Grand Canyon

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We decided to take the Hoover Dam route outside of the Vegas towards the Grand Canyon, in order to save time. This meant we would probably not make it to Zion national Park of Bryce Canyon. After a quick stop at the Hoover Dam for a few photos and to snap the Welcome to Arizona sign, we continued onward to the Grand Canyon, stopping once in Kingman on Route 66 to have lunch at Mr. D'z Diner. We arrived around 19:00 and after driving around for a bit and taking a few photos of the Canyon, decided to head towards a campground that we had read about in our book in the National Forest (as all the Canyon campsites were full). On the way we passed Grandview Point and decided to stop, realizing once we arrived that it is a prime spot to watch the sunset over the Canyon. We sat for about 45 minutes watching the colors of the sky and canyon change. After sunset we drove towards Kaibab National Forest, about 2 miles up, and found the free campsite we had read about with a manmade fire pit off the side of the road. After setting up the tent, again in the dark, we settled to have to mimosas and make smores. The campsite was the most perfect so far, with hardly any other people nearby, and with a full view of the most starfilled sky either of us has ever seen. While starting on the smores a park ranger drove up to our campsite, an oddity at 22:00 and given where we were. We approached him to make sure it was okay to camp there with the fire and found out that we matched the description (blonde woman and black haired man in 20s driving a white car) of a couple in an abduction case from earlier in the day. Apparently in a domestic dispute the man had put the woman in the trunk of his car. We were with the trooper for about 15 minutes, while he chatted with us a bit, asking Katy a number of times if she was sure she wanted to be there. Finally, he got a call on his radio, seeming to mean the couple was found, and left the site. After that excitement, we didnt end up finishing our smores, going to bed not long after.

*The next morning on our drive out of the Grand Canyon, we stopped at Lipon Point and the Watchtower to take some photos of some of the best views of the canyon. Driving out we passed a number of Indian Trading Posts, stopping at one overlooking a cliff to take some photos and read about some of the plants used by the locals.

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