USA 2023. Grand Canyon

I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure what to expect of the grand canyon. It’s one of those things that is so hyped up that I doubted it could be that good.

There is a kind of suspense that builds as you approach the South Rim, which is where most people experience the canyon. The drive there isn’t exciting. In fact it seems to get less interesting the closer you get. If you’re headed for Mather Point, you won’t see anything until you start walking the short trail there from the parking lot.

I was blown away. It is far more than grand. The size, the colors, the details.

Somehow each viewpoint(there are many) had something new to offer. A different way of looking at the same thing.

So, one thing I really wanted was to actually capture something more than just a photo of the grand canyon. There are so many of those…yet how could I make it special? A storm! A storm rolled in and started pouring rain into the canyon. There were moments with sunlight and storm, there was lightning, there was deep dark clouds…all ultimately showcasing the canyon below. Apparently rain is decently common in the canyon during the summer, but I’m sure God set this one up so I could capture a small part of his glory.

I also stood for a while and managed to catch a lightning bolt. It’s not the best of photos but it is kind of fun…this was handheld reaction timing…I wasn’t doing long exposures.

After exploring the south rim, I camped at Lees Ferry, which is considered the official beginning of the Grand Canyon. Not near as grand at this point, it’s still a very scenic area, and the camp spots had a full 360 view. Of course it was still looking stormy, and it was very windy. I got prepared for a storm…that never came. The rain went around. The wind still stuck around and had some tremendous gusts. The camper top stood firm through it all…way better than any tent would have handled it.

The next morning I headed for the North Rim. I had heard great things about the north rim as well. It is higher than the south(8800ft), and has more up close “temples” and details. The south rim is more shear…you can see a long way down. The North rim is more colorful and has more up close detail. It’s also quieter, with smaller crowds and less traffic. I’ll let the pictures do the rest of the talking about the North Rim.

It probably wasn’t quite as amazing as the storm from the day before, but it was still an awe inspiring experience. The feeling of being small, when before something larger and grander than you could imagine. A small earthly taste of God’s glory.

Next up, the Jeep needs an oil change. But I might not need an official blog posting for that. The oil change is very unplanned, as it’s coming earlier than I anticipated. So I’m a little out of the way at a Jeep dealer…might modify my Utah plans just a bit. Either way, more adventures are incoming!