Day 17 (Grand sunrise)

Day 17
July 8, 2006
Grand Canyon

Our first of four nights at Grand Canyon was punctuated with some light rain that hardly woke us up (we’re getting used to it). Per normal, the rain ended and everything was dry by dawn. Frank was first to get up and he decided to take a sunrise hike along the Rim Trail. He walked about 3 ½ miles and saw some beautiful sights made more dramatic by the low-angle light. Once again, it was hard to take a bad picture while walking along.

Frank’s parents joined us for breakfast in our campsite before we set out by shuttle bus for the western points in the park. The morning sun was strong and hot as we waited in long lines for the shuttle to pick us up. The schedule was advertised as running on 15 minute intervals, but the park added buses so that they were coming every 10 minutes. Nonetheless, the busses were packed with visitors speaking a tapestry of languages. Grand Canyon is truly a League of Nations destination.

After lunch and an hour’s relaxation, we drove to Mom and Dad’s room and took showers. Although Mather Campground has flush toilets, it does not have showers. We were grateful for the use of their showers.

The rest of the afternoon was spent lounging around the campground. Our neighbors broke out a set of horseshoes and a tournament ensued. Then Emily dazzled the neighbor kids with her throwing ability.

Just as we finished a chicken fajita and broccoli dinner, a pretty energetic thunderstorm rolled through the South Rim area, with lightning and some moderate downpours. We had planned to join the neighbors for a campfire with s’mores, but the rain doused that plan. Instead, we read in the trailer for an hour and went to sleep at 9 PM.