One Canyon, Extra Large

“In fact, just about all the major natural attractions you find in the West- the Grand Canyon, the Badlands, the Goodlands, the Mediocrelands, the Rocky Mountains and Robert Redford- were caused by erosion.” – Dave Barry

After some extensive desert driving, we arrived at the Grand Canyon. We viewed the canyon from the South Rim. There are several scenic viewpoints, which are basically cliffs equipped with token guardrails. Lose your footing, and you may find yourself flying a thousand feet in a downward direction.

Every year a tourist or two goes tumbling to his or her death by stepping beyond the meager railing to get that perfect picture. Of course, much of the Grand Canyon has no guardrail at all. It would be rather ridiculous to erect a 20-foot tall brick wall around the entire Canyon, but that's about the only way to save some people from themselves (and I'm certain they'd still find a way over it). Sometimes fools can be very clever.

What is there to say about the Grand Canyon? It’s an incredible natural wonder that you just have to see at least once in your life. But once you’ve seen it, you’ve seen it.



In truth, I feel that we really just grazed the surface of the Canyon, viewing it from the rim. Someday I’d like to return and spend more time here, hiking into its depths, taking a helicopter tour, and riding a mule. (Mules are used to travel into the Canyon because their eyes stick out from the sides of their heads. This biological anomaly allows them to see BOTH sides of the precarious cliff-hugging trail at all times. And really, who amongst us doesn’t want to ride a mule?)

Kristy and I seemed to be among the few American citizens visiting the Park. On the shuttle buses and at the scenic viewpoints, we were surrounded by tourists from Asia, Europe, and South America. At one point, a rather large group of Asian tourists began excitedly taking pictures of us, presumably because of Kristy's blonde hair! (Or perhaps they were impressed with my substantial beer belly?)

The campsites within the park were full, so we stayed about 20 miles outside the Canyon. Our campground, for no apparent reason, had a Flintstones theme. It was really quite bizarre. I've never seen another campground like it. At the entrance was a giant image of Fred Flintsone, and the grounds had various Flintstones-themed amenities (Wilma's Laundry, for example). They even had a full-scale replica of Fred's prehistoric car. Someone invested a great deal of money decking this place out in full Flintstones regalia. If only they'd invested a little money on cable TV, sewer hookups, and an Internet connection.