The staff at La Posada granted me permission to camp overnight in their well-lit parking lot! They are the nicest folks! This morning, after being given a free cup of coffee, Jubilee and I made our way slowly to the Grand Canyon, south rim. Talk about being awe-struck! (Think: Daffy Duck with his beak literally twisting freely around his head.) That’s how slack-jawed I felt. We walked about 5 miles, grateful for the rule that allows dogs on the paved path. It was a gorgeous walk and the views were mind-boggling, stupendous, and I was filled with wonder. The crowds were a bit troublesome at first, but after about ½ mile, the crowds thinned out so that I could actually sit alone in wonder, without subconsciously taking sides or metering out advice on overheard conversations.
I last saw the Grand Canyon when I was 6 years old. At that time, the only man-made structures were a small visitor’s building and gift shop, and a short, stubby stone wall with pipe guardrails that stretched, oh, maybe 100 feet. Oh yes, and a small, paved parking lot (more like a pull-out). I was totally amazed and confused by the web of sructural growth and the complexity of the pathways, and got turned around several times (lots of new construction and road work and very poor signs), which accounts for at least 2 of the miles I hiked today. Also, it now costs $25 to stand there and look at what nature accomplished all by herself, as opposed to it being free to do the same thing 47 years ago.
Here’s a laugh: I also drove about 20 miles out of my way to see the crater where the meteor hit eons ago. But when I got there, they said I”d have to pay $15 and keep my dog in the steaming car. That crater has been there for several hundred thousand years, so I guess the cost of looking at it has gone up very slowly. I declined, though, and hit the long road.
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