Grand Canyon

Over my life I have been blessed to have seen many remarkable natural wonders of the world and the Grand Canyon stands out as one of the most spectacular.

In the past when flying over the Grand Canyon I wondered if I would ever get to visit it in person. Well, this past year with the encouragement of a dear friend Phil from Texas, we started to plan our trip. I must admit I didn’t do much trip planning since Phil had already made 9 trips to this remarkable site. Talk about an amazing tour guide!

With some health issues I have carried for a number of years, some of which I had surgically dealt with a few months earlier, the biggest part of my planning was emotional. Was I up to it? How would my body stand the exercise and the altitude? And all the “what if’s”.  Months before the trip I started praying for help in making the final decision. With some help on the photographic side from my friend Nick and continued encouragement from my family I thought I was ready.

So in early August I flew to Phoenix and met up with Phil, who had driven from Texas, and early the next day, like  kids on Christmas morning, we headed out on our 4-5 hr drive to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. When we arrived Phil asked me to close my eyes and he would lead me to my first lookout. “Ok he said open your eyes.” For me that moment was astounding, as I absorbed the majesty this another of God’s great architectural creations. In fact the initial experience was overwhelming.

The Canyon holds the distinction as one of the worlds seven natural wonders. Also a world heritage site and one of the most studied geological landscapes in the world.It is is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and one mile deep.The immensity of its footprint is truly amazing!!

This was no “take a look, snap a picture trip” We spent the next seven days  up at 4:30 am to get ready for the sunrise and to bed after sunset and preparations for the next day.  My enthusiastic guide Phil just seemed to know every view and the time to be there for the right light. Over those 7 days I took over 1,600 pictures and have edited that down to just under one hundred, many of which I have presented in the gallery that follows.

I can only recall 2 other times in my life that I have been inspired by the absolute grandeur of the landscape before us. One time was on the Island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean,and the other was in the Masai Mara in Kenya. On several occasions during this trip we were so inspired by the panorama that we stopped to pray and thank God for His majestic creation.

I would seriously suggest you add this trip to your life experiences. Many told me it was on their “Bucket List’- well don’t wait too long.