The Grandest Canyon

What can I say, except that the Grand Canyon is everything I hoped for.  It was breathtaking and the weather was perfect - sunny and clear all day.

I intended to post all sorts of beautiful pictures, but am having trouble with my internet connection, so I'll edit this post tomorrow and add them, along with some more detailed text about the course of my day.

Sorry for the delay!

****
As promised, here are the pics from yesterday . . .

First off, I thought I might be thwarted on my first attempt to see the view from Mather Point (the first stop at the visitor center):

But it was just a matter of rerouting and I was able to see these spectacular views:

From Mather Point, I then walked about 2 miles east on the Rim Trail to Kaibab Point.  There was quite a bit of residual snow in places, which also made for pretty pictures like these:

Nearing the end of the trail, I found this very curious twisty tree:

A broken branch dripping with sap (doesn't it almost look like icicles?):

At Kaibab Point, I hopped on the shuttle to go further east to Yaki Point, where I managed to get a shot of myself just chillin' on the rim:

Following lunch, an afternoon riding the shuttle, and a little rest, I hopped in the car to travel even further east to catch some sunset pics, like this one from Grandview Point:

On my way further east, I saw the obligatory wildlife crossing the road:

Arriving at the farthest point East in the park, Desert View, I caught the last bit of sunset:

Desert View is one of the only spots on the South Rim where you can see the Colorado River.  It is also the site of "the Tower":

The sun is almost all gone:

After that, I went to the IMAX showing, had some dinner, took care of business and headed to bed.

Thanks for your patience - hope it was worth the wait!