Day 2.
Miles Driven: 293
We were so tired from the early morning of packing yesterday morning and the late night stroll of the Las Vegas strip last night that we slept in this morning and picked up a few things at a store before really hitting the road around noon.
First stop, the Hoover Dam! It is considered one of the engineering wonders of the world by controlling the flood waters of the Colorado River and generating energy for Las Vegas and the LA basin.
Once at the Grand Canyon, we set up our “camp” at the Mather’s campground. Only $18 a night. Quite a deal! Our site is tucked away in a quiet corner of the campground. We were greeted by two mule deer strolling through the campsite munching on leaves. We too had some dinner on our little camp stove and had fun organizing our car for optimum storage and sleeping. All of our belongings can fit into the front two seats leaving us plenty of room in the back for sleeping. The couch mattress is quite comfortable.
We headed to the Grand Canyon rim to enjoy a beautiful sunset and watch the changing colors. A woman there said to her family: “It looks like someone sculpted it.” and she right, God did. Such an amazing wonder in our small world.
“O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom has thou made them all: The Earth is full of thy Riches.” -Psalm 104/24
“Father Almighty, wonderful Lord, Wondrous Creator, be ever adored; Wonders of nature sing praises to You, Wonder of wonders- I may praise too!”
Day 3.
Miles Driven: 381
We woke up to birds chirping and a view of the pine and juniper trees surrounding our camp. After breakfast, we headed to the Grand Canyon’s newly built South Rim Visitor’s center. Their bus system was also quite impressive and quickly brought us to the historic district of the park. The historic El Tovar Hotel was filled with heavy wood panels and hunting trophies and had one of the best views overlooking the canyon. What a view for the visitors staying there.
On the way out of the park, we stopped at Desert View point and enjoyed one of the best views down the canyon. We could see the curving Colorado River and the rise and fall of small canyons and mesas. The Desert View Watchtower was designed by lady architect Mary Colter and is remnant of the Native American architecture of the area and blends into the landscape.
The drive from the Grand Canyon to Moab, UT was long but full of changing scenery. We listened to music and books on tape to pass the time. I also read an article out of the AAA tour book on the many tribes who live in the south west. We made a pit-stop at Four Corners, the cross section between Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. This tourist attraction is situated in Navajo land and we got to browse crafts created by the local people.
Tomorrow, Arches National Park!
Total Miles: 1,118
The Orange Penguin (i'arancio pinguino) 