Awesome Amazing Grand Canyon

(7 Oct 2010) When the word awesome was popular to be used for everything from "these eggs are awesome" or "you have an awesome tan" or "that was an awesome shot", we took a different tact with our kids. We encouraged them not to use this great word for everyday things, but to use it as a word of reverence. A word set apart for God alone and the things he has made.

To that end AWESOME is a perfectly fitting word for the Grand Canyon. We had just a half-day to visit this incredible site and chose to go to the popular south rim. We got a quick orientation from a friendly park ranger at the visitor center and set out walking on the paved Rim Trail. From the very first view the canyon took our breath away. Not from being scared at standing on a rocky ledge next to a 5000 foot drop off, but from the shear grandeur and majesty of the views. We took our time walking along the rim of the canyon oohing and aahing at this amazing work of God's creation. This truly is a place that must be seen to be believed. The shear size of the canyon - 277 miles long, 10 miles wide, and 5000 feet deep - means that any picture you take is like taking a postage stamp size picture of a football field and expecting that to tell the story. We ended up hiking about 5 miles along the south rim then took the free shuttle bus back to the main visitor center and got in the car to head to a prime viewing spot that the ranger told us about to watch the sunset. We got in place about 30 minutes ahead of time. The wind was gusting probably 20 to 30 mph and the temperature was dropping. We put on all the clothes we brought, braved the elements and were glad we did. Our camera is not good enough to capture the different nuances in the shades of color inside the canyon that occur as the sun is settling into the horizon. We did get some shots looking away from the sun on the canyon walls which give a sense of what we saw. A dusky sort of haze muted the colorful canyon giving it an almost ethereal mystical look.
This is about the 25th National Park we have been to on our trip. It is right up there with Yellowstone as the overall highlight of our travels so far. You really have to come here and see it in person. You will never use the word awesome lightly again!