Just a hole in the ground

I had seen pictures, read books and been told about the geology by my wife who used to teach geography, but none of those things prepared me for seeing The Grand Canyon. Grand understates it's glory. We travelled miles across ever higher landscapes to reach this northern part of Arizona. The rim of the canyon stands 3,000 feet above Sedona and about 100 miles north. We stood on the canyon's southern rim and gawped. We were overwealmed. The earth falls away four and a half thousand feet and across the gaping hole on the north side layer upon layer of rock is uncovered building each and every one of those feet back to the top. Red, white, grey, cream, black, orange, and yellow rocks in strata etched away by a river that's so far below us we can't see it.
We are at the Grand Canyon. Viewpoint after viewpoint lines the 32 miles along the southern side of this world wonder from Hermits Rest through Grand Canyon Village to Desert View. There are as many nationalities present to gawp with us. This world heritage site belongs to us all. The United Natons has a mandate to ensure that it's preserved for all nations to enjoy.
Rupert speculates on a descent into the canyon. I have to agree it beckons me in too. If it looks this good as we spectate from the edge how much more entralling would it be to slip down inside - to look up as far as we are looking down? The draw was strong but signs warn against attempts to descend to the bottom and ascend in the same day. It was already lunchtime - we would be foolish to try - so we imagined instead, bought guide books and made promises to ourselves to return another day or year to fully satisfy our curiosity. A walk towards Hermits Rest seven miles to the west of the village would have to be enough for today. We would still be surprised at every turn of the path.
There are two main trails into the canyon. From here the Bright Angel Trail leaves the safety of the rim path and heads out towards a point at the end of a plateau which appears so close we could touch it. In reality it's three thousand feet below us and four and a half miles on foot. All sense of scale is lost in the vastness of this site. If we walked down there a good few hours would elapse before we stood here again. And that is only the first stage of the descent to the river.
Several hours later Rupert and I watched as the sun set over the Northern Rim of the Grand Canyon. We were at Desert View. Our visit had been extended minute by minute until we were hours late for the return trip to Sedona. Our cameras were full of images that would represent only a fraction of what we had experienced that day. We pulled onto the highway and pointed the car towards the nearest interstate at Cameron. Our first drive in the USA in the dark. A warm glow from the day illuminated our way through the Navajo reservation and towards Flagstaff. If you've never been to the Grand Canyon, start saving now. Book the flight and make a date with it's breathtaking glory then read this blog again and look at some of my inadequate images.