Grand View: Our first view of the Grand Canyon during our visit Aug. 19 was from Yavapai Point. Any view of the Grand Canyon is magnificent when one first walks up to the rim and gazes across this amazing canyon. A Geology Museum is also located at Yavapai Point, which offers spectacular panoramic views of the canyon and the geological features within the Grand Canyon. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Grand Canyon Village: A view from the rim trail near Grand Canyon Village reveals the incoming change in weather caused by the hurricane making landfall at San Diego the day we visited the canyon. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Visitors at Mather Point: A view from the trail near Mather Point shows a small sampling of visitors as they come and go. Mather Point is near the Grand Canyon Visitor Center and one of the most popular viewpoints along the south rim of the Grand Canyon. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
One thing we have learned since we began traveling frequently is you can plan a trip to whatever detail suits your style but you still must be flexible.
That was certainly the case for us on our last journey.
We had planned a trip to San Diego, Calif. for our anniversary. This was a very different trip for us in that we drove our car rather than the RV and we would be staying in hotels traveling to and from San Diego as well as our time in the city.
Reservations were arranged months in advance in San Diego at our hotel which was located near downtown. Neither of us have ever been to San Diego and this was more of a getaway trip to see the city and surrounding area while celebrating our anniversary as well.
We left home in south Denver and the trip was going as planned until we arrived in St. George, Utah on Friday, Aug. 18. That afternoon Marilyn was talking to her sister and she notified us of the impending hurricane Hillary, which was aiming right at San Diego. We were aware of the storm in the Pacific but didn’t really think much of it because tropical storms don’t happen on the west coast … until now.
We left St. George to our next destination, Las Vegas, Nev. While traveling to Las Vegas the weather reports became more threatening. We began making calls and were able to cancel our hotel reservations and abort our trip to San Diego. As we all know now the hurricane did hit land at San Diego and a lot of rain fell in the area.
We arrived in Las Vegas Saturday afternoon, did a short site seeing tour, and continued south. Our destination was not the LA area and on to San Diego but we were headed to Kingman, Ariz. We wanted to go south and take I-40 east as we were heading back to Denver.
It didn’t take long for my wanderlust to take over. Just a few miles out of Kingman I suggested we get off of the Interstate at Williams and go to the Grand Canyon, a site we have visited several times and always enjoy. We could make a drive through visit and continue on our journey.
I titled this Post From the Road “Grand Canyon Drive Through” because that is what we did. We entered the Grand Canyon National Park via the south entrance and exited a few hours later through the east entrance.
When we entered, we drove west hoping to stop around the Bright Angel Lodge and trailhead area. However that area was packed and there was no parking to be found. Knowing we had limited time; we drove back to the Yavapai Point and Geology Museum and made our first stop.
The first time one walks up to the canyon and experiences the jaw dropping views and the size of this magnificent work of nature is unforgettable. Our experience is the same after many visits.
This was a midday quick drive through visit but it was as spectacular as ever. We were there at the time of day when the light was least dramatic and the least photogenic but I had to make a few photos to document the visit. One factor that was on our side was the clouds and incoming rain showers that arrived as the hurricane approached landfall.
We enjoyed each stop as we drove toward the east end of the park. The quick visit to the Grand Canyon was as enjoyable as ever. The weather created some views that we will not forget.
By Monday evening we were safely back home in Denver. The trip was nothing like we had planned but it ended up being a nice scenic drive of the southwest U.S. Our anniversary was Tuesday and we enjoyed a meal at our favorite local restaurant. The weather here was beautiful and there was no sign of the storm that slammed Southern California.
We still haven’t been to San Diego but that will be another trip at another time. We will go with the flow and enjoy the city whenever that trip may happen.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Light and Shadow: Sunlight shines on the canyon walls while the foreground is in shadow and dark clouds form above the Grand Canyon during our drive through visit of the national park last week. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Rain Showers: As time progressed and we moved farther east during our brief visit at Grand Canyon National Park we could spot rain showers in several directions. Resilient trees such as this one can be seen along the rim of the canyon as they grow out of the rocky soil. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Colorado River: Looking from the Desert View Watchtower reveals the Colorado River as it flows into the Grand Canyon. This is the last view on the eastern end of the park before leaving the park. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Incoming Storm: Looking from the Desert View Watchtower toward the west reveals the rain showers moving into the area of the Grand Canyon. Shortly after we left the park and continued our travels east the rains caught up with us. Fortunately, we were able to drive through and enjoy the Grand Canyon before the rains fell. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
