Apologies for the long delay, and finally the continuation of our Southwestern Road Trip. On Day 6, after a cold evening at the Embassy Suites in Flagstaff (Mak and Abah’s room was ok, but our room was freeeeeeezing cold), we went for a day long trip to the Grand Canyon. The Embassy Suites complimentary breakfast was, however, one of the better breakfasts we’d had during our trip! Fresh, made-to-order scrambled eggs, omelets, french toast, etc. What’s not to like?
At any rate, the South Rim of the Grand Canyon was about an hour north of Flagstaff, so we set off after breakfast for our Grand Canyon outing.
[[image:us252.jpg:Route from Flagstaff to Grand Canyon:center:0]]
We got pretty excited when we saw signs and we got closer to the Grand Canyon.
[[image:us242.jpg:Grand Canyon in IMAX:center:0]]
The North Rim of the Grand Canyon was already closed to tourists for the winter, and because it was off-season we were allowed to drive most of the route. In peak season, you have to use the shuttle buses for most of the way to reduce congestion on the roads.
Our first stop was the Watchtower.
[[image:us243.jpg:Mak by the Watchtower:center:0]]
[[image:us244.jpg:Abah and Vin:center:0]]
We walked down to the edge of the cliff, and on that misty morning we got our first view of the Grand Canyon:
[[image:us245.jpg:Grand Canyon:center:0]]
[[image:us246.jpg:Mak and me out on a limb:center:0]]
[[image:us247.jpg:More Grand Canyon:center:0]]
[[image:us248.jpg:Even more Grand Canyon:center:0]]
[[image:us249.jpg:Canyon that is Grand?:center:0]]
We went in the Watchtower and the bottom level is a gift shop. Of course, we had to browse for souvenirs. We also ventured up into the Watchtower and made it into the top floor where there was a spectacular view of the Grand Canyon. The inside of the Watchtower was decorated with Native American paintings and a big sand painting in the middle.
[[image:us255.jpg:Sandpainting from above:center:0]]
[[image:us250.jpg:Abah and some other tourists:center:0]]
[[image:us251.jpg:Me looking down at Abah:center:0]]
[[image:us253.jpg:Vin looking down at me:center:0]]
[[image:us254.jpg:Mak enjoying the view:center:0]]
Along the way, we saw some ruins of Ancestral Puebloans:
[[image:us264.jpg:Tusayan Ruins signboard:center:0]]
[[image:us263.jpg:The actual ruins:center:0]]
There were plenty of infomational signs. Here’s Abah by one:
[[image:us270.jpg:Abah by a signboard:center:0]]
The following images are just a bunch more Grand Canyon pictures. What an awesome sight!
[[image:us260.jpg:The Watchtower from afar:center:0]]
[[image:us256.jpg:Mak, Vin and me:center:0]]
[[image:us257.jpg:Abah changing settings on his camera:center:0]]
[[image:us258.jpg:Mak and Abah:center:0]]
[[image:us259.jpg:Grand Canyon:center:0]]
[[image:us261.jpg:Lagi Grand Canyon view:center:0]]
[[image:us262.jpg:Layers of rock:center:0]]
[[image:us265.jpg:Outcropping:center:0]]
[[image:us266.jpg:Abah and the great view:center:0]]
[[image:us267.jpg:Vin and me:center:0]]
[[image:us268.jpg:Grand Canyon:center:0]]
[[image:us271.jpg:Look at the size of the rocks:center:0]]
[[image:us272.jpg:More outcroppings:center:0]]
[[image:us273.jpg:Geological wonder:center:0]]
[[image:us274.jpg:Abah and me:center:0]]
And, just for kicks, a bit of posing under a tree. Bollywood, or Grand Canyon?
[[image:us269.jpg:Abah and Mak doing the Bollywood dance:center:0]]
And to end the entry, some more photostitching attempts. Wooo!
[[image:usph31.jpg:Grand Canyon:center:0]]
[[image:usph32.jpg:Grand Canyon:center:0]]
[[image:usph33.jpg:Grand Canyon:center:0]]
[[image:usph34.jpg:Grand Canyon:center:0]]
[[image:usph35.jpg:Grand Canyon:center:0]]
[[image:usph36.jpg:Grand Canyon:center:0]]
[[image:usph37.jpg:Grand Canyon-vertical stitching:center:0]]
[[image:usph38.jpg:Grand Canyon:center:0]]
