OK,
so now I'll never have to hesitate again when someone asks what is
the favorite place I've visited. No superlatives are super enough
to describe, no panoramic postcard is big enough to capture, and the
best camera only begins to hint at the grandeur of the Grand Canyon.
Even when I lived in Hawaii, I have never been more impressed with
the simple majesty of the earth itself. It's certainly a different
kind of beauty than the tropic lushness I have always preferred. But,
between God and nature's simple devices, this creation literally took
my breath away when I first stood at its rim
with every one of my senses on overload.
We
arrived the first afternoon in time to catch the show of the shadows
across the canyon. The next day we hiked and drove from one end
to the other. We felt fortunate that we saw some of the varied moods
of the canyon. It was a bright hot sunny day when we began.
The
Colorado River
winding through the Canyon
The
subtle shades of color, the shapes that were worn by the great
river that looks so puny when viewed from the canyon's vantage,
the sheer vastness of the beauty extending in every direction
- to say that I found my inspiration again is an understatement.
Thunderstorm
advancing
Then
we watched and participated in the Navajo friendship dance
in the afternoon during a brief shower. The trembles of thunder
lent an eerie and somewhat somber tone after the ceremony.
Lightening bolts became visible far in the distance and by
the time we got to the car, it had actually started hailing
- pebble to marble sized ice chips - it was amazing!
