28 August 2013

A day at the Big Hole


No trip to Arizona can be complete without a trip to the Grand Canyon.  Of course, the day we went, it was chilly and rainy - what are the chances of being cold and wet in Arizona? (Higher up north, of course, than in the desert, where my brother lives).


Luckily, the sun came out later and warmed us up.

Perhaps the visibility wasn't quite as good as it might have been on a clear day, but it was still rather impressive.










Between the weather and having a small baby with us, we didn't do a lot of walking along the trails - mostly used the free shuttle buses and just got out and had a good look at some of the viewing points. Someday, it would be nice to go back, and spend more time there - stay overnight perhaps and try to go down into the Canyon itself.  But it was a nice introduction to this rather spectacular piece of geography.


Here's the Colorado River, a mile below us on the Canyon Floor. It looks tiny, but it's still hundreds of feet wide at many points.


We saw a bit of wildlife - Western Bluebird,


and some ravens, which seem to be all over the place. We also saw an elk, but only from the shuttle bus, so the photo is terrible!

I also enjoyed the flora - still quite scraggly and very different from home, but much more lush and green than down in Scottsdale.


Some of us perhaps didn't get that much out of the visit, but as she lives in Arizona, I'm sure she'll get another chance!



Dad & Mom enjoyed the Canyon, though - first road trip for Baby Elise!


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