Once again, thank you to the folks who's posted images out on the web or photobucket, because without them, I wouldn't have piccies to show y'all. Yes, I'm TERRIBLE at pictures...It's like baking cookies. In life there are bakers and people who appreciate good baking but can't do it for the life of them. I fall into the latter category (with the exception of making bread. THAT I can do). Same thing with pictures...
Yesterday (or the day before...no, yesterday) we did some looking around and seeing different things at the Canyon. But there weren't a lot of the grand photos that everyone associates (and has seen) of the big hole. Today, I'll try for something a little more scenic, I promise.
Let's see...Heh..for the life of me, I can't seem to get away from the surprise people display when i say that it snows in Arizona. And it definitely snows in the canyon. Here are a couple of snowy shots. The first one is a plow trying to clear up a driveway on the North Rim (the one that most people don't visit because...we..just because, I guess). Fortunately, he didn't plow up any Kaibab squirrels while he was scraping the lot. The second one is a snow trail on the South Rim. Unlike the North Rim, the South Rim is open year round.
And, in a typical move on my part, I'm going to put in something I should have put in yesterday. It's a map of the park, including Grand Canyon Village. Yup, there is a small village off the South Rim. It houses employees, of course, but there are also rental cabins, and it's the terminus for a railroad spur.
And another snow picture, this time snow in the main parking lot in the village:
Note the nice snow. This will stay for a day anyway because the temps are cool enough to support it. But I can guarantee that within an hour of the end of the snowfall, the sky will be so blue the color will look fake. (Fun factoid: The human eye sees more tones of blue than any other color. Counted cross stitchers learn the strangest things!)
The map gives you an idea of the size of the park. And you can see the Village (it has its own post office. Cool place to send post cards to great aunt Charlene from...especially if she thinks you're in London...)
The trees, by the way, are wondrous as well. The Pinon Pine(I don't have an "n-ya ,an n with a tilde over it, that I can get to, but the pronunciation is Pin-yon) is my favorite on the South Rim. Here's a picture of a tree that is a great deal older than its height would suggest:
Actually, I think I took a picture of a pinon that wasn't too horrible once upon a time. Their trunks are gnarled and they cling to the shallow soil and bedrock with root fingers that are as tough as can be: ekeing a life out of the soil at the canyon isn't easy for anything.
One of my other favorite birds, the raven, flies in the canyon. I've seen the raven confused with its little cousin, the American Crow, but they are distinct as day and night. The raven is a large bird - their wingspan is anything from 47-52". The stories of its intelligence and socialization skills, not to mention the legends surrounding Raven, are many and varied. Here are a couple of pictures of Raven - one on the ground and one up soaring (gotta love those thermals!!!)
The raven has a thicker bill, all black, as well as a "ruff" of long neck feathers. A crow (not an insignificant fellow in his own right) has about a 30" wingspan, is much smaller (although still a significantly large bird) and has a higher voice without the hoarseness of a raven. They're an altogether handsome family of birds, very intelligent and opportunistic, hence their omnivorous diets.
The first time I saw a raven, it was flying several thousand feet below me in the canyon. I couldn't begin to identify it, although my instincts were to put it in with pterodactyls!!!! Large! But much nicer looking that pterodactyls. Love the corvids, I do!
There are also, thank goodness, a small and very secretive population of mountain lions near the park. If ti weren't for those birds and coyotes, the populations of deer would overrun the place. There is an activity at the park right now involved in tagging and tracking mountain lion cubs to examine the population. There have not been any incidents between humans and the big cats (they're the 4th largest in the world after Lions, Tigers, and Jaguars) mostly because mountain lions are loners and prefer to keep away from people. Here's the "awwww" picture for tonight. It's a little fella who's been ear tagged:
Just look at those feet! He'll lose the blue in his eyes as he grows, until he looks like this:
There are all sorts of other animals near or in the park, of course. Javelinas, ground squirrels (not prairie dogs, those are different), homo sapiens (you thought maybe we were plants?), butterflies, two types of scorpions (which don't hunt people. If you stay out of their way, they'll leave you alone.), one species of rattlesnake (on the rim) which gives a warning just as all rattlers do. When you hear the sound, stand still and try to spot it. Then stand still some more until it moves off. They don't hunt humans, either. There is also the infamous black widow spider (nasty thing she is, too), but, again, the only danger comes when people forget to (a) shake out their shoes, socks, pants, and other clothing before they put them on, (b) forget to shake out bedding before settling in (c) hear a warning from a rattler and then decide to chase it or (d) invite a scorpion in for dinner. The bark scorpion is about 2" long and has the more painful venom of the two. All scorpion venom stings, some a great deal more than others. Shake things out, examine things before you reach into cupboards or backpacks.. You should be fine.
All righty, then, let's take a look at some pictures:
Remember that the best times of day are just after a rain or a snow, sunrise and sunset. The middle of the day is when pictures are taken that may show the canyon as a panorama, but also show it as almost determinedly two dimensional. Try to avoid pictures like that (it's probably too warm for you to be out snapping shots anyway).
Getting around the Canyon -South Rim
Although, in the old days (like the 80s), it was possible to drive cars to a number of the lookouts, the amount of traffic has increased to the point that the lookouts are in danger. So, to alleviate the stress, shuttle bus transport takes people from point to point. It's pretty cool, really. You're not locked into a ride on one bus. You get on, ride to where you want to stop, stop, do what you want (including walking to the next lookout if you feel you can) and then grab another bus when it or its next bus comes through. The West side of the South Rim (going out to Hermit's Point) has been accessible by buses only for years. Leave the driving to others. Remember to take your water and wear good walking shoes, and you're free to enjoy the park without having to fight the traffic. MOST cool, in my book.
Here we go:
This is one view from Yavapai (YAH-vah-pie) Point. See what some clouds will do for perspective. The width of the varies from 4 miles to over 20, and I'm guessing that we're somewhere in the upper reaches of its width. I know it's not easy to fathom, and that I'm being a little cavalier about 20 miles or 24 (yup), so, when you see it live, be ready.
The neat thing in this picture (besides all the rocks and stuff) is that you can actually see the Colorado River down (way down) below. It's kind of squiggly with a wide spot of pale pink, which is water. For a long time, the Colorado River was kept under control by the Hoover Dam, which created Lake Mead when it was completed in the 1930s. However, in recent years, the necessity of flooding the Canyon, as the river did regularly before it was tamed, has been re-learned. It's sort of like clearing the dust and cobwebs out of gutters. So, every now and then, when the situation both water wise (and water rights are one of the most hotly contested issues in the southwest and the west in general) and ecology wise are right, the river is flooded. Just wanted to throw that in. (No, no one's allowed to white water raft when that happens. Sorry, you wild and crazy river rafters, you!!!)
This is the river (shiny little bit down there) from Yuma Point. We're seeing the light at or near the sunniest part of the day.
Lest you think I'm giving the North Rim short shrift, here's a shot from the North Rim. It's gorgeous (but I am very fond of pinks and purples)
This is a thunderstorm over the canyon. If you squint and look closely toward the middle left edge, you'll see a lightning strike. And if you look off toward the right edge of the picture, you'll see that the storm either hasn't hit there yet or has already moved out, leaving blue skies.
One of the most wonderful things about the canyon is the ability to see the weather moving across it.
This is a view to the East from Maricopa Point, South Rim (yeah, another gorgeous view...sigh...)
I forgot something! We had a rainstorm a picture or so up, and, of course, we need a rainbow! The colors are not enhanced. I've seen this brilliance, usually it happens because there are clouds near where the sun in and the light shines through a gap, focusing intensity in one area. Same thing as at sunrise (and that you have to see) ...
This is another shot from the North Rim. I haven't been there, so I'm looking at these as intently as you are. I think I 'm going to have to head out that-a-way!
I am realizing that I haven't told anything about the mules or the Bright Angel Trail and I think I could find, oh, maybe something about several million years worth of rocks that tell a geologic tale without making you too bored. SO, I'm going to close for tonight and thing about other things to describe tomorrow!!!!
This is sunrise from Mather Point on the South Rim - if you look toward the far horizon, you can see that day is only now beginning to chase away the pre-dawn hours.
I bid you good night, gentlefolk, all! Until the next installment!
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