Day 31. Tusayan, AZ (the Grand Canyon)
Yesterday: Day 30. Cameron, AZ to Grand Canyon National Park, AZ
Tomorrow: Day 32. Tusayan, AZ to Williams, AZ
9 September, 2003 -- Day 31.
Tusayan, AZ (the Grand Canyon)
0 miles
1096 miles to date.
The Story
Today was a rest day, giving me a chance to enjoy some of the local
sights. I made it a point to not plan any hiking today. The Grand
Canyon is so large and so many incredible adventures could take place
within its rim that I thought I would save such adventure for a
separate trip in the future and enjoy a day of physical rest.
In the day's exploration, I encountered three firsts for me:
- Today marked the first time I watched an IMAX movie without being
on the verge of throwing-up. Maybe it was by design that the Grand
Canyon IMAX movie was not too sensory-stressing, but I found this movie
to be a little light on the flyovers and a little heavy on the story,
which I am not complaining about. Nice.
- Today marked the first time I have ever been in a helicopter. The
tornado warnings in Navajo County and near Flagstaff delayed my trip
by hours, but finally in the late afternoon the weather cleared and I
was able to get up and experience the Grand Canyon in a truly unique
way (see the photos). At takeoff, I was ecstatic and feeling
incredible as we soared over the open forestland surrounding the
National Park. Then we hit a little gust of wind and my stomach
knotted up. Then we crossed over the rim of the
Canyon.... unbelievable. About 90% of the time I was on cloud nine,
while the other 10% I was ready to hurl. Nonetheless, it was a truly
incredible experience.
- Oh, and I ate some Elk today for the first time. It was good. Mmm.
Tomorrow
I will head south to Williams, Arizona for a 50-mile ride.
Snapshots
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