The Grand Canyon...Our first view!

Here we are... All settled in at Trailer Village, Grand Canyon Village, AZ. Early Wednesday morning we headed out to the visitor center and our first view of the Grand Canyon at Mather Point. 



The air was crisp, the skies were blue, and oh yes, Tammy...the sweet smell of pine trees!

There really are no words to describe what we saw!

We walked along the paved greenway, mostly in silence, except for quite a few "wows" and "oh mys", just trying to take it all in.

Indian paintbrush

According to information in a book we bought today (Along the rim...A guide to Grand Canyon's South Rim from Hermits Rest to Desert View) Stephen Mather, along with his assistant, supervised the final stages of the 37 year fight to grant Grand Canyon the protection that finally brought it into the National Park System in 1919. 

In 1914, Mather, who had a devotion to monumental western landscapes, complained to Congress about the management of Yosemite and Sequoia. Congress wrote back..."if you don't like the way the national parks are being run, come on down to Washington and run them yourself." So he did! He became the first director of the National Park Service in 1916.

After lunch, Joe and I decided we wanted to go exploring...jeep style!

 
After a nice visit with the Rangers at the Tusayan Ranger Station, we decided to take the Grandview Trailhead...which best suited out time frame. Just south of the town Tusayan, we took FR 302 east for about 15 miles.





The roads were mostly graded dirt roads, suitable for passenger vehicles. But we did take several of the old logging roads...fun!


Of course, I was looking for any kind of wildlife!



The mule deer were all we saw! OOPS! Thanks Judy and Sandie...these are elk!








The lookout tower was built in 1936 by the CCC.

 

We had a great day.

 

Hope you had a nice day too. Thanks for stopping by!

 

Y'all come back!

Time to go...

 Tucson, AZ

Our patio view every night!

Our time here in Tucson is coming to an end. Tomorrow is travel day. Destination...The Grand Canyon. Thanks Merikay from Merikay's Dream for all the great post about the Canyon. We have never been!

  

It's for sure our pups will really miss Lazydays. They love the doggie park here. They take us there every morning and insist we play ball!

This past week, Jack has been up extra early to enjoy the park before it gets really hot!  We think he's cute and we know he is way smart! He and Wrecks both love to drink lots of water.

Sally has no trouble at all finding a shady place to guard the gate. She has become the official welcoming committee of one! 

After a job well done, the water bowl calls her name so she "mozies" on over for a sip before reclaiming her spot in the shade.

Dover is always busy! From the beginning of our stay, she began burying her toys! Everyday when we called "Time to go!", she found just the right spot...and would dig...

...and dig...and dig...

...and dig. She dropped in her toy. Then she covered...and covered...

 

...and covered...

...until she was satisfied. Only then, could we go home! The next day, sure nuff...she digs up her toy until time to leave!

 

This past week, Joe and I crossed something off our bucket list ...a desert sunset. Destination...Gates Pass Road.

 The road through Gates Pass was started in 1883 by Thomas Gates. He wanted a shortcut through the Tucson Mountains. Thomas Gates was a local pioneer, and a saloon keeper. He purchased this land in order to build the road.

Currently, about 3100 cars travel the scenic road daily.

Parking on Gates Pass is limited to several "pull-outs". We chose the spot at the David Yetman hiking trail. Once parked we hiked a short way...didn't want to have too far to get back to the car  after dark.

Isn't the hedgehog bloom pretty in the sun's light? I didn't alter the photo at all. What do you think?

The picture on the right was taken about 30 minutes before sunset.

From that time till sunset, it was just pure beauty! How do you ever pick just a few of these pictures to share? I'm having a really hard time with that!

The oranges and yellows fill the sky as the sun slowly sets!

We have had a great time in the desert.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

Y'all come back!