Grand Canyon and beyond

As my last post said, I ended up getting a little cabin to myself for a couple of days at the Grand Canyon. My plan to stay one night turned into four. I met another employee of the park just up the road. William was actually the man who I talked to at the Back Country office about what trail to hike etc. The first day there I was doing my laundry and he stopped to say hi on his bike. That night he made me supper and we talked and laughed into the evening. His little backyard was fenced in and gave Okie tons of space to run around in.

The next day, again I planned to leave. I walked up to give William a post card and say thanks for the hospitality and was invited to go into Flagstaff with him for the day. I accepted and we had a wonderful day doing errands and such. He suggested a great Mexican place for lunch and I had the best tamale I've had so far. The drive there and back with William was like having my own private tour guide. He has worked at the Canyon for 12 years and is a wealth of knowledge, answering every little question I could come up with. I thoroughly enjoyed his company and am grateful to have met him when I did.

I left the Canyon yesterday and drove north to Zion National Park, where I sit just outside the entrance of now. The drive took me through another part of the painted desert and past the vermillion mountains, both incredibly beautiful. The day was cloudless and couldn't have been more enjoyable. I'll leave you with some photographs of the landscape as I get ready now to see what Zion has to offer. Onwards and upwards!

Vermillion Cliffs