Through the Grand Canyon

We left Tucson for a two-day drive north to the Grand Canyon. The drive was scenic; what started out as generally flat prairie...

slowly turned to the colorful rocks and sharp cliffs characteristic of the Colorado Plateau, through which the Grand Canyon is carved. Much of this rocky region in northern Arizona is designated the Navajo Indian reservation, which did not look to be any better off than the other reservations we've passed.

We visited the North Rim of the canyon, so en route was the Navajo Bridge on US highway 89A: the first bridge built across the Colorado River for hundreds of miles in either direction. Today, the original bridge stands besides its hardier and newer replacement but is still open to foot traffic.

The Colorado River below the Navajo Bridge

Navajo Bridge - old and new

We spent a good part of the day at the Grand Canyon on Thursday and camped there before leaving Friday morning. We went to several popular viewpoints like Bright Angel Point and Point Imperial, but road construction and closures prevented us from seeing the North Rim from all of the places we had intended. Regardless, the canyon (like the Hoover Dam) is bigger than I could really fathom, especially seeing it only  from the top. The colors are pretty, and the pure expanse of canyon is breathtaking.

Bright Angel Point

The canyon walls

Point Imperial

Point Imperial

From our brief stay at the Grand Canyon, we will keep heading north to spend about a week in 4 of Utah's 5 national parks: Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, and Canyonlands. For me, this has been one of the most anticipated weeks of the trip; we'll be heading into one of the most scenic and spectacular areas in the country!