As soon as you get out of the tunnel you're instantly in the world of sandstone, and like a thread through a maze, the road takes you past countless incredible massifs already frozen in time for thousands of centuries.
Later, after many photo ops, you come through the sandstone landscape and the land gets more grassy and rolling as the miles speed by.
There are windshield tourists and there are tourists that live the life of exploration. In a very small way, as is their ability and desire, they are miniatures of the titans of past ages-who read the stars, set their sails and put their trust in the natural currents of wind and water. It may not be a modern big honking Toureg or Lincoln Navigator, but I'll bet this guy has some great stories to tell....sort of like Thor Heyerdahl in "The Ra Expeditions", "Fatu Hiva" or "The Kon Tiki Expedition". Even the license plate's been through a lot.
So now we're getting close to the North Rim. The winds are bit cooler but the sun is just beaming. Very auspicious.
And note that the trees, now predominantly pines, are getting taller in the cooler climate.
By mid-afternoon, we're at the North Rim terminus, right by the canyon, at the main attraction. The parking lot tells a story of travelers' and drivers' personalities, just by looking at their license plates...
And there it is, peeking through the trees...
Just in time for a setting sun and the golden hour, out comes the camera...
And inexorably, the sun goes down...
...and the moon rises. That's the Full Moon, by time exposure.
Then it's off to our cabin, perched just 30 feet from a side canyon rim.
Can you see the tunnel window in the bus picture? ( hint: Click to enlarge it)....it's in the upper right shadows.
A long distance gal or guy who promotes Canada from Michigan, and one who puts his hobby on his sleeve, so to speak.
