Think the 1st time I saw the Grand Canyon was pouring thru a late 1940's article in the National Geographic. "Gotta go there someday," remember saying. Well 70+ years later, finally got here and WOW, AM I HAPPY! Thank you Viator for helping make it a thoroughly memorable pilgrimage.
Visiting this 5 & 1/2 million year Monument to Nature, up close & live, was both awe inspiring & humbling, an emotional experience I can only compare to seeing the Pyramids, Sphinx, Abu Simbel for the 1st time in 1985.
Our guide was Superb and his Geological explanation of the various strata that make up the Canyon, their formations, consistency and ages, was just 1 of many highlights of a beautiful, unforgettable day. Forgive my forgetting his name. I'll hide behind mental decline. Believe it was at Lipan Point under a shady tree, he deftly described 1,700 million years of a miracle in the making, all in less than an hour.
Our lunch at a Trading Post near Navajo Point was exceptional. Sitting amidst wall fittings & furnishings rescued from an 1890's Pharmacy, while dining on superb local cusine, and admiring the original stamped metal ceilings was another highlight. Still get chills thinking about it, with regrets for not having eaten the 2nd carnitas taco on a massive plate.
We must have stopped at 7 or 8 various viewpoints along the South Rim. Sun and Shadow work their magic, providing infinite color variations of the ever changing Canyon. At Desert View, we visited the Watchtower, meticulously designed by Mary Colter in the early '30's, an exact replica of those built by native populations centuries ago.
A thrilling experience sums it up. Something you just "gotta see someday."