Grand Canyon Rim Trail

I decided to take a break on Friday ... I moved my RV inside the park to Trailer Village where I would stay for the next 10 days and set up camp.  Walking to Patty's Castle (yes, it is an RV, but believe me, it's a Castle on wheels!!) we met a couple of park employees who supplied us with information on good places to take images.  It was a secret held by few and we would be "breaking the rules" to embark on this adventure ... but I'm all in!!!  I was looking for golden hour images, and us photographers will do almost anything to get them.  We snuck up to the entrance trying to act like we knew what we were doing, punched in a code, the gates lifted and took off up the hill like we owned the place.  The following was taken at Pima Point ... I think.  There are so many points and we went to all of them multiple times.  Since Dan drives this route several times a week, hopefully he will correct me if I'm wrong!!!  Spectacular scenery!  A canyon within a canyon.  Most all of these images came straight from the camera.  You just don't need to mess with them!!!!  The little bit of haze was caused by a large fire on the North Rim ... the smoke just rolled into the canyon.

Don't think I drug Patty into this adventure ... on previous trips to the coast years ago, she carried scissors in her purse to "prune" pieces from strangers gardens that she might try to grow at her house!!!   Partners in crime, we tried to park the truck where we would receive the least attention .... This image was a "Oh my gosh ... STOP!!!"   We ran to the edge and got this shot of the sun hitting the rocks.  Again, no color adjustment.  Can you imagine living here for the summer?  I can and hope to next year.  

Everywhere we went, it was "look at that tree" and "look at that one .. wow!!"  Good thing Patty and I went alone.  If you weren't seriously interested in photography, you wouldn't want to be with us!  I have to say too that it doesn't matter what camera you have.  Patty carried her point and shoot and got spectacular images!!!

We spent several hours and were so proud that we did not get "caught" by the Rangers while on our adventure.  In fact, we planned on returning and continuing further up the canyon.  Unfortunately our "proud" balloons got busted when the kids Patty works with told her they know the code, as well as all the locals, which Dan confirmed that evening.   Kind of took the "sneaky fun" out of our adventure!!  The next time, we DID drive where we weren't supposed to, unknowingly .......... REALLY!!!

All the while here I was wishing I could get some lighting pictures.  There were a couple times it looked pretty promising, but it was not to be.  Good thing I guess, because Dan just mentioned in his blog that one of the most important parts of his job as a driver, is to get the tourists off the rim in bad weather due to lighting strikes.  It's just not something you think you have to worry about.  But worry you should, because yesterday a gentleman was hit by lighting at the rim on Dan's route.