Western States Part II
October 11 - South Rim Of The Grand Canyon



According to Wikipedia the Grand Canyon is 277 miles long.  The section that we toured was, I think, about 9 miles long.  Simple math says that based on those number we saw about 3% of the canyon.  Based on that all I can think of to say is HOLY CRAP!  It is an absolutely amazing crack in the world!

The Grand Canyon is one of those things that you really have to see to appreciate.  We stood on the overlooks and looked across and down and felt about as large as a flea on a dog's back.  It is so massive that it's hard to comprehend.  There are no telling how many times it has been photographed, but below you'll find about 80 more that I took.  I tried to capture the depth and breadth of the canyon but I feel that I failed miserably.  Photographs just do not do it justice.

Oh, and yes I already know that those two women with me are insane!  I wouldn't trade them for anything though.

 


According to Wikipedia, as of April, 2009 there are 322 California Condors in the world.  Of those 172 live in the wild and the remainder are in captivity.  Below are 4 photographs of one of the juveniles living in the wild.  It was perched on a rock outcropping directly beneath one of the overlooks and we were fortunate enough to see it.  Not many people can say that because they were virtually extinct and are only now making a slight comeback.

Just pure luck that it was perched there while we visited!  I would have loved to see it in flight, since they are the largest land bird in North America, but I'll take what I got and be very glad for it!


 


AGirl's ride report for this date is at This Page