The adventure started along the iconic Route 66 in Williams, AZ.



As we entered Grand Canyon National Park, a small herd of elk crossed the road in front of us. They took their time, allowing for some nice photos out the window.



First views of the canyon from the overlook point near the visitor center. "Wow" just about covers it.



This ground squirrel posed for the hordes of tourists passing by.



Bluebirds pecking at the thawing edges of a frozen puddle. You don't usually think of the canyon as being a cold place, but on the morning of our visit temperatures were in the low 40's. We were lucky on our trip, since it snowed the day after!





Western Scrub Jay, our constant companion and guide









Continuing on toward the Bright Angel Trail, there was a flock of these tiny Pygmy Nuthatch near the parking lot. Note the pine cone for scale.





Views from the Trail. I took a few hundred photos yet none of them really capture the size or intensity of the place.





Ancient Havasupai pictographs



Canyon Wren







Mules carrying materials for trail repairs



Rest stop







Scrub Jay was there to guide us on the hike back up to the rim. This part of the journey was dreamlike, surreal.







And Raven wished us farewell



It was an amazing journey.

One of Rich's work friends lives near the airport in Stuart and invited us over for front-row seats to the airshow. It was a wonderful afternoon with beautiful weather.





















In other news, I recently visited Arizona for work stuff and was able to go see the Grand Canyon! It was impressive and intense- pics forthcoming.