Today, we make a four hour drive to see one of the wonders of the natural world, the Grand Canyon. I’m not much for traveling, driving in the mountains, sightseeing or crowds. Today will include all four. Phoenix is at 1,000 feet above sea level. I knew Flagstaff was at elevation. It was at a McDonald’s where a woman overheard me asking the elevation of Phoenix that I learned Flagstaff is at 7,000 feet. Oh joy.
We get to the Grand Canyon in an uneventful trip, the best kind. But today they have decided to have a “managed fire” where they burn off the excess vegetation. Three of the four visitor center overflow parking areas are closed while they are full of smoke. We circle the lots for what seems like an hour before we finally decide to park in the lot for one of the lodges. Hey, they made me pay $30 to get in this place, no one is directing traffic and they tell me that they will fix the parking “long term”, I’m parking right here.
We take the bus to the first scenic overlook. On the way there we get a glimpse of the canyon. It’s so vast that it seems surreal. I’m in awe of the forces and the time it took first for all of this rock to be laid down under the ocean and then for the river to carve this canyon. The six day creation story doesn’t do God justice. This is truly amazing. I get vertigo at heights. Surprisingly, there are no rails at this overlook. I stay far, far away from the ledge.
We visit a few of the overlooks and take some pictures. But, I can’t help being reminded of the scene from “The Guilt Trip” where Barbra Streisand and Seth Rogen visit the Grand Canyon and after a couple of moments awkwardly stare at each other and ask how long they’re supposed to keep looking. It’s amazing. It’s really, really amazinf, but I really don’t need to look at it all day long. It is after all just humongous hole in the ground.
On the drive to Sedona where we will spend the night Tywana says she is glad to check this off her bucket list. And I’m glad for her. Kayla has years to work on her list. Got this one done early. I dont have a list. It was cool seeing it. I’m glad I did, but I’m more glad I got to take them.
