Grand Canyon

Before I get to talking about the marvelous Grand Canyon, I have to mention Lake Powell. We stopped at the dam on the Arizona side for just a moment. According to Wikipedia, it is the largest man-made reservoir of water in the United States right now, if you consider the capacity of water it currently holds, as well as its depth and surface area. These next three pictures are from our moment there; it seems like quite a place to explore.

 When I was a kid and went on the big trip with my mom and Steve, we briefly visited the Grand Canyon. I don’t remember it that well, except that the canyon was huge and people could ride donkeys down into it, but we didn’t. When Steve recalls the Grand Canyon, he says, to him, it just seemed a big hole in the ground, no big deal. 

So, I suppose my expectations were sort of low (though, of course, I never questioned checking it out). I was also a little disappointed that we would only have time to visit the South Rim, which was bound to be crowded. 

We first stopped at the Grand Canyon’s Desert View area, where there is a  watchtower designed by Mary Colter and built in 1932. Colter modeled it extremely carefully after structures constructed by Puebloans long ago. The inside is covered with murals by Hopi artist Frank Kabotie. It’s an interpretative center with a little shop and expansive view of the canyon. I love how much thought was put into this work.

Here’s one thing Colter said about the watchtower:

“First and most important, was to design a building that would become part of its surroundings; one that would create no discordant note against the time eroded walls of this promontory.”

 We stopped a few times on our way to our campground in the popular Grand Canyon Village. What gorgeous views at every point!

 

It turns out, I absolutely love the Grand Canyon. It is, indeed, grand. While we were there, I was overcome by the enormous wonder of life. It didn’t matter that it was crowded and to me, this time, it seemed like a whole lot more than just a hole  in the ground.