6/28
Today we drove into the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I had thought that the whole canyon was surrounded by desert and that there was no greenery anywhere near the canyon, but I was pleasently suprised by an unpopulated 45 minute drive through Ponderosa Pines to reach the North Rim.
When we arrived we were greeted by Ken and Beth Smith who are, as Ken would say, "Going on the 42 year of their honeymoon". Ken and Beth are working at the Grand Canyon for their second summer and have explored the 4 x 4 roads, grand canyon trails, and the best spots to watch the sunset over the canyon. Needless to say, when we arrived they wisked us off to catch the sunset because the Grand Canyon has so much to see in just one full day.
The next morning we were on the trail by 6:15 am and hiking down the Grand Canyon. It was hard going at first chasing Beth down the trail as I watched her literally hop and skip down the canyon. On the way down we were educated on the different layers of rocks...from coconino sandstone to redwall...and we got an up close and personal look at the various layers as we traversed switchback after switchback.
On the way up the trail we chased Ken, so Kyle and I were always chasing one of the Smith's. Anyhow, it started to heat up on the way up the canyon and Ken had to advise some people to turn around because they were not packing enough water.
Today we drove into the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. I had thought that the whole canyon was surrounded by desert and that there was no greenery anywhere near the canyon, but I was pleasently suprised by an unpopulated 45 minute drive through Ponderosa Pines to reach the North Rim.
When we arrived we were greeted by Ken and Beth Smith who are, as Ken would say, "Going on the 42 year of their honeymoon". Ken and Beth are working at the Grand Canyon for their second summer and have explored the 4 x 4 roads, grand canyon trails, and the best spots to watch the sunset over the canyon. Needless to say, when we arrived they wisked us off to catch the sunset because the Grand Canyon has so much to see in just one full day.
The next morning we were on the trail by 6:15 am and hiking down the Grand Canyon. It was hard going at first chasing Beth down the trail as I watched her literally hop and skip down the canyon. On the way down we were educated on the different layers of rocks...from coconino sandstone to redwall...and we got an up close and personal look at the various layers as we traversed switchback after switchback.
On the way up the trail we chased Ken, so Kyle and I were always chasing one of the Smith's. Anyhow, it started to heat up on the way up the canyon and Ken had to advise some people to turn around because they were not packing enough water.
After the hike we ate lunch with the Smiths and had a relaxing afternoon in the canyon. I took this time to begin to learn how to sew my Holy jeans. The patched holes were definitely not pretty when I was finished, but at least the jeans were made decent. In fact, the jeans looked so scraggly that Ken refused to take a picture with me sewing because he did not want to be associated with my poor handy-work.
As much as I apprciated the Smiths' willingness to show us the Grand Canyon, share their home, and feed Kyle and I; the biggest blessing was the company they offered us and their encouragment to us as we continue the trip and enter into the next stages of our life. Beth encouraged me through saying that, "The day you get married is the day you love your wife the least", which offended me at first but then I realized that she meant I would fall more in love every day. Her words were particularly encouraging because Ken and Beth truely displayed a growing love in their own marriage.
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