Grand Canyon

Saturday we headed to the Grand Canyon at 6 am. We figured on a 4 hour drive, but who knew the speed limit was 75 and that most people drove around 85! The plan was to head up 17, to 89, to 64, and then back to 17. The scenery on the trip up was amazing. As we started the climb into the mountains, the desert gave way to pine trees and then after Flagstaff the desert returned. It was so flat, you could see the line where the green stopped and the red desert took over. The weather was also extremely variable; we went from 60 with sunshine, to 40 with snow and ice. Three and a half hours later we arrived at the East Entrance of the Grand Canyon. We hit the first scenic pull-off, Desert View, and headed to see the Canyon. I can not think of any creative way to describe the Canyon so let’s just say it is absolutely awe inspiring.













If it was not for the snow and blistery wind I would have like to just sit and stare for a few hours. Instead, we proceeded to drive along 64 stopping at all the scenic points to take pictures. The sun also did not want to cooperate, so B decided to try his hand at some black and white photos, hoping the b/w would better show the shadows of the Canyon.


If you follow Highway 64 you end up at the Grand Canyon Village, at this point the Canyon was getting very crowded so we decided to head back and make a stop in Flagstaff for a late lunch. A passenger on our flight from Baltimore recommended the Beaver Street Brewery and what’s not to like about a burger and a beer (unless you are a stupid tree-hugging, veggie like me). Flagstaff was much smaller than expected, really not much more than a college town. This made finding the Brewery very easy and in no time we were seated and had ordered up a round of drinks. After lunch, we took a quick stroll around Flagstaff to stretch our legs and then headed back to Phoenix.


Stay tuned for more adventures, we did not get to sleep that night until 2:30 am Sunday!