South Rim Explorations

Hopefully you're not sick of Grand Canyon stories - I have one final set of photos from the day after my sister and I's big hike.  (Then it's back to my normal "three months behind" schedule of blog posts)

Kolb Studio at sunrise

Post-hike, my sis and I were lucky and scored a room in the Bright Angel Lodge, just steps from the Lookout Studio and canyon rim.  Not only were we able to leave our rental car parked the duration of the trip, the rim was right there, totally accessible any time of the day.  Which meant great opportunities to capture the sunrise.  And the next morning, I did just that.

Rock layer close-up

Although the sunrise was sort of a dud that day, it was nice to have the rim trail nearly to ourselves. 

Early morning hikers on the Bright Angel Trail

Peering down the Bright Angel Trail from the rim, I captured a group of early-morning hikers setting off to the canyon bottom.

Looking down on Indian Garden

My sis and I located Indian Garden, surrounded by a grove of golden trees.  Hard to believe just one short day ago we were down there!

Lookout Studio

Although a bit stiff and sore from yesterday's climb out of the canyon, my sis and I knew getting out and walking around would be the best way to loosen sore muscles.  So we strolled along the rim trail towards Mather Point, stopping at every attraction along the way.

Hopi House

My sis and I popped into the shi-shi El Tovar Hotel and gawked at all the finery we couldn't afford.  Then we crossed the street to check out the Hopi House.  Another building designed by Mary Colter, this one was my favorite of her creations.  Modeled after a Hopi pueblo, it housed gift shops specializing in Native American artwork.

Zigzags of Bright Angel Trail

Past the commercial portion of the rim trail, my sis and I thankfully left a large portion of the crowds behind.  Looking back towards the Bright Angel Trail we got a cool view of the sharp zig-zaggy switchbacks traversing the cliffs.  Pointing it out to a nearby man, we proudly told him we'd
 hiked out of the canyon just yesterday (I figured we'd earned those bragging rights!)

Foolish people standing too close

The closer we got to Mather Point, and the large visitor center nearby, the more foolish people we saw standing precariously close to the canyon's edge.  It seemed to be mostly younger people, all wanting to get their Instagram selfie.  My sis and I saw two young women actually duck through a guardrail to get photos of each other perched on the very edge.  Yikes! 

Powell Point

That afternoon I had some unfinished business to attend to.  When I visited the Grand Canyon back in March 2018, I'd wanted to ride the bus all the way out to Hermits Rest, but only got halfway before the sun set.  So my sis and I jumped on a bus and made it all the way out to Hermits Rest. 

Sister moment at Hermits Rest

It was great to finally see Hermits Rest.  My sis and I ran into a young couple we'd seen hiking out of the canyon the day before and they were nice enough to take our photo.  It really was a small world at the park that week - we ran into a few fellow Phantom Ranch hikers that day, including the Oklahoma couple several times. (We saw them so much, my sis said she was afraid they'd think we were stalking them!)

Funny sign

My sis and I had to laugh at the "don't feed the squirrels" signs posted everywhere.  They depicted the squirrels as fierce, biting animals.  Apparently feeding the wildlife must be a huge problem if the park is resorting to scare tactics - they even had "no feeding the animals" warnings on their napkins!  (And for the record, we didn't give food to any critter)

Amazing view from Pima Point

We stopped at every viewpoint along the way to Hermits Rest, and I decided to return to Pima Point for sunset.

More views from Pima Point

It had the most dramatic views and jutting out into the canyon, I could see both east and west horizons.

Waiting for sunset at Pima Point

I set up my tripod and waited for the sun to drop.  As the minutes ticked towards sunset, more and more people gathered around the viewing areas.  I had to be assertive at times to keep my spot.

Late afternoon sun on the canyon

Once the sun began to near the horizon, the canyon's walls lit up in lovely pink hues.

Sky colors are beginning!

It was a beautiful sunset that night.  The sky lit up in lovely shades of pink and orange.

Lovely sunset

Unfortunately, just as the sun was going down, my sister and I were inundated by a large group of young people from another country.  They surged around us, taking over our viewpoint and chattered loudly in their native tongue.  It totally ruined the experience for people like us who wished to view the sunset in peaceful surroundings.

More fantastic sky colors

Once the sun slipped below canyon walls, the young people decided to leave.  My sis and I breathed a sigh of relief.  Then we looked up, and to our amazement, the sky continued to put on a show.  The heavens erupted in color - clouds reflecting bright pink and orange hues of the dying sun.  Oh, it was almost better than the sunset!

Just when we thought sunset was done, the sky erupted in color!

And, just as my sister and I were enjoying this last gasp of daylight, we heard voices babbling excitedly.  Oh no - the kids had returned and were noisier than ever!  They again crowded around us, snapping selfies with their phones.  Ugh!

Despite the interruptions, it was one of the better sunsets I'd witnessed at the Grand Canyon and I was pleased with the images I'd captured.

Sunrise the next morning

The following morning I again, grabbed my camera and made the short walk to the rim to capture sunrise.  This time it delivered - morning clouds continued last night's spectacular colors with more lovely pink and purple hues.  My sis, who'd opted to sleep in, missed the entire show.

First light on the south rim

A final walk along the canyon's rim before leaving, I tried capture as much of the canyon's splendor as I could, knowing it would be some time before I'd return again.

Memorable trip with my sis!

A memorable trip with my sister!  We lucked out with great weather and small crowds.  We spent nearly a week in this awe-inspiring National Park, saw the canyon from top to bottom and back up again, and got some good bonding time to catch up on each other's lives.

Now back home again, it's time to plan next year's sister trip (wink, wink!)

Yosemite National Park?