It's a GRAND canyon!

The sun was shining as I left Kingman, AZ this morning. When I left Las Vegas after a great Five For Fighting show at Pet-a-Palooza yesterday, I drove over Hoover Dam. Naturally, such an important structure requires a certain sense of security. Before reaching the dam, there was a security checkpoint. I was asked what I had in my vehicle, and it was no surprise with all the stuff I had for my road trip that I was selected for inspection. I opened the back for the female security officer and after looking over my multiple bags...much of it clothes, some of it dirty...she was satisfied and I was on my way.

Today, there was only one activity on the agenda...visit Grand Canyon National Park. In a previous blog, I mentioned that I hadn't been here since I was a kid. I was excited to see what I couldn't remember. When I reached the entrance to the South Rim of the park, I opted to purchase the multi-agency annual pass. Considering it can cost up to $25 per park, it's a steal at $80. And, not only can you use it for the National Park Service, it's also good for other federal areas, such as Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Since I'm planning to visit other parks during my road trip, it made sense to get the annual pass.

It took a few hours to drive from Kingman to Grand Canyon, so it didn't leave me as much time as I wanted. Still, I didn't want to rush things too much, so I elected to start my day by walking the popular Rim trail. It was a beautiful day...mid-60s, sunny and breezy. Plus, there weren't a whole lot of people either...I came at the right time of the year! That allowed me to walk the trail with little disruption and enjoy the serenity. I stopped often to survey the scenery from different viewpoints, and I took a lot of photos. I was surprised how many access points there were to the cliff edges...with no fences or railings! It's amazing that there are not more accidents...people falling over the edge! As for myself, the closest I got was a few feet, and I was VERY, VERY careful with my movements. That's one LONG drop!

When I reached the Bright Angel trailhead, I saw the famous mules waiting to take the next group of visitors down the trail. Initially, I had wanted to walk all the rim trails. But, being short of time, I decided to take the free park shuttle to various viewpoints along the rest of the Rim trail. While walking the trails and riding the shuttles, I encountered a lot of foreign visitors. Considering the Grand Canyon is one of the natural wonders of the world, it attracts a lot of tourists, both foreign and domestic. I did make one humorous observation. I saw a Korean family enjoying their day at the park. The dad was taking photos with a rather small digital camera...attached to a full-sized tripod! I guess it made it easier to take a steady picture, but it sure looked funny!

Tomorrow, I continue my park adventures. Crossing my fingers the good weather holds!