Horizons need to be broadened sometimes in order to see the forest from the trees. And that really is the essence of vacation after all. We set out on our westward journey in order to gain a little perspective, to enjoy each other’s company away from the din and the noise, and to view unexplored vistas, because we are both of the same adventurous spirit.

Lewis and Clarke we are not…however, Tom being a great fan of Undaunted Courage, he has referenced it many times this trip. (And Lonesome Dove as well.)

Imagine. Setting off on horseback to uncharted places!

Well, our journey really began the day we left Flagstaff, Arizona. Certainly we’d seen many beautiful places along the way, but none would compare to what was to come.

The Grand Canyon…is beyond the imagination’s ability to fathom or compute. Reddish browns, pinks and purples, gray and tans…dotted by sage grass and shrubs, evergreens and bright yellow, pink and purple flowers. Who knew? A forest edged right up to the canyon? Surprised the life out of us. All we could think about were the Native Americans making their way up to the edge of that rim!

Ten MILES across and more than a mile deep, it defies words. I stood and Tom wheeled as close to the precipice as we dared. It was staggering, honestly, to stand at the sometimes low railings and peer in. We saw hawks and larger raptors, such as the condor stretch their broad wingspans and sail on thermals, wide over mounds and mounds of rock and ledge.

Tom’s mom, now in her eighties, took the mule trip down into the canyon when she was in her early twenties. We could see people, the size of ants, hiking along trails down there. I was told you could even mail a letter from the canyon bottom. There’s a post office that rests alongside the mighty Colorado, and people actually raft, kayak and boat through the waters there. But I was fine just where I was!

The most amazing thing about the canyon, though, is its constant evolution and change. Tom and I were able to stroll along the 12 miles of the southern rim, which is actually lower in elevation than the northern rim. If we tired, or wanted a change of scenery, the Park’s bus system would pick us up with their handicapped friendly buses. We never tired of the view…the magical sights and sounds and the spirit of ‘more’ that exists there.

But. At one point, Mother Nature tired of us. A storm rolled in sending veins of vertical and horizontal lightning high into the air. I’d heard the rumbles, and grew anxious, but Mr. Adventure in his titanium chair did not relent at first. Once he saw the lightning, though, he took flight with me pushing from behind. A bus pulled up, lowered its front end and we rolled on board.

We were not done, though. We waited out the storm in the Visitor’s Center, watching a 20-minute Imax narrated by Peter Coyote. What a huge treat. We both found ourselves a bit emotional in parts. It further underscored the magnitude of the Canyon’s beauty, allowing us to process the true spiritual nature of the journey we’d made.

The food in town brought us back to the grim realities of tourist traps like the Grand Canyon, however. Anyone with a nickel or two in their pocket and a cookbook could beat the restaurants there. We eventually settled on “We Make Pizza…”, a sad title for a restaurant. It did not disappoint. The food was as bad as its name.

Upon our return, we were able to take our car back into the park and use our own access pass, which allowed us to venture off to places only the buses could go. The Grand Canyon is most definitely the most easily accessible parks we’ve been to. They’ve paved miles and miles of paths for wheelchairs, but this access pass trumped it all. We could pace ourselves and cover more ground. We made it all the way down to Hermit’s Rest by sunset, a sight you won’t want to miss!

So now…our biggest challenge is the whittling down of the 137 photos we took in Grand Canyon National Park. For every turn we made, with every moment that passed…the lighting, the vista, the canyon itself changed, allowing us to do just what we set out to do: broaden those dull vistas we’d had in our brains, gain a new view of our American world, and celebrate this wonder of the world!

Oh…and the wildlife—well, the elk were everywhere, but so nestled into their forests, we were hardly able to capture them with our cameras. We knew there was more to this scene, but we focused our energies on the Canyon. There’d be more of nature to be had at our next stop: Yellowstone!