Saturday, May 4, 2024
We awoke this morning at 5:00 am to the alarm on Jane’s iPhone. We tumbled out of bed in the dark and quickly put on the clothes we had laid out last night. Too soon, we were walking in the first morning light through ponderosa pines, past the mule yard, and through the Village to Rim Trail. We walked along the trail for a little ways looking for a nice spot with a view east to observe sunrise.
When we arrived, black clouds and the sliver of the waning moon floated against the dark blue sky. As the sky’s color lightened and the clouds became whiter with orangish undersides, other people joined us along the trail railing. Finally, the great orb rose above the horizon casting its orangish hue on the canyon walls.
——————— Sunrise over the Canyon ———————
After sunrise, we hustled back to our room, showered, dressed properly, downed a cup of icky room coffee, then hiked back to El Tovar Hotel resturant for breakfast.We were seated in a small room that had one wall lined with canyon-view-windows. We both ate hearty breakfasts with good coffee and orange juice. Jane ordered Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon and I had pan-fried trout with scrambled eggs.
A Hearty Breakfast
There were four overlooks along the western section of Rim Trail that we had bypassed yesterday. So, after breakfast, we wandered to the beginning stop of the red shuttle bus line. Our first bus stop was at Trail Overlook. This stop afforded great views of the Village along the rim as well as Bright Angel Trail. This challenging trail winds down the steep canyon wall and eventually traverses and ends at the edge of a high plateau. The windy trail route carved out interesting patterns against the red rock canyon walls and its green vegetation.
——————— Trail Overlook ———————
After viewing the Trail Overlook, we used the free shuttle to successfully visit Maricopa Point, Mohave Point, and the Abyss.
——————— Maricopa Point ———————
——————— Mohave Point —————-
———————— The Abyss ————————
Having completed our viewings of the Grand Canyon from the South Rim, we took the red line shuttle back to the Village, rushed back to our room in the Redbud, quickly packed, and checked-out at the main Maswik Lodge building just before the 11:00 am deadline.
We then drove back to the Visitor Center to verify that it wasn’t opened, then departed Grand Canyon National Park more than satisfied with all that we had seen during our four-day visits. As we exited the park gate, there was a very long line of cars waiting to enter. On the drive back to our campground, Jane spotted a huge Fred Flintstone sign and decided that this would be a great stop for beer. In addition to selling beer, Fred also ran a diner & market, a prehistoric park, and a raptor ranch. I stayed in the car, but Jane reported back that Fred offered a great beer selection.
Jane’s Beer Stop
Bedrocking Dino
After the beer stop, we continued on to the campground. We spent the afternoon doing laundry and our usual motorhome activities: editing photos, blogging, catching up on news (including the Kentucky Derby), and reading. In honor of Cuatro de Mayo, we had tacos and beer for dinner. We’re off to Vegas tomorrow.