Le Grand Canyon

I have talked to dozens of lifetime Phoenix residents who say they have never been to the Grand Canyon. It is one of those things where you think you always could go if you wanted - the canyon ain't going nowhere. But if you live in Phoenix...as far as I'm concerned the best thing about living in Phoenix is having places like Sedona and the Petrified Forest and the Grand Canyon a mere few hours drive away.

Victor and I made it a two day trip. We spotted in Flagstaff on the way up and walked around Northern Arizona University where the deciduous trees and exposed stone of the school buildings gave me nostalgia for the east coast. We stayed the night in Williams, a one stop light town whose main drag is made up of Route 66 (yes that Route 66). The drag is mostly bars and southwest souvenier shops. I stopped in one that advertised '100s of hot sauces 'round back'. The picture below is of JUST ONE WALL. Out of three. OMG.



We spent the next day at the Grand Canyon National Park. For the most part we stuck to the rim trail, but near the end of the day we ventured maybe a third of mile down a trail that eventually leads to the bottom of the canyon. The shortest trail to the bottom of the canyon is 7.5 miles, and the park highly discourages people from attempting the round trip in one day. There was a sign at the trailhead that said "Getting to the bottom is optional. Getting back to the top is required."







While we were watching the sunset (hence the golden edges below) some lady came up behind us and asked if we would like her to take a picture of us...small and nebbish.