After romping thru the Double Eagle Trading Post, we headed up toward the Grand Canyon. This was my very first visit to the Grand Canyon, so needless to say, I was pretty damn excited. I didn't even wait to find a parking spot in the official spot. The first turn-off/scenic view I found, I pulled the car over to the side of the road and rushed to take a peek over the edge.

A peek over the edge turned into a hike, and we stopped to take pictures at every beautiful vantage point.

As we neared the Grand Canyon Village, the canyon became more shallow and we could see itty bitty hikers down there. I wished we had more time to take a horse or a donkey down there, even though the temperature at the bottom of the canyon is supposed to be significantly hotter than it is at the rim, and it was a pretty hot day. Next time, dammitt, I'm going to make it a longer excursion with lots of hiking.

"... A briefcase a lunch and a mel on the edge..." Good thing the wind was calm....

The hike was extremely hot, and shade was very few and far between. Here, the three of us try to enjoy the small amount of shade produced by this large tree. I had lost track of how far we had hiked by this time, and completely forgot that I had left my car on the side of the road.

 

There was a tram that took people from stop to stop, and I alternated taking the tram and hiking between stops, all the way to the last stop, which was Hermit's Rest. Here we got some ice cream and took a break from our journey.

Ahhhhhhh rest and relaxation!! This HUGE hearth was in the main building at Hermit's rest, which was also a souvenier shop.

From there we took a tram back to one of the prettier stops to watch the sun set. By the time we got back to the village, it was pretty dark and my car was MILES away!! Like a silly goose, I left my poor tired mother and nephew in the village and set off by myself on foot. After walking for a while along the side of the road, I realized that I was suddenly in PITCH BLACK!!! I wouldn't be able to see my car if I was right on top of it. And to make matters worse, I wasn't sure I was on the right road, since we had taken the rim-side hiking path. Soon, I was starting to panic, thinking I'd be lost in the woods until daylight, and my poor mamasita would be sitting there thinking I got eaten by a grizzly bear! Fortunately, a kind tourist and his young daughter found me on the side of the road and drove me to my car, over an hour after I had set upon my walk. WHEW! the moral of this story, boys and girls is don't take off in the woods by yourself at sunset.

After returning back to Flagstaff, we set off to Las Vegas, and made a pit stop at the Grand Canyon Caverns.