Day 11 "How long did it take Mr.Grand to dig this?"

We spent a wonderful day touring the South Rim of the Canyon! Despite forecasts of terrible weather and rainstorms, we were able to hike all morning on the rim trail. After lunch we drove to the GC Village and checked out the hotels and lodges there, as well as an art studio and lots of great vantage points for the pictures at the end of this post. The weather was perfect for hiking. It never rained, never got hotter than 87, and the sun was shining most of the time. We also found time to do some laundry at the Campground laundromat, along with what seems like hundreds of French college kids who are here camping and touring. Sam had fun goofing around with the laundry in the dryer. We took a shuttle bus further west along the rim and took many pictures and short movies at 5 of the lookout points. The Canyon takes on a different character at each turn of the road, and new vistas appear so quickly that they give you a new view every minute. At some places, the muddy Colorado River is visible (a full mile lower in elevation, plus about 5 miles away to the north). Sam and Sarah have been having fun posing for pictures with different magnificent backgrounds. We took pictures of each other, and also got other tourists to take pictures of all 4 of us a few times (and often returned the favor, taking shots for them). I handle the actual cameras, but let Sarah do the honors for people taking pictures with their phones. She is a whiz at it! Those pictures are first, right after this narrative. At other times, the River is obscured by a cutback, but a whole new hillside of different rock formations comes quickly into view. We also saw the mule team trail that winds all the way to the bottom from Bright Angel Lodge. There is an overnight trip on mule back available, with a stay at the bottom at the Phantom Ranch and a return trip the following day. Amy wanted to go but I said no. Samuel got a little tired of walking and riding the crowded buses (Saturday afternoon in July is probably not the best time to visit here), so we rode back to the Lodge and rested a few minutes. Then it was time for our dinner reservation at the El Tovar restaurant, the oldest and biggest hotel here. It sits right on the rim, with porches and verandas overlooking the sides of the Canyon. A huge storm was brewing as we drove the quick mile from our Lodge. We arrived and found a huge mule deer and her fawn nibbling the grass on the front lawn of the hotel (pointed out by Sarah). They were still there when we left 90 minutes later, when the rain had just ended. We had a great window table with a view of the Canyon as the storm rolled in with thunder and frequent lightning. The lights dimmed a few times, but never went out. Our meal was fabulous, with steaks (me and Sam) and rainbow trout (Amy and Sarah), and delicious desserts all served expertly. It was a meal we'll always remember, and it capped a perfect day at the Canyon. Tomorrow night, Sunday, we should have both cell phone and wi-fi service, so I'll try to post in a more timely manner and check phone messages. We plan to check out of the Lodge here early, hike down into the Canyon in the morning, watch some traditional Hopi dancing after lunch, and then drive about halfway back to Las Vegas on historic Route 66, to our hotel on the Hualapai Indian reservation! Please reply or email a response.