Both Dennis and Michael have visited the North Rim of the Grand Canyon several times in recent years. Dennis had not visited the South Rim since he was a boy and Michael had never been there. We favored the North Rim because it was less developed and less crowded. We quickly discovered that the South Rim provided much better lighting on the canyon for photography.

We were very impressed by the Desert View Watchtower a stone tower designed by Mary Coulter in 1932. The tower fits beautifully into the rugged landscape. We were not prepared for the interior walls covered in Native American images. We had planned to stay in the National Park for three nights, but only stayed for one. The weather forecast changed. Overnight lows were predicted to be in the single digits and daytime highs in the 30s. The campground we were staying in did not have electricity so we were not able to run our heater. So we departed early with plans to return another time. Although our time at the South Rim was short, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Desert View Watchtower

Views from the Desert View Watchtower at the eastern end of the national park

A raven

Breakfast at the El Tovar Hotel in Grand Canyon Village

Sunrise from Grand Canyon Village

Views along the road to Hermit's Rest on the western end of the national  park

Woodhouse's Scrub Jay

Yearling Mule Deer

An elk

Trailhead for the Bright Angel Trail that leads to the North Rim with a bit of exertion