Day 11: Monument Valley to Grand Canyon National Park

Today was the big day. We drove into the Grand Canyon National Park from the northeast, following the canyon created by the Little Colorado River. Not only were we nearing our primary destination, but we were buoyed by the prospect of being back in beds after seven nights in sleeping bags.

Our first stop was at the Watch Tower, built by Mary Jane Coulter, the architect of many buildings, hotels and follys in the National Park. It was not, as we expected, under construction, however it was surrounded by scaffolding so the builders could inspect the structure in preparation for future construction! At first the views seemed unreal, like a giant backdrop where we could stand and have silly photos taken. The first time we all sat down on a wall at the base of the Watch Tower and looked out into the Grand Canyon, it was silent. No "ooh"s, no "ahh"s. Just quiet contemplation.

Next stop - Maswich Lodge, our home for the next three nights. Less than 5 minutes walk from the Canyon Rim, the rooms were comfortable. The beds, especially so. The private shower was nice, too. Following a short rest, we walked up along the Rim to find dinner at the Arizona Room. I can highly reccommend the Pulled Pork Quesadilla (appetizer) and any one of their steaks. I heard that the loaded mashed potatoes were also fantastic. After dinner, a further walk took us to the Mather Ampitheater to see Ranger Pat talk about Rock Art, petroglyphs and pictographs. The night was clear and we could see so many stars!

Day 9: Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

junToday did not start well. It was raining off and on through the night, and this morning it changed to hail - pea-sized at the largest, but hail nonetheless. Plus it continued to rain off and on for the first half of the day. Ashley had a little altitude sickness, and Anna and Katelyn felt it a little, too. It meant we had a slow start to the day and didn't get up to the Visitors' Center until about 1:30 pm. The weather improved after that and we were able to take a Ranger-guided tour to the cliff dwellings.

As we have come to expect, the Rangers give very good tours and lectures, and on top of all that, Ranger Jose was a "friggin' genious", and a really funny guy! Because a lot of the cliff dwellings had already been restored before the National Park System made the decision to leave these things alone, we were able to walk around and upon some of the ruins. It was very interesting to think about why and how the Ancient Puebloans decided to live in buildings built into the mouth of a cave. We ate lunch late, at a picnic site further into the park, while we started our Junior Ranger booklets.