First Stop Grand Canyon

The morning was supposed to begin departing San Diego at 7am to arrive at my hotel by 2pm as they don’t allow early check in. I woke up at 2:30 utterly excited and could not go back to sleep. Got up at 3:00 and was on the road by 4:30. This leg of the trip should be perfect jeep weather, as it’s warm and dry this time of year (typically). So I opened everything up to let the wind blow through my hair. It started raining about 10 minutes into the drive, but wasn’t cold, so I continued on. As I got closer to the desert the wind picked up and was blowing big rigs all over the place as well as the jeep. But I wanted the wind blowing in my hair so I continued on. The higher elevation got to A cold and fierce wind, so I pulled over and put the windows back on. Arrived at my hotel around 1pm. Red Feather Lodge. Spacious and very clean. Not a 5 star…but very clean, and only 1 mile from the Grand Canyon Park entrance. I freshened up and headed to the park. Absolutely no clue what I was doing I just followed the signs in the park. Took one road that looked promising. Saw a few cars in a dirt parking lot and thought, well maybe thats what we do. Parked the jeep and followed the trail. Along the trail I came across one of those yellow signs you see along the freeway like a deer crossing. This particular sign had a cat on it. Umm. I don’t think there are sweet domestic cats out here, so I start watching for a Mt. Lion. I was the only one on the trail so I picked up a good sized rock…not sure why, with my aim I would throw it at the cat and break my own toe. After 30 minutes I could not see any sign of the “grand” canyon, so I went back to the jeep. Finally caught a glimpse of it, saw a bunch of cars and pulled over. I was in awe. It’s everything I’ve seen in the movies and more. The colors, the depth. I sat down on a bench to soak in the sun, the fresh air, and the cool mist on my cheek from a 7 year old trying to see if his spit would reach the bottom of the canyon. The canyon is so big, you can drive 20 miles of the South Rim and see just a different vantage point of the same area of the canyon. Next time I come, I will allow enough time to view it from the river itself. Now I’m off to the Saloon/Steak House across the street for some dinner and cocktails. Then I’ll map out my path to Texas…oh Texas…didn’t think I’d be seeing you again so soon.