Day 9 - Grand Canyon - Helicopter Ride

We got up this morning and skipped breakfast, opting for just coffee instead. We didn't want to take a chance on getting sick on the helicopter. We headed over to the airport and waited for our pilot to call us. There were 6 passengers and the pilot. They told us that we would take photos after the flight so we put on our headphones and seat belts and took off.

Our pilot assured us that he had a great deal of experience and that we would be in good hands. We found this to be the case as we left the airport, crossing the Kaibob National Forest heading to the northeast end of the Arizona side of the Grand Canyon. The forest wasn't so dense that you could see elk here and there. In the distance to the south was Humphrey's Peak, covered in snow.

Soon the forest seemed to just drop out from under us and the canyon seemed to surround us. The pilot pointed out various landmarks as the helicopter turned and lowered.

I was seated in the center in the back and so my photos had partially obstructed views but they were still just breathtaking.  Randy had a window seat and was able to make a video of the some of the flight. 

At one point we even saw a small herd of buffalo near a ranch. They are very rare and I got a few of them in a photo but it didn't turn out very well. The entire trip took about 45 minutes but the time passed too quickly. We only flew as far as the park boundaries and then headed back to the airport.

By the time the ride was over we were ready for a quick bite and then we headed back out to the canyon. We rode around Grand Canyon Village for a bit to sort of get our bearings and then parked.  We walked to the shuttle stop and rode to the first overlook. I was finally able to figure out how to do an panorama with my camera.

My first Panorama Attempt

Second Attempt.  Biggify this and you'll see shadows with no people.
I had to wait for people to walk past me so it looks like ghost shadows. Hahahaha!

Our Fearless Photographer......

truly fearless.  He would look around to see if I was watching.

Finally, after thoroughly filling ourselves with the wonder of the views and feeling totally spent and exhausted, we headed back to our car to go back to the hotel.  As we got in the car, I looked across the road and there, right in the middle of the village were elk.

They seemed thoroughly at ease and fearless. Huge and fearless. I was really antsy being so close to them because I know that animals are unpredictable so I encouraged Randy to go on. I was afraid one of them would feel threatened and attack our car. Finally, to my great relief, we headed back to the hotel and stopped along the way at the local Mexican restaurant where we would have one of many excellent Mexican meals out west. We spent the evening going through our photos, reliving our helicopter ride, catching up on correspondence and plotting our trip to Phoenix because we would be leaving the next morning.

The Grand Canyon is beautiful beyond belief. It made me feel very small and insignificant. It reminds me of  the lyrics to a beautiful song by Beth Neilson Chapman...  Click on the link to hear it.

All alone I came into this world,

All alone I will one day die.

Solid stone is just sand and water, baby.

Sand and water and a million years gone by.

Day 8 - Grand Canyon

We got up early this morning and had breakfast in the hotel.  It was sunny and windy and the air was cool, in the upper 30's so we wore our fleece jackets, packed our camera/ipad and binoculars.  Before we  headed to the canyon Randy got a cap (the first time I had ever seen him wear one) and we were afraid that the wind would blow our hats off our heads.  We searched in vain for one of those croaker hat clips that they sell at the beach.  I could just imagine the wind taking a hat and one of us falling off the side of the canyon trying to catch it!

It was a very short drive from the hotel, maybe 10 minutes, to the entry gate.  They charged $25 per car for a 7 day pass.  We drove straight in to the Grand Canyon Visitor Center at Mather Point.  There is a shuttle system that will take you to the various overlook points as well as a walkway for those in good physical condition.  We started here, walked a ways and then once we had formulated our plan, we got on a shuttle to catch the eastern part of the park.  Mather point was our first glimpse of the canyon.  It was unbelievable.

The canyon is so huge, so vast, so beautiful, that it looks unreal.  It looks like an illusion or dream.  It makes you wonder how it is possible for that tiny river, way down there at the bottom could possibly cut away so much ground to hollow out such a canyon.  The canyon is some 277 miles long, as much as 18 miles wide in some areas and one mile deep.  Water can be a powerful thing!

At the park entrance there were signs saying that it is not only dangerous to feed the wildlife in the area, it is also illegal.  Still, it was hard for some to resist feeding the chipmunks that were so used to visitors that they would allow people to get close enough to touch them in exchange for a piece of apple.

We took the bus to Yaki Point where we could see hikers and donkeys heading down zig-zagging trails into the canyon.  You'll have to click on the photo and enlarge it to see them.

 

The landscape along the rim is fairly flat but rocky, with ponderosa pines, sagebrush and various cactus type plants.  

We took the shuttle to the Grand Canyon Market Plaza and had lunch.  There was a gift shop and we were able to find gifts to bring home to the kids - cactus plants.  After lunch we took another hike along the rim toward the Bright Angel Trailhead.   By this time it was getting near 3 pm and Randy wanted to book a helicopter ride for the next day.  We went to the room to do that and rested for a little bit then took the car back to the GC Market and picked up the Cactus plants.  We hunted down the laundry facilities and washed some clothes and then had dinner in the hotel.  Our helicopter ride was scheduled for 9:00 a.m. and we were both EXCITED!