My husband, our15 yr old granddaughter and I signed up for this tour because it went on the backroads of the Grand Canyon Park, where tourists can't drive their cars. So we knew it wouldn't be crowded. My main concern was that it would be boring, spending up to 2 hours in the pine forest surrounding the rim of the canyon, and only one hour viewing the canyon sunset. Well - Was I ever wrong!
Our guide, Colleen, made the 7 people in our open-air safari vehicle, instantly feel like a family group heading for an adventure. Her low key, easy manner hid the amount of knowledge she would share, while she was driving, about the huge ponderosa pine forest and its inhabitants, including the history and culture of the native Americans who lived there, the early colonists, and how the Grand Canyon became a national park. She had lived in the area for many many years, and also shared many stories about the wild animals there, including the elk, mule deer, etc. But, also about.personal encounters with bobcat and mountain lion sightings.
She was an absolute joy to have as a guide. She made us laugh, ask questions, think about the enviornment, and understand the significance of the forest and relationship it had with the canyon.
The time actually flew by. We stopped and got off to take pictures of animals that we spotted, all the while feeling perfectly safe, as she stood with us, sharing information about the plants and other animals we might see at that location.
By the time we reached the point where we were to view the sunset, I was disappointed that our tour was almost over. We all disembarked with the blankets she had provided for us at the beginning of the trip, wrapped around us, and walked with her to the short distance where the viewing of the sunset would occur. She graciously took pictures with our cameras of us with the beautiful sunset in the background, and carefully monitored our safety on the rock.
All in all, this tour with Colleen was one of the major highlights of our 7 day trip, which included Bryce and Zion, too.
Thank you for such a great experience!
Linda Stevenson