Yes, those are people on the rocks out on Bright Angel Point
Saturday I worked the early schedule starting at the awful hour of 6:30am. It is always difficult for me to get up at my self-inflicted hour of 4:30. I’m just one of those people that needs two hours to wake up over coffee and blogs.
Bright Angel Canyon filled with cloud
Then I got to my canyon office view and I’m all awake with the help of a gentle rain. Every time a surprise in store. Yet I’d never seen the canyon full of clouds like this with the temple islands floating in a frothy sea. I got so lost I was almost late opening the visitor center.
Angels Gate
After a couple hours of answering the same question, “Do you think the clouds will go away?” I headed out to the Walhalla Plateau not knowing what to expect but taking my rain gear with me. Do these people think I’m a meteorologist or a seer?
First stop, Point Imperial, the highest elevation viewpoint in the park at 8803 feet (2683 meters). Sorry, no views today. And yes, that would be a great view of Mt Hayden and the confluence of the Little Colorado with the Colorado River.
This is the clear day real view.
I continued out the scenic road to the Walhalla overlook to give a 1pm History of Southwestern Archeology talk with a similar pea soup backdrop. Only a little clearing occurred, but I was too busy answering the “Will it clear up?” question to take many photos.
Next I went to Cape Royal at the end of the road for a 2:30pm geology talk and maybe the canyon would make an appearance. At first there was little hope of a full show. Then just as I finished…
Wontons Throne
…the clouds lifted to reveal the Greatest Earth on Show.
Although some visitors had been disappointed by the canyon closure all day, those who waited it out where treated to a very different view of the many moods of the canyon.
View from Walhalla overlook
Plus they got to see the Colorado River flow its true colors because of the flash of sediments from the upstream Paria and Little Colorado Rivers.