19 November 2016 Sunrise... Us?

We are not morning people. Years ago a friend joked about my love of sunsets and reminded me there actually are sunrises. We decided a place as special as the Grand Canyon deserved an early morning look. It was worth the effort. ;)

We not only made it out early. We made it out early on a very cold morning.

The shadows and light made quite a show. After celebrating the sunrise, we checked out we had a few more adventures in the park before our turn south. We spotted a few more century plants which had bloomed as a last act of a long life.

We stopped at the park headquarters where Ali stamped our NPS passport then took a walk around the south rim near the headquarters. Despite a chilly morning, the park was crowded on a Saturday. I can't imagine the sea of people in warmer weather.

Our last stop in the park was the Desert View Watchtower. We enjoyed the inside of the structure and made the climb to the top for some last wonderful views.

On the way to the Grand Canyon, I noticed Red Butte and a cache hidden there. We interrupted our return to Flagstaff for a hike to the top.