meeting Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter, the chief architectural designer and interior decorator for the Fred Harvey Company from 1902 to 1948. Her creative free-form buildings at the Grand Canyon took direct inspiration from the landscape and served as part of the basis of the developing artistic aesthetic for appropriate development in areas that became national parks.

She designed eight unique Grand Canyon Buildings. (All are still in use today). Hopi House, Hermit's Rest, Lookout Studio, Phantom Ranch, Desert View Watchtower, Bright Angel Lodge, and the two Fred Harvey employee dormitories, Colter Hall and Victor Hall. How did I not know of this prolific talented woman?
We ended our Canyon explore at Mary's Hermit's Rest (1914). The building, originally constructed as a rest stop for the short stage line that ran from El Tovar Lodge to this location, is a stone building placed several feet back from the rim edge, and is tucked into a small man-made earthen mound, built around and atop the building to blend it in with its setting.
Hermit's Rest was designed to resemble a dwelling constructed by an untrained mountain man using the natural timber and boulders of the area. From the entrance path a haphazard looking structure of stone and wood greets the visitor, and the approach to Hermit's Rest is marked by a small stone arch set in a stone wall along the original pathway from the parking area to the building. The exposed portions of the building that are not banked into the earth are of rubble masonry bonded with cement mortar, structural logs, and a few expanses of glass. The chimneys are gently battered rubble masonry. The stone arch is topped with a broken bell that Colter acquired from a Spanish mission in New Mexico.

On the south end of the room is an enormous alcove, shaped like a semi-dome. The stone alcove contains an arched fireplace decorated with ornate andirons, a brass tea kettle, and various antique kitchen and fireplace tools. Wrought-iron wall sconces holding candles flank the far edges of the alcove. The alcove's flagstone floor is stepped up above that of the remainder of the room, giving added architectural emphasis to the space. I so could have stayed here for hours. What a wonderful place.
We covered 10,544 steps which is pretty impressive with a 4 and 6 year old! We promised to return to the place John Muir called "the grandest of all special temples".

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Bryce and Beyond...

Red Rocks, Pink Cliffs, and Endless Vistas... That's Bryce's tagline. The photos can't do it justice.

This was a repeat visit for Steve and me, a first for the kiddos. Over two million visitors come to experience the otherworldly magic of Bryce Canyon National Park each year. We only had one day so we made the most of it.
Bryce is not a single canyon, but a series of natural amphitheaters or bowls, carved into the edge of a high plateau. Walking the Rim Trail allowed us to spend time marveling at its viewpoints.
Hoodoos (irregular columns of rock) exist on every continent, but here is the largest concentration found anywhere on Earth. Situated along a high plateau at the top of the Grand Staircase, the park's high elevations include numerous life communities, fantastic dark skies, and geological wonders that defy description.



A coffee pause was had at the iconic Bryce Canyon Lodge, a historic, National Historic Landmark-designated hotel located within Bryce Canyon National Park. Built between 1924 and 1925, it was designed by renowned architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood to serve as a central visitor hub for the Grand Circle Tour, initiated by the Union Pacific Railroad's Utah Parks Company.
The Union Pacific Railroad’s "Grand Circle" is a historic tourist route, developed in the 1920s to promote rail travel to the natural wonders of Southern Utah and Northern Arizona, specifically connecting Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks National Monument, and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Mr. Underwood helped pioneer the National Park Service rustic style. Here at Bryce and at many other western national parks, his artistry, vision, and utilization of local timber and stone created structures that nestled harmoniously into the natural landscape. The lodge’s roof is notable. Its green color was chosen to blend in with the Ponderosa pines, and the shingle pattern creates a wave-like movement, mimicking pine boughs blowing in the wind. This is the last remaining original “Grand Circle Tour” lodge.
The two-story lodge features a massive stone fireplace in the lobby, a dining room, and an auditorium. It was originally surrounded by 67 standard cabins and 15 deluxe cabins. It is absolutely gorgeous, especially in its setting.

What makes this Lodge extra special to me is that 60 years ago, my dear friend Suzanne, fresh out of college, was a Harvey Girl here. These special women will discussed in a future post.
Because we wanted to actually be IN the spectacular red sandstone spires and formations we stopped at the Red Canyon Visitor Center. This area has been called the "most photographed place in Utah". It is easy to see why, with the brilliant red soil contrasting with the green pines, blue skies and white clouds. Spectacular indeed



Our home for the night was along the very vast Lake Powell shoreline.


Sunrise was spectacular from our campsite.
Our day started off here at Horseshoe Bend, a breathtaking, 1,000-foot-deep horseshoe-shaped meander of the Colorado River located near Page, Arizona. Accessible via a 1.5-mile round-trip walk, it offered us a stunning view of red-hued sandstone cliffs.


Before checking into our campsite, we headed to Tusayan for a visually stunning introduction to the Grand Canyon via the Rivers of Time. "In just 34 minutes of air-conditioned comfort at the National Geographic Visitor Center, you will discover a Grand Canyon that would normally take a lifetime to experience. The Grand Canyon IMAX movie opens with the beginning of man’s fragile kinship with the twisting 277-mile Grand Canyon. It then takes you through time, showing you glimpses of human history."
The next two nights will be spent in the Grand Canyon. Tomorrow will be a full day of seeing all we can possibly see.
Our home is Mather Campground, the largest campground in the National Park Service system, with 327 campsites, including seven large group sites and two equine sites.
"The Grand Canyon is carven deep by the master hand;
it is the gulf of silence, widened in the desert;
it is all time inscribing the naked rock;
it is the book of earth."
~Donald Culross Peatti

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The Road to Bryce National Park...

I have deemed this trip an Appetizer Adventure. We are getting small bites of each place giving us the opportunity to know if we'd like to return for the full meal. So far, everything has been exceptionally delicious.

Zion National Park was fully booked when I planned this trip so we only had the opportunity to drive through it. A pause or two was all we needed to commit to a longer stay... next time.
Much anticipation formed as we had to wait our turn to go through the Zion-Mt. Carmel Tunnel. It is 1.1 miles (5,613 feet) long, 22 feet wide and 16 feet high.
Due to the tunnel's narrow, historic design and winding, unlit interior, strict size restrictions are in place to allow safe passage for vehicles.
Construction of the Tunnel began in the late 1920s and was completed in 1930. At the time that the tunnel was dedicated, on July 4, 1930, it was the longest tunnel of its type in the United States. The Zion-Mount Carmel Tunnel (and the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway) provides direct access for travel between Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, and Zion National Parks.
Interstingly, as of June 7, 2026, our RV will no longer be able to go through this historic tunnel. Who knew this was our last opportunity. Wild thought.
This is the view from one of the tunnel windows. The engineering feat of this is mindboggling, especially for its time.
We were all in awe of Checkerboard Mesa. The descriptive name stems from the cliff's distinctive multitudinous check lines in cross-bedded white sandstone which give the impression of a checkerboard. The horizontal lines are caused by cross-bedding, a remnant of ancient sand dunes. The vertical and sub-vertical lines formed by the contraction and expansion of the sandstone caused by temperature changes, freezing and thawing cycles.





We arrived in Bryce with just enough time to set up camp, explore the Visitor Center, and then have a barbecue. Our day tomorrow will be one of discovery!

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