#166 Oct 2017 Grand Canyon - Nature's Grand Display!

Some places must be experienced first hand in order to grasp their grandeur. We have seen Imax shows, TV shows and many photos of the Grand Canyon. Nothing can convey the magnitude of such an overwhelming experience.

Our first glimpse of the Canyon was just a teaser. In the far distance is The Painted Desert.

Each viewpoint provides a new perspective of the Canyon.

Constructed in 1932 the 70-foot Desert View Watchtower provides magnificent views of the Canyon.

At Lipan Point the Watchtower is 7 miles away.

The Canyon goes on forever and the Watchtower is just discernible at 17 miles away.

The Canyon is approximately 1 mile deep.

It's from 10 to 19 miles across.

It stretches 277 miles.

The Colorado River averages 300 feet across.

The white dots on the river are 30-foot rafts.

Hundreds of species of plants, mammals and birds call the park home, including this raven admiring the view.

At 1,900 square miles Grand Canyon National Park preserves more than half the Canyon.

The rocks in the Canyon formed over thousands of millions of years as the continental basement shifted and sank, allowing layer upon layer of sediment to build up.

About 70 million years ago geologic pressure pushed the rocks above sea level, exposing them to the forces of erosion. The modern landscape began to evolve.

By 5 million years ago the Colorado River began carving the Grand Canyon. Today rockfalls, landslides and flash floods continue to reshape the Canyon walls.

In 1540 local Hopis guided the first Europeans to the South Rim of the Canyon. Three of the most agile men attempted to go down into the Canyon at what appeared to be the least difficult place. They were completely unprepared for the enormity of the Canyon.

In 1873 John Wesley Powell led an expedition through Grand Canyon. He invited artist Thomas Moran to accompany his geologic survey. Moran's vibrantly coloured paintings helped inspire Western tourism and brought Grand Canyon to life for a nation and the world.

Today Grand Canyon Village provides tourist facilities and information. Hopi House was built in 1905 to provide Hopi artisans a place to sell their arts and crafts.

Our visit to Grand Canyon was everything we expected and so much more.

Words and photos can only begin to convey the immensity of one of God’s evolving creations.

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#165 Oct 2017 Old Holes and Very Old Rocks and Trees

Everywhere we travel we discover more to explore than we expected. Sedona was no exception.

The tourist information center gave us directions to Meteor Crater, which we had heard about previously. Then they pointed out the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert in the same direction. We set out for a long day but had no idea how much there was to see and that we would want days to explore the area.

We heard some people say Meteor Crater is just a big hole in the ground.

This aerial photo in the info center gives some idea of the size of the hole.

The info center is in the lower left of the above photo.

 

50,000 years ago a very big meteor made a very, very big hole in the Arizona landscape. It is ¾ of a mile across and 700 feet deep. A shock wave of hurricane force winds flashed out in every direction, causing destruction for miles.

 

In the lower middle of the crater is a 6-foot tall astronaut with a 3’ by 5’ flag.

This house size rock is barely discernable from the visitor center.

It is estimated that the meteor was about 150 feet across and weighed several hundred thousand tons.
This is the largest piece of the meteor that has been found. The rest was vaporized or melted or blown into fragments scattered over several miles.

Scientific data gathered from the crater continues to provide insight into objects in space and how they affect the moon, this planet and other planets in our solar system.

We couldn’t comprehend a Petrified Forest until we saw how many logs were just lying around.

218 million years ago these trees were alive 4 degrees north of the equator in wet tropical forests. Ancient Arizona drifted north with the North American Plate as the supercontinent of Pangaea broke apart to form modern North America.

Petroglyphs attest to the perseverance of ancient people who thrived in this arid land.

 

This log bridge is a fascinating example of the petrified trees from this ancient ecosystem.

 The concrete support is an attempt to thwart nature. However, water will slowly erode this log that was created as it was covered with mud and water.

The Petrified Forest National Park includes the Painted Desert. Plate tectonics and erosion have created a fantastic display of colourful hills, valleys and ravines.

 

The big sky and clear air provide views over 100 miles away.

As the sun lowered the view altered.

The Painted Desert Inn provided an eerie sight as the weather changed.

Our day was complete when we were:

Standin' on the corner in Winslow Arizona