24 April ‘07
Tuesday
With an agenda in mind, we head out. We’ve decided to take this “South Rim” of the Grand Canyon from one end to the other. The Grand Canyon is over 270 miles long and most of it is only accessible by floating the Colorado River. The average distance from one rim to the other is 10 miles. Well first off we are headed to the furthest east end to find the Watchtower at Desert View. The Watchtower was built in 1932 by the Fred Harvey Company and the Santa Fe Railroad. It was used as an observation station and convenient rest stop for Grand Canyon visitors who were coming by train and car. The architect was Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter and she wanted to design it so it would fit into the natural beauty of the Grand Canyon, as well as keep in harmony with the legendary lore of the land. As you enter into the watchtower, you find a large circular viewing room with a staircase that takes you up 3 stories. Painted on the walls are replicas of Hopi sacred art and language. We really enjoyed our time at the Watchtower and happy we didn’t pass it up. Next, we were off to see the “Points of Interest” that follow along the crest of the canyon. All of these are incredible views that take your breath away. One thing that we noticed, is that there are very few railings that keep you away from the edge…if you want to jump, well don’t, nobody wants to see that… Being able to walk out onto a protruding rock 3000 feet above the canyon floor is part of the experience in visiting the Grand Canyon and that I wouldn’t want it change.
By 6:30 we were back home, had dinner and were racing for the bus. Our destination was Hopi Point and a grand sunset over the Grand Canyon.
Tuesday
With an agenda in mind, we head out. We’ve decided to take this “South Rim” of the Grand Canyon from one end to the other. The Grand Canyon is over 270 miles long and most of it is only accessible by floating the Colorado River. The average distance from one rim to the other is 10 miles. Well first off we are headed to the furthest east end to find the Watchtower at Desert View. The Watchtower was built in 1932 by the Fred Harvey Company and the Santa Fe Railroad. It was used as an observation station and convenient rest stop for Grand Canyon visitors who were coming by train and car. The architect was Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter and she wanted to design it so it would fit into the natural beauty of the Grand Canyon, as well as keep in harmony with the legendary lore of the land. As you enter into the watchtower, you find a large circular viewing room with a staircase that takes you up 3 stories. Painted on the walls are replicas of Hopi sacred art and language. We really enjoyed our time at the Watchtower and happy we didn’t pass it up. Next, we were off to see the “Points of Interest” that follow along the crest of the canyon. All of these are incredible views that take your breath away. One thing that we noticed, is that there are very few railings that keep you away from the edge…if you want to jump, well don’t, nobody wants to see that… Being able to walk out onto a protruding rock 3000 feet above the canyon floor is part of the experience in visiting the Grand Canyon and that I wouldn’t want it change.
By 6:30 we were back home, had dinner and were racing for the bus. Our destination was Hopi Point and a grand sunset over the Grand Canyon.