For the first time since we have been here the temperature was above 0°C when we woke up. Another bright sunny day with a forecast high around 14°C.
After breakfast we headed out of Williams on Route 66, then turned North to drive up to the Grand Canyon. On the way up there was a small airport with a museum and a number of old aircraft parked outside.
Lockheed Constellation
The above aircraft was built in 1949, and during its life served as the personal VIP transport for Gen. MacArthur. This type of aircraft was one of the first to fly the North Atlantic in a civil role.
Martin 4-0-4
This aircraft was from the same era but used on domestic routes.
We continued north to the Grand Canyon National Park, the entrance fee was $25 for a seven day pass. We were able to use yesterdays train tickets to reduce the cost by $16…. Nice!
The animals above are Mule Deer, check out the ears!
I wasn’t going to put so many pictures in today, after yesterdays contribution but I finished up putting them in anyway.
Today we took another of the shuttle buses to see some more of the views:
After the shuttle bus, we drove about 25 miles east to Desert View where there is a Watchtower designed by Mary Colter. (Hopi House designer from yesterday)
Watchtower at Desert View
Diamond Shaped Rocks in the Watchtower
Watchtower Art
Ceiling of the Watchtower
Looking Down From the Watchtower
Desert View is named for ……. its view of the desert! Looking southeast from the tower the scenery changes from canyon to desert. This desert is known as the painted desert due to all the colours that show in it. Unfortunately today was a little hazy and the colours really don’t show.
The Painted Desert
The Painted Desert
The Painted Desert
We returned along the same route, but stopped at a number of viewpoints along the way.
The Colorado River
We finally had to leave the Grand Canyon. A week ago, when we saw the forecast, we wondered whether we had done the right thing by coming here early in the season. Without a doubt we did the right thing. The snow added to the experience, and the lack of tourists was really a bonus. I can’t imagine how crowded it would be in the summer months.
I still can’t properly describe the canyon (hence all the pictures), you really do have to see it to believe it. I think the one thing that really got to me was the sheer size of the canyon. Where we were, the canyon was 8 miles wide and 1 mile deep.
Tomorrow we head out, and down, towards Las Vegas. Having spent the last 5 weeks above 5000′ it will be good to get back to more normal levels! It’s only just over a three hour drive tomorrow, so we won’t need to rush in the morning.