As we neared Utah's border, we caught a glimpse of Lake Powell. It seemed strange to see such a huge body of water in a desert area. Shortly after that, we crossed the deep Glen Canyon on a newly constructed bridge. It is quite an engineering feat.
We arrived at the east entrance of the Grand Canyon at 4:30 pm. We stopped at Desert View (7400 feet high) and got our first sight of the canyon with the Colorado River snaking its way far below. The grandeur and magnitude of this place takes your breath away.
Located at that viewpoint is the famous Watchtower, designed by Mary Jane Coulter and built by the Fred Harvey Company and the Santa Fe Railroad in 1930. It is a re-creation of prehistoric towers which were scattered over the Southwest. I was amazed at how it seemed to be a natural part of the landscape.
We continued driving along the rim with more spectacular sights of the canyon that seems to go on forever. Then we entered a pine forest which was rather dense. John even spotted a deer grazing under the trees. We reached the parking lot for the visitor center and decided stop our day of sightseeing and drive to our motel. It is located one mile outside of the park's south entrance, in a community called Tusayan. The motel is very large, deluxe, and with beautiful grounds. On our way to dinner this evening we saw two elk enjoying a meal of grass and shrubs just outside our door!
Having had a busy day, we're ready for a good rest tonight. Then we will spend all day tomorrow back in the park.
Note: since Monday afternoon when we entered Huntington, Oregon, we have been on Mountain Daylight Time. When we entered Arizona today, we discovered that all the state, except for an Indian reservation, is on standard time! So once again, we are on the same time as we would be at home.
Also, WiFi is down here and my AT&T connection isn't working. This won't get posted until those problems are solved!
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