Grand Canyon
The alarm clock wakes us up at 6 A.M., as we want to arrive early at the " Grand Canyon " to try to find a site available at the campground , and do the first loop in the afternoon.
Freezing temperatures outside (- 7°), a quick breakfast, a rapid shower and we leave at 7 am with the heating on high.
The campground refuses to let us in before noon, so we take the shuttle bus for the first loop (cars are not allowed) and also do part of it by foot.
The morning colors are great and eventhough we both had been here before, the scenery is still spectacular.
Except one ou two overlooks close to the visitor center, where asiatic tourists spend more time making selfies than looking at the scenery, we have the canyon just for the two of us. Nobody !
We make a break to have lunch and to warm up and then do the second loop with the evening colors.
Another very cold night is waiting for us (-10°).
The Grand Canyon Park is another unique geological phenomenon . It reveals a beautiful sequence of rocks layers that serve as window into time.
The carving of the canyon is only the most recent chapter in a long story.
By five or six millions years ago, the Colorado river flowed across the colorado plateau on its way from the " Rocky Mountains " to the gulf of California.
First discovered in 1540 by a spanish expedition, it's only two centuries later in 1776 that a Franciscan went down to the botton and named it " Colorado ".
Since 1885 tourist business developped tremendously. The authorities, now, turn to the site protection.