What a magnificent day we had here in the Grand Canyon. It is easy to feel insignificant as you
gaze into such great, deep vastness.
This earth is truly a beautiful garden that humans are fortunate to walk
upon. Seeing the earth’s ancient,
timeless history layered within the strata of the Grand Canyon is a truly
humbling experience.
This evening as we sat upon the edge of the canyon to watch
the sunset, we were blessed to be surrounded by a herd of at least 30 elk! They walked lazily along eating grass,
bucking and playing, and watching and calling to their young. It was such a beautiful and surreal
experience. The sun set slowly,
casting shifting gold, red, and purple tones on the Canyon’s faceted cliffs.
Later, we had an incredible dinner at the famous El Tovar
hotel, built in 1909 from native rocks and timbers for visiting
dignitaries. Eight presidents and
many other famous people have dined and stayed here on the Canyon rim. We left after dark, and walked out to
be greeted once again by the elk herd!
Some were now sleeping on the grass, while others still grazed. But what was truly beautiful was
walking back to our hotel room, which also overlooks the canyon, and having a
family of four elk walk right beside us (within 5-10 feet)! What a special end to the day!
We paused before entering our hotel to gaze up at the
star-filled night sky. We could
clearly see the starry swath of the Milky Way across the heavens. There were so many more stars
surrounding our familiar Big Dipper and Casseopia, too, and all the stars
sparkled in such a lively way.
Looking into the completely dark chasm of the canyon reminded me of looking
out into a dark ocean at night. Sort
of ominous. The brisk wind even
sounded like waves crashing in the distance. But instead of distant buoys ringing their eerie chimes, we
were in the middle of elks chirping sleepily to one another…
Boundless beauty surrounds us all...
-JW
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