Considering that parts of the Grand Canyon are 200 billion years old, we were thrilled to learn at the gates of this national treasure that, because of our advanced age, we could get in for 10 bucks a carload, and that we are so old we need never again spend a dime getting into a national park. Really. The Golden Agers are now on the prowl with the new card. This is better than a press pass, because you don't have to have to ask questions or write anything.
We've flown over this colorful, steep-sided gorge many times, but only recently took the opportunity to gaze over the south rim and wonder how it all came about. Oh, there are plenty of explanations, but nobody really knows exactly.
Stan's favorite president, Teddy Roosevelt, was a major proponent of the Grand Canyon area, visiting on numerous occasions to hunt cougars and enjoy the scenery.
The canyon, created by the Colorado River cutting a channel over millions of years, is about 277 miles long, ranges in width from 0.25 to 15 miles, and drops more than a mile. Nearly two billion years of the earth's history has been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut through layer after layer of sediment as the Colorado Plateaus have uplifted. As if getting in for 10 bucks wasn't bad enough, we sneaked into a tour in progress and learned about this rising of the land. It was only recently through space photography that scientists figured that out, said our guide.
The first recorded sighting of the Grand Canyon by a European was in 1540. The first scientific expedition was led by U.S. Major John Wesley Powell in 1869. Powell referred to the sedimentary rock exposed in the canyon as "leaves in a great story book". Long before that, the area was inhabited by Native Americans who built settlements within the canyon walls. We didn't see any.
Climbing the canyon is the reverse of climbing a hill. The hard part comes at the end. Dick Robertson has hiked into the canyon six times. He's taken his entire family, (Brenda and their girls, 11 and 13, at the time) and camped overnight. He was not available for an interview yesterday. Kathleen and Stan stayed close to the roads. The park was just about vacant when we were there, this is definitely the off-season and we enjoyed the experience immensely in light jackets on a sunny day.
(If you have a high-speed internet connection, be sure to click on these photos to see them full-size and in high definition.)
