Grand Canyon

Our next stop was the Grand Canyon where we spent the night at Grand Canyon Village in the El Tovar Hotel, a grand hotel built by the railroads back in 1905 in an attempt to bring tourists to the canyon. It was pricey but very nice and we were fortunate to wander in on a Friday evening on a holiday weekend and get a room. The village is built along the south rim of the canyon and there are about a half-mile of walkways all nicely paved and bordered by a stone wall overlooking the canyon. The views were breathtaking, but it was mighty windy up there.

El Tovar, Grand Canyon Village, Arizona. More info HERE

The following day we got it into our heads that we were going to hike one of the trails. As had by now become our typical fashion, we were totally unaware and unprepared. We managed to walk only about 1.25 miles down when Dan insisted we stop. He only insisted because he knew I was too stubborn to say I was getting tired. The walk down was much easier than the walk up and it took us nearly three times longer to go up due to the fact that I had to stop every 30 feet or so and catch my breath. By the time the summit was in view, my leg muscles were burning.

Grand Canyon, Arizona. That little trail you can see heading down to the cliff is Bright Angel Trail, the one we hiked (briefly). It takes a minimum of six hours one-way to hike out to the cliff. More info HERE