After a long day of travel, we made it to the Grand Canyon. We flew to Phoenix, picked up a 21’ Winnebago Solis camper from Indie Campers and headed north, stopping at Costco and Safeway to stock up. The drive is 228 miles and goes from 1000’ elevation (and 100F) in Phoenix up to 7000’. So we saw lots of different climates as we went up, up, up, and the camper was no sports car, but handled it well. We didn’t arrive to Mather Campground, inside the Grand Canyon South Rim, until 10:00 pm. We were pretty beat, so we converted to sleep mode and tucked in for the night.
Mather Campground is in a beautiful Ponderosa forest with lots of room between sites. We were visited by elk at our campsite. The weather is perfect - 72F for the high and 46F for the low with lots of blue sky and sunshine and not too much wind. After breakfast we filled our packs for the day and headed out. We walked past the grocery store and to the canyon rim, then headed west towards the main village area. The Rim Trail in this area showcases rocks from the different geological eras and the walkway is marked by disks every yard or so that signify one-million years. We got to see the fancy El Tovar hotel and the funky Bright Angel Lodge. The Bright Angel Lodge housed a fireplace that echoes the rock of the Grand Canyon, with the stones on the floor being the oldest, deepest level from the Grand Canyon and so forth up to the most recent rocks on the top of the fireplace. There are many interesting gift shops and buildings, like the Hopi House and Lookout Studio, that we peeked into.
We then headed to the Hermit’s Rest Road where we alternated walking and riding the shuttle bus to many different view points. Each one is spectacular in its own way. Each one deserves time and contemplation. We are lucky to have come when it wasn’t busy and there were plenty of moments of solitude for us along the rim. At the same time, that was offset by jostling for spots on the shuttle bus and walking amongst groups of people at the larger vista points. My favorite spots included views of the Colorado River 5000’ below, glimpses of the trails disappearing to tiny ribbons below, and the views that showed interesting formations, temples, and bright red hues.
I was hoping the kids would be super excited and inspired to be here on Spring Break. But, it was warm, we walked a lot, and I think they were tired from the travel. So the vibe felt a little off and we had to have a few chats about reclaiming one’s headspace and choosing to focus on gratitude and beauty. Fortunately, after a late afternoon rest at the camper, which included communing with elk, we were in better shape.
After an early dinner, we walked to Mather Point to catch the sunset. It is worth noting that instead of watching the sunset, at the Grand Canyon, the best view is to face east and see how the sunset lights up the rock walls, turning them pinks and oranges and making them glow. The most unexpected gift of the evening was to see the jaw-droppingly incredible moonrise over the canyon rim. We watched as the giant full moon peeked up and then steadily rose above the rim. It was mesmerizing. What a magnificent planet we are living on!
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