Grand Canyon trip

The bus trip to the Grand Canyon was very long... almost too long.  We started at 6:00 a.m. with a shuttle ride to Planet Hollywood and Miracle Mile where the tour buses would pick us up.  We were told we were on the first bus, already waiting, and were the first to get on.  It was nice enough, with cup holders and storage nets.  As it filled up with other passengers, a tour representative boarded and informed us we were on the wrong bus!  We had to change to bus 2, nearly full, and find empty seats where we could. There were no cup holders or storage nets.  But we had a very nice driver and met interesting fellow travelers, including a couple who had also been at the PBR World Finals.  This helped during the 6-hour drive.  Along the way, we drove past Hoover Dam, and it was a nice change to be able to look longer than I could while driving through five days  earlier.  The bus did make a few stops, including lunch at the Grand Canyon Railway depot.  Yes, this is the point of embarkation for the train that takes you to the canyon. 

When we arrived at the canyon, the first impression was that it was cold!  The temperature must have dropped about 20 degrees, and a chill wind was blowing.  We would have 3 hours to walk the paths, browse the shops (including native crafts) and rest with a drink and/or early dinner before returning. 

As anyone who has seen photos of the canyon can imagine, the view is awesome.  Yet it can't really be captured in a photo.  The depth and the breadth must be seen to be appreciated.  However, I was somewhat disappointed in that the canyon walls seemed to be gray-washed, not the vibrant reds I am used to seeing in film and photography.  Apparently, the color depends on the time of day and the angle of light.  But I clarified the best photo I have with some Adobe PS to produce the photo below.  If you can see the white lines at the bottom of the canyon, they are the mule trails that visitors can take.

  
After a mile walk and a turn through the native craft shop (picking up a few things for the grandkids), we relaxed in the bar until time to get on the bus.  The return bus trip was totally in the dark (remember, sun sets at 4:30, Nevada time, which we were adhering to), but movies were played on the small TV sets in the bus.

The one advantage to being on bus 2 is that we were the first to be dropped off, at 9:30 p.m., at our hotel.  We gave a sigh of relief as we entered the lobby.

It was a fitting end to this week-long stay in Las Vegas.  On Tuesday we would be heading for Tucson and a visit with Jim's brother and sister-in-law.