Day Thirteen.1 –Yes, it is Truly Grand

As we travelled further south, we planned to drive to the north rim of the Grand Canyon since it typically has smaller crowds. However, the road was still closed for the winter, so we drove around the eastern side of the Colorado River’s path and arrived on the south rim of the canyon.

It was interesting to see the changes in the Colorado River as it traveled along the Colorado Plateau. In the north, near Arches, it was a big river flowing through one steep-walled golden canyon. Then, further south near Marble Canyon, we crossed over the river again. At that point the river was in a deeper canyon with steep red sandstone cliffs. Finally, when we reached the south rim of the canyon, the Colorado River was about 5,000 feet below the surrounding plateaus with a multitude of tributaries each carving smaller canyons to join the Colorado on its journey toward the sea. 

Although we had seen the huge canyon many years ago, viewing the Grand Canyon again was still awe inspiring. The expanse of the ruggedly eroded plateaus spreading as far as the eye can see, is breathtaking. That was also the sentiment of all the other people we met who travelled to see this marvel of nature. We didn’t have to know the languages from around the world that people were speaking to understand they were expressing the same feelings.


Throughout the next days, as we looked upon the Colorado’s rugged canyon walls in different lighting and weather, we noticed that each condition brought out different colors and shadows of the rocks. Looking through the hundreds of photos taken, some appear to be drawings instead of photographs.


As one of the few geologic formations that can be viewed from space, seeing the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River in person is truly a memorable experience.

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