2016 is the 100 year anniversary of our National Park System. What better way to support and celebrate these national treasures than visiting as many national parks as possible on our way to Christmas in Washington! The fluffy, pristine snow made the perfect Christmas trimming to this magnificent park.

 

In winter, there is no worry about overcrowding. At the most, there were 100 people at the park with us. There was no waiting in lines to talk to the rangers or jockeying for positions to take pictures. The park receives about five million people every year.

Even though it was winter, the day was sunny and the temperature was in the upper 20s.  It was a perfect day to visit – so glad we weren’t here during the blizzard yesterday!

I visited the Grand Canyon during the summer when I was young. I remember how hot and crowded it was. (And that Grandpa didn’t feel good so we had to cancel our plans to ride the burros down into the canyon!) Hubby had never been there before so that made our visit extra special.

Besides being a National Park, the Grand Canyon is a World Heritage Site. This means that it was picked (by UNESCO) as having unique cultural or physical significance deserving special protection. UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

The park is 1,218,375 acres! It is 6000 feet deep at it’s greatest depth, 18 miles wide and about 277 miles long. The vastitude of the park is such that it can’t really be comprehended.

The canyon was formed as the Colorado River sliced through this arid land carving out steep canyon walls made over millions of years.

Plant life clings precariously to the vertical walls of the canyon. There are approximately 1,500 different plant species in the Grand Canyon, some of which are endemic only to this canyon.

Water washing, eroding surfaces, expanding and contracting in rock cracks, with the help of the wind, carve and etch the land formations. Nature is the artist creating a continually changing and evolving masterpiece.

The different rock layers respond in different ways to erosion. That’s why there are sheer canyon walls, pinnacles, slopes, peaks…  The colors are due to the presence of various minerals in the rock. Traces of iron produce the reds, yellows and subtle green shades. The snow, temporarily glued to the walls, forms its own distinct lines providing a vivid contrast in the canyon.

As we stopped to marvel at the sweeping, panoramic views along the south rim, we were often by ourselves. The canyon was truly incomprehensible. The sight to behold was constantly changing as the clouds created different moving shadows and the sun shimmered and glinted off the snow. The subtle whisper of the wind through the pines, the occasional song of a fleeting bird, the crunch of the snow beneath our boots were the only sounds. The air tasted cool and clean.

Did you read the fictional story, Brighty of the Grand Canyon, when you were a child? It was a fictional novel based  on a real-life burro that lived in the Grand Canyon from about 1892-1922. I remember reading about him navigating the steep paths and narrow ledges as he traveled up and down the canyon. It’s a great, classic story if you haven’t read it yet. The canyon is home to 90 some mammals including mountain lions, elk, big horn sheep, wolves, badgers, deer and bear. It is unfathomable how some of these animals, like the real Bright Angel,  traverse the walls of this magnificent canyon.

Although it was mesmerizing to watch nature’s spectacular show before us, we had a long ways yet to travel before stopping for the night. I walked the dogs briefly before continuing our journey. Tomorrow’s plans are for Zion National Park!