We love visiting the Grand Canyon. Our reason for spending 2 weeks in Williams was not only to find cooler weather but to be close for day trips to this incredible National Park. I am not qualified to write about how this natural wonder was formed or to write about it's many natural features. To learn more information about this amazing place, please click here, on this link: Grand Canyon National Park. When researching campgrounds in this area, we discovered the Grand Canyon Railway & Hotel had a great RV Park and with vacancy over the Labor Day Holiday weekend. Perfect..we can visit one of our most favorite places, find good weather and have campsite vacancy too. We also booked a day trip on the Grand Canyon Railway Train which follows the original train track built in 1901 from Williams into the National Park. The train ride was comfortable, passing through various landscapes from prairies to Ponderosa Pine forests.
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| A window view as the train travels to the Grand Canyon.. |
Arriving at the Grand Canyon's Bright Angel Lodge, Ronnie and I stroll along the Grand Canyon Rim Trail to take in the landscape. For me, there are no adequate words to describe the vast space between us and the layers, textures and colors of the eroded sandstone rock. I am such a shutter bug when it comes to this place! Now I know I cannot properly record with a camera what my eye is seeing but I sure can take lots of pictures so I don't forget the wonder I am feeling. It's a sunny day, around noontime, so some of the canyon colors are a bit washed out.
The temperature is a little warm with the sun shining but not too bad.
There are several "look-out points" and shady resting places with benches spaced along the paved Rim Trail for peering into the abyss.
Sometimes the shadows from the clouds create a sense of depth and give added interest to the Grand Canyons cliffs and layers of rock.
At the Hopi House, we see there is a Native American Dance exhibit. Sometimes I tend to get overwhelmed with the Grand Canyon's landscape wonders and forget that before this area was settled and turned into a National Park, the Native Americans were living here, seeing this amazing canyon everyday. Ronnie and I discuss how they must have lived, grew their crops and survived with the small amount of water available to them.
Our day is over before we know it and we board the Grand Canyon Railway to return back to Williams. The relaxing train ride gives us a chance to reflect on how we never seem to tire of this beautiful place.
Sometimes, photographing the Grand Canyon on a rainy day can give you a different perspective. We get to experience rain and storms on this second day trip to the Grand Canyon. We drive to the Desert View Watchtower and Visitor Center to find a thunderstorm on the horizon.
This time we can just see the overlapping layers of canyon cliffs.
The Desert View Watchtower is a favorite of ours. Walking to the top observation room reminds us of the lighthouses on the North Carolina coast.
The lower section windows offer protective sweeping views of the Canyon. There's a Zuni Native Art Exhibit inside this day too. We end up spending quite a bit of time inside due to the storms.
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| This headdress, hanging on the wall inside the Watchtower, reminded me of the ones worn by the Hopi Indian Dancers at Homolovi State Park |
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| Native American wall painting found on the second floor of the Watchtower. |
Designed by architect Mary Coulter and built in 1932, the Watchtower's interior is as interesting as it's exterior.
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| Stairway Detail |
With the storm over, Ronnie and I travel back on Desert View Drive towards the main Grand Canyon Visitor Center. There are several pull-outs with named look-out points. This particular one is Navajo Point where the Desert View Watchtower can be seen from a distance.
Finally, clearing skies allows sunlight to distinct more of those amazing canyon cliff layers.
We also get a view of the Colorado River at Lipan View Point.
Canyon colors change as the light changes. We have seen muted violets and taupes to pale pinks and blues within the canyon walls.
Each viewpoint/pull-out offers a different perspective. The sun has begun to emerge from the heavy storm clouds, it's lower in the sky now and it casts those interesting cliff shadows.
Surprisingly, it doesn't seem as crowded today. Yes, there were tourists but I was able to capture most of my camera's views without people.
This is the same viewpoint as above, just the other side of, what I think, maybe a juniper tree.
From storms to sunny skies, Ronnie and I try our best to take in all the Grand Canyon's many moods and views.
As fickle as the weather was this day, by the time we arrived back to the Main Visitor Center the storm had regenerated. We briefly walked out to see Mather View Point and just as I quickly snapped this rainbow, the storm dumped all of its water on us.
More Later..
Absolutely loved ALL the pictures, grand canyon and yellowstone were my two favorite places, all the photos I got bring back all the memories, we took the train and a private tour too. Loved it all. So glad you are enjoying our great country. It had not stopped raining here since mothers day. every afternoon a huge thundershower, well at least it cuts down on the water bill. We havent gone too many places as the weather is so hot and humid and is so dehydrating.Wishing for better weather soon and NO hurricanes. Next sunday we are meeting our friends from the desert. They wanted us to go on a cruise with them next week but they are also going with their friends from 35 years/ We didnt want to leave in case hurricanes are coming, bad time of year for us, but they will have a stopover in orlando and we will meet them their for lunch and have a gab fest. Not much going on, cabin fever, say hi to ron and give little boy a kiss for me.
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