GRAND CANYON TRIP

aka Birthday Trip 2000

My birthday has never really been an important day to me... just a reminder that I'm another year older. Wait.. don't get me wrong, I feel blessed to have another day everyday. I wasn't particularly excited to celebrate birthdaty number 39 (Geez! I'm 39??), but I must admit, thanks to a very special friend (P, you are the best!), it turned out to be an incredible experience! So, without further ado, I share with you my birthday trip to the Grand Canyon.

First of all, let me say this...If you can, the Grand Canyon is a MUST SEE! This natural wonder is big... I mean BIG!! A picture does this place no justice whatsoever. You can not imagine the enormity of this natural wonder. It's about 277 miles long.... and in some places over a mile STRAIGHT DOWN! Most people lose the perception of distance looking at photos. A mile is about 5280 feet. Every year, people climb out to the edge to look over... and some fall to their deaths! To give you an idea of its depth, the Statue of Liberty is 305 feet tall from the tip of her torch to the ground. Let me put it another way.... you would have to stack the Statue of Liberty over 17 times to equal the drop to the canyon floor!

In the place I'm standing at in this photo, you can see the North Rim, the opposite side of the Grand Canyon. I looked out to the other side, and really didn't think it was so far...it doesn't seem so far away, does it? Take a look... what would your guess be? After walking away to read the distance, I had to take another look.. and I still couldn't believe what I was seeing. I was astonished to find out that the opposite cliff, the one you're looking at, is over 9 miles away! There aren't words to describe the sheer vastness of this place.

See that little streak of green in the center of this pic? That my friends, is the mighty Colorado River! Gives you an idea how big this place actually is! They actually have trails that go to the bottom of the Canyon, where the Colorado River still tears through. If you ever plan to go and hike, give yourself PLENTY of time... the altitude is a killer! They say the Canyon is millions of years old, and that there were many different forms of life that lived in the reigon.

We were lucky enough to see deer still walking along some of the jagged cliffs along the South Rim feeding on the sparse vegetation. It was funny to see there was snow in some areas, and bone dry in others.

There is so much to see out here. I often just sat or stood and stared in pure amazement. It is such a mind-blowing place.

Here is a picture of the Entrance to Hermit's Rest, the furthest point we could travel (by vehicle, anyway) on the South Rim. There is a trail that goes out further that you can hike down to the bottom of the canyon, and believe me, it is a loooooooog walk!

There was no way I was gonna attempt to hike down that trail in this altitude (about 7500 feet above sea level), cuz just walking up and down the pathways was tiring enough!

Once the temperature started dropping (and it can happen quickly , it was time to venture inside for a few ticks, to chill in front of a crackling fire and warm the bones. This happened to be a gift shop (they keep it warm in the winter to make you come inside and make you buy something!) That is at the end if the pavement, where the pathway ends and the trail begins.

There are may vistas and points of interest that you can take in and just chill. Me, I found several of them and did just that.

What was hard for me to believe is that the residents of this canyon (the indians who resided here hundreds of years ago) hiked up and down these cliffs daily!

This place is massive. These photos are so decieving to the eye. Each ridge in the cliffs you see behind me are serveral hundred feet high. In some places you can't even see the bottom of the canyon.

Many of the vistas have been named. One that struck me was called "the Abyss". You can not see the bottom of the canyon here, unless you were in a plane, helicopter, or God forbid... falling!

There is a ledge behind me (although not much of one) that some people walk out on. Now, I'm a risk-taker, but mama ain't raised no fool! I refuse to bring my son just yet, because he's fearless, and he'd want to go out to the edge to look! Not in THIS lifetime!

Behind me is the Powell Monument. Walter Powell is recognized, along with his crew, for going down the Colorado River in August of 1869, through the Grand Canyon... IN A ROWBOAT!! I think the man was a little crazy myself, but maybe the river wasn't as rough then, because there were no dams built. There is a lake above the Canyon named for him.

After leaving the Canyon, we stayed in a little town about 60 miles from the Canyon, called Williams. What was cool to me, is when we woke up on Sunday (my B-Day), it had snowed! Williams is a SMALL town, and it's claim to fame, as you can see, is it's located on the now patchquilt of road that used to be the infamous Route 66 (Route 66, in case you didn't know, was a road that took you from Chicago all the way to LA!) You can still find bits and pieces of the road in existence, though most was replaced by freeways. Listen to the song, and it will tell you all the cities that the road traveled through on its way from Chicago to Santa Monica.

After leaving Williams on Sunday, we drove down through Flagstaff, AZ (Route 66 runs through there too) to what has to be one of the most beauriful resort cities on the US.... Sedona, AZ. But on the way there, we also drove through a quaint area called Oak Creek, located above Sedona. Tall, snow-covered Pine Trees lined the winding road.

The Oak Creek runs along the side of the road, and has some spots that allow you to pull over and enjoy the view. There are campsites along the river, so we stopped and took a few pics at one of the campsites!

This place is incredible! Red Rock country, they call it. There are some of the most incredible rock formations I've ever seen... and I've traveled quite a bit!

Once we entered the Sedona city limits, I knew this was a place I'd like. This is a small town tucked away inside some of the most beautiful rock hills these eyes have ever seen. It is a resort town of golf, day-spas and retreats, full of the creature comforts one craves. As you can see, golf wasn't hap'nin this weekend!

This is Coffee Pot Rock. If you look to the far right of this pic, the last rock formation looks like an old perculator... you know, the one like your Grandma used to have!

The rock formations have their own names and presonalities (if that's possible for a rock!) like Snoopy Rock, Mushroom Rock, Chimney Rock and Bell Rock to name a few.

When P told me about this place, I knew I had to see it for myself. This is the Chapel of the Holy Cross, and is actually built into the hillside! It took an act of Congress (since it was on government land) to get this built. It started out as a cross and the chapel was then built around it. What a testament to faith and perseverence.

This is the other side of the hill, and it gives an idea of how rich the color of the rocks are. The darker areas are wet from melted snow. In the chapel's gift shop, they actually have rocks from the surrounding hillsides carved into unique candleholders. A lot of patrons (they do hold service in the Chapel) come out to sit and reflect on their own lives.

This is the person who made this weekend trip possible... Pstyl!! If any of you know her, or talked to her online, then I don't need to tell you about her... you know of what I speak. If you don't know her, then let me be the one to sing her praises! She has got to be one of the most incredible people on the face of the planet! (see my shoutouts) She made sure that this trip went off without a hitch, and insisted that Sedona (which I knew nothing about) was a intregal part of it....

Simply put, she is... THE BOMB!!

I hope you've enjoyed my journey to the Grand Canyon... I most certainly did! Be sure at one point in your lifetime to go. It will be one of the most memorable things you will ever do. I'll be back with more of my adventures, and who knows... maybe you can be the tour guide! If there are places you think I should visit, drop me a line and inform me, as I'm always looking for new and exciting experiences. Until next time.......  Peace.

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