Day 14: GRANDER!

Got in to the park early, snagged a spot in lot A, then hit the visitor center, and walked 0.7 miles to the Yavapai Geology Museum. Hiked the 1.9 mile Trail of Time along the Rim- Incredible!

Following the paved Rim Trail between the Yavapai Geology Museum and the Verkamp's Visitor Center on the South Rim, is an interpretive walking timeline that focuses on Grand Canyon vistas and rocks. It sure helps you to think about the magnitude of geologic time and the stories of the rock layers and landscapes. Brass markers every meter, representing one million years of time, keep you moving along. There are viewing tubes and displays of rocks related to the period, to help you connect the rocks visible in the Grand Canyon to their place along the geologic timeline.  It was a very leisurely couple of miles!

We got to the Verkamps Visitor Center in time for another Ranger talk about the history of the Village area...then another Ranger talk about condors down near Bright Angel Lodge. Inside the lodge was a wonderful fireplace, built to show the different rock layers of the canyon.

We filled up our water bottles and headed to the Bright Angel Trailhead. This trail goes all the way to the bottom of the canyon. Since it was 4:45, we just did about a mile or so down, then the long climb back up as the sun got lower and lower in the sky. The rain managed to stay on the North Rim, away from us all day.

Lloyd accommodated my request for him to pose in a window.

It was a long day on our feet, but tonight we were not going to eat bad food. We got back to the campground, hit the grocery store for some Italian sausages, and made a nice spaghetti dinner with salad, and wine of course. And some online time for Lloyd, who is rocking my spare hat (he lost his).

Nights were cold (low 30s) and we were so glad we bought that little heater! It helped take the edge off in the evening, and made it easier to get that coffee going in the morning.