2010 Apr 15: Travel Photography | Grand Canyon, Arizona

Our last major stop on the Southwest Roadtrip was the Grand Canyon. Much like the first half of the journey, things did not go according to plan and we were somewhat thwarted by the weather. Our first visit was on Easter, and it was absolutely MOBBED with tourists and families. Not only that, but it was super windy and just not very comfortable staying outside for a prolonged period of time. So we killed some time indoors at the cafe and gift shop before venturing out again for sunset. By that time, more clouds had rolled in and absolutely nothing was happening in the sky. We were freezing cold, and I was exhausted and still feeling the residual grossness of being sick, so I just was not in the mood to spend more time there. Driving out of the park, the sky erupted right at sunset, though we wouldn’t have seen this over the canyon from where we had been waiting. Figures.

The next day was absolutely gorgeous – warm and sunny, our favorite :) We figured we’d spend the afternoon wandering around the towns of Flagstaff and Sedona, and then head up to the canyon late afternoon to try again with sunset. The clouds were rolling in as we approached the park, but it looked so pretty from where we were and I thought it’d make for a dramatic sky. We arrived too early for sunset, and since it was drizzling and FREEZING (like in the 30′s) out, we had drinks and snacks at the Bright Angel Lodge bar to kill time. And oh go figure, by the time we emerged for sunset, it had started to rain/snow and the sky was completely overcast. Seriously, who has such ridiculous luck?! I guess the heavy clouds did look pretty cool over the canyon, but we only had brief glimpses of the rock between all the clouds and fog that kept rolling in and obstructing the view.

Then a few days later, when I was flying out of Las Vegas, we flew right by the Grand Canyon! I think this may have been better than actually being there in person. From above, it looked so massive and widespread! When you’re standing on the rim, the other side of the canyon seems so close… but from above, you can see how far apart the two rims really are. You just have no concept of the shape of the canyon and how far it spans when you’re in it. It’s just breathtaking.