Nature wins

Gordon was in his element today. As a geographer/geologist, he has always wanted to see the Grand Canyon. Such a trip has often been planned, but for one reason or another has not happened . . . until now. Today we were at the Grand Canyon and it was astonishing.

We had been advised to get there early and so we did. Although it is an hour’s drive from Williams, we managed to get there around 8am and got a parking space, some advice and a cup of coffee. We avoided shuttle buses and made our own way on foot around the South Rim. Because it was so early, we had much of it to ourselves, which was brilliant. It was tempting to take lots of photos, which I did, but sometimes one had to put the camera away and just look and wonder.
 
We made it to Yavapai Point, where the views are amazing, but where also a geological museum, perched on the canyon’s brink, explains very well the major features. As we left there and made our way back, we were amazed to see the number of people who had arrived and were now crowding the walkways and viewpoints. As we moved out of the car park, there were at least three cars trying for our space. We drove along the East Rim Drive for a while and stopped at various viewpoints. Then we left the crowds to it and returned to Williams.
   
A wonderful day, which certainly put Las Vegas into perspective. There we had marvelled at the huge man-made structures that towered above us. Today we looked at the Grand Canyon and saw that man could never get anywhere near. No contest. Nature will outdo man at every turn.