The Blog- Grand Canyon Edition

Alright, I'll save you all the tedium of reading my ramblings this time and keep my commentary to a minimum. That's easy to do when the day's subject is the Grand Canyon anyway, as there's not really adequate superlatives to describe this magnificent hole in the ground. In reality, the pictures don't remotely capture it's essence either- you truly have to experience it.



Laura, enjoying her first glimpses of the Canyon:







In the past, I've discussed all manner of road signs on this blog, including animal crossing signs such as the Schwarzenegger Moose of British Columbia, but this was the first time I've seen this particular one:

Pretty cool, huh?




For those of you who may not be aware, the vocalizations ravens are capable of are pretty incredible, and they seem to imitate just about anything they hear. Any Alaskan who has tried to re-arm their car alarm in a winter parking lot when they could have sworn they heard it disarm just after it was armed, only to look up to see a mischievous raven staring down from a street lamp can attest to this. This particular raven made a noise we can only attribute to an imitation of one of the pack mules used to ferry tourists to the Canyon floor.

...hard to believe that little ribbon of water way down there is responsible for all this...


This watchtower was built in 1932 by The Fred Harvey Company of Harvey House fame and the Santa Fe Railroad as part of the visitor facilities springing up across the West as Americans discovered the concept of tourism and sightseeing. While you can't get up to the observation point at the very top (at 70 feet above the ground and 7522 feet above sea level, it's the highest point on the South Rim of the Canyon), you can climb to the top interior level or shop the Native American crafts in it's store..