Saturday, February 25, 2015

Ahhhh! There is frost on the car windows!

Ahhhh! There is fresh snow on some mountain tops!

Ahhhh! The weather forecast is calling for snow on the Grand Canyon!

By 8:30 am, it was very chilly but sunny and we said our goodbyes to beautiful SEDONA.

The scenery along highway 89A was absolutely stunning, as we went up and down the mountains! We then hoped on I-40 towards Los Angeles and exited on Highway 64 towards Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. A very pleasant drive!

In Tusayan, we went straight to the Visitor Centre to get a pass to the Grand Canyon National Park. The pass is valid for 7 consecutive days and costs $30.00 per vehicle. During high season, it is recommended to get it before arriving to the park in order to avoid long lineups. At this time of the year, however, it is not an issue.

Because the weather forecast for tomorrow is really bad, we wanted to take advantage of today and went straight to the park’s Visitor Centre, where we watch an introductory movie about the park. Very well done! We walked to Mather Point and words cannot describe what the eyes were seeing. The vastness, the abyss, the ruggedness, the layers of colour and shade… so much to take in… what an overwhelming feeling! The first pictures you take have nothing to do with photography, but simply a way to document that this landscape is real and that you are where you are. After that, you want to capture everything!

We walked along the Rim Trail from Mather Point to the Village and stopped at the famous El Tovar Hotel for coffee and a warm apple streusel. I found the atmosphere of the place  rather somber and I am glad we did not choose to stay there.

We checked in at the Premier Best Western Grand Canyon Squire Inn, in Tusayan, where we will be staying 3 nights.

We did go back to the Grand Canyon for some evening photos, but it was really cold. Tomorrow is another day…