From Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon is quite the change of pace. They are polar opposites when it comes to noise and commotion. So, it seems fitting that after two days of excessive excess we journey out to a place where the bare essentials are used and we rejuvenate our soul's and perspectives.
We arrived at the Grand Canyon shortly after the final ray of sun had said goodnight and the moon was beginning to share her beauty with all. As I drove around the curvy road that wound past forests and the edge of the canyon, I let Jason Mraz flow out of the speakers and into my ears where his voice controlled the rhythm of my heart. His melodies and lyrics set the mood and all of us seemed to be lost in the beautiful music being played. When we reached the campsite the sign informed us it was full, but being the inquisitive-find-out-for-ourselves-type we still drove around the camp. What did we discover but a place that was empty. Life had worked out once again. We set up camp and did what we do best- start a mini-party. The night was fueled by the relaxing songs from Janssen's iPod and of course, our favorite kind of velvet...Black Velvet. A truly delightful whiskey. Our conversation drifted from a mellow vibe to becoming in awe of the moon that is able to case our shadows and the numbers of stars that are faded and forgotten from the city lights. This concluded our first evening.
The next morning seemed to come fast. It probably had to do with the fact that the wind played tricks on my mind and had me convinced a mountain lion was contemplating eating me...also I have come to an important conclusion: a tarp over a hard ground covered with rocks is not as comfortable as one might think. In fact, it's not comfortable. Janssen was up and concerned about the park ranger and paying for our site, while Auren and I were more interested in pressing the imaginary snooze button. Jonathon was being a sloth and enjoying his slumber in the Saab. When Auren and I finally mustered up the strength to open up our eyes, Auren decided it would be a fun game to try to drool on me. For reasons unknown, I was not as interested in this. Finally, the morning got started with Auren, Janssen, and me enjoying our books, which turned into just on of the several disagreements Auren and J engaged in. Towards the end of our journey I began to expect the lively discussion of two minds who didn't agree or just wanted their points more heard than the other. Moving on to the Grand Canyon scenic excursion.
The first stop was at the watchtower. There we experienced the first view of many that would calm our minds and almost demand that we see and appreciate the beauty before us. the rocks shifted from reds to whites and were uniform all across, regardless of gaps between. Gorgeous. it's hard to describe the beauty. Everyone should be able to experience the wonderful Earth that we live on in a way such as this. The next part of our day was defined through hiking. it was a backwards hike, super easy in the beginning due to it being downhill, then not fun to go back up, because you guessed it all uphill. Not as fun, but the view we had was reason enough to stop and grab your breath and be able to appreciate the scenery.
I'm unsure how far we went down, but the boys were in an intense conversation as were the ladies. We stopped walking, but kept the talking going once we hit a lookout point. After spending some time talking and just enjoying the land we hiked back to the top. Like I said, not as easy, but rewarding. Once we got back to the car, we decided to stop the General Store. Bad idea. All of us grabbed everything that made our taste buds halfway salivate. This included: two bags of chips, Oreos, chicken fajits, tamales, burgers and hotdogs. there may have been more, but my memory has chosen to forget my gluttony. After seriously indulging in food the guys entered a conversation and I my own world, which rings me to another conclusion: I am done smoking green. there have been good times, but for the most part I feel paranoid and not able to articulate my thoughts. so, after that evening I have decided it's not for me. Maybe I'll try it again under the right circumstances, but for now I'll pass on grass. J and I went to sleep in the car for comfort and that concluded our grand adventures at one of the seven natural wonders of the world.
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