Volcanoes, ruins, and a full moon

I met a guy tonight, and he told me that we probably just spent the most amazing hour of our lives together. He might very well have been right. (And it’s not what you’re thinking.) I also was told about 15 times today how lucky I am, and those people were quite possibly right too. It certainly felt like it as I was sitting here, my legs dangling over the edge of the Grand Canyon, watching as the setting sun poured colors over the rocks. The sky was cloudless, and there was a full moon above. And the only people who were sitting there for an hour, watching the spectacle, were the two of us. We talked a bit because we both felt the need to share the experience, but it was mostly one of us uttering a quiet “wow” or “amazing”. I can’t understand how people can just walk by and not stop and sit and simply stare at the beauty that played out right in front of us. I took many, many photos (625 all in all today) but even if some of them come out nicely they probably won’t be able to show the colors of the rocks, the moon, and the twilight sky. (I’m posting some photos at the end of this post nonetheless.) I’m also not going to try and describe in words because that wouldn’t work either. There aren’t any.

Before this awe-inspiring sunset I arrived at the Grand Canyon National Park via the Desert View road, the eastern entrance (off Hwy 89), because I had decided this morning to do a short side trip to Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monument. The scenic drive through this combined small National Monument alone would have made my day unforgettable. Ancient Indian ruins, and nobody but me around. Standing amid the ruins of a people that lived right here hundreds of years ago with no person in sight, gave me the very interesting feeling of being quite alone in the world. Very nice change after the hustle and bustle of New York City.

I can only recommend this area at this time of the year. Tourist traffic is minimal, at least for Grand Canyon standards (the hotel inside the park where I’m staying isn’t even fully booked). The weather is gorgeous – quite warm enough in the sun to walk around without a coat, and it was so clear that I could see the Mittens of Monument Valley from the Wupatki ruins. Take a look at the map to see how far that is … I was even alone or with only a few other people at some of the lookouts over the canyon. That actually made for a fun afternoon, as the few tourists who were around kept running into each other at every one of the scenic viewpoints. I even met a couple again at dinner just now.

As for my room: I’m staying in the oldest building on the canyon’s south rim, an old log cabin that was built in 1890. My room is nice and comfortable, and I counted the steps to the rim when I went out for the sunset: 34. And that’s from my door to the rim. That should make it easier to crawl out of bed for the sunset either tomorrow or on Saturday.

Now I’m sitting here in the lobby of the Bright Angel Lodge, a huge log cabin from the early 1930, in front of a roaring fire. Can life get any better than this?

Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monument








Grand Canyon