Grand Circle Day 3 - It Just Keeps Getting Better And Better

This morning we were up and out by 4:15 a.m. so we could catch sunrise in the canyon. Very easy 15 minute drive at that hour; we parked in lot #3 by the Visitor's Center. We caught the 5:00 a.m. shuttle to Yaki Point - the sky was beginning to brighten by the time got to the bus stop. We set ourselves up in a good spot and waited.

Well worth the wait. this photo was taken at about 5:45 a.m.

All the adjectives you can think of do not come close to describing the experience.

No reason to stick around that particular spot once the sun was fully up; we caught the 6:00 a.m. shuttle back to the Visitor's Center, and then proceeded to the Market Plaza for breakfast. This time we ordered fresh breakfast sandwiches instead of the nasty pre-made stuff.

While eating breakfast I realized I had left my visor back at the hotel. I bought a new one in the shop attached to the deli (or the deli is attached to the shop?). My first official souvenir - of course, it says "Grand Canyon" on the brim.

We decided to try a ranger-led nature walk, which required going to the HQ building. We were a bit early. And we also had no cell service. We hung out for a bit just enjoying the morning.

We ended up with about 10 people in our group. The walk would end at the Canyon Village about 1 1/2 miles away. Ranger Rachel made sure all the kids in the group (including a couple of really big kids) had Junior Ranger books to check off items that we saw along the way.

The walk was great - Ranger Rachel pointed out the different kinds of trees found in the park and near the rim and the different kinds of rock found in all the layers going back almost 2 billion years.

The walk ended at about 10:00 a.m. in the Canyon Village, where (after much searching and walking too far) we caught the red shuttle to Hermit's Rest. We decided to take the shuttle all the way to the end and make note of any stops we wanted to visit on the way back.

We are already amazed at how the canyon changes from one view to the next. Always stunning, though the view from Hermit's Rest was a bit boring in comparison to some of the others:

On the way back, we asked the shuttle driver for a recommendation as to which stop to pick. She said Pima Point has great views with an easy paved path to the viewing point. Sounded good to us.

IMHO, the most stunning view to date. In this photo you can see the Colorado River it is the muddy line in the middle. We were able to see rapids in several sections. We were also able to watch a storm move across the plateau.

Our plan was to have lunch at the Yavapei lodge restaurant, then come back to the hotel to rest up for a bit, then return for an evening program. Timing is tricky - we were having lunch at 2:00 p.m. and the evening program begins at either 8:30 or 9:30 (depends on which one we get the tickets for - first come first serve).

So this blog entry isn't complete. We are back at the hotel recuperating from the 3:45 wake up call. We'll be leaving at 6:00 to go stand in line for the tickets for tonight's program.

Coming up on Day #3 - we say good bye to the Grand Canyon and move on to the next stop in the Grand Circle - Arches National Park. If we were to drive it straight, it would take about 5 1/2 hours. We have at least 4 stops planned along the way. But we are not in any kind of a hurry, so it doesn't matter at all!