When I wake up this morning and look outside the window, I see red rocks and a palm tree. I’m surely not in the cold north anymore. I miss Montana and the people that live there. The last thing I did yesterday before sleeping was to check flights for later this year.
Since I didn’t work much while I was in Montana, I catch up on e-mails in the morning. I don’t want to let my clients wait for too long for a reply and today I only have about five hours driving time to the Grand Canyon. I work til eleven in the morning with a short break for breakfast. Then it’s time to check out and to start driving. The first part of this trip is very beautiful, because the road passes Zion National Park very closely. I’ve seen the park last week from the inside, being surrounded by the red mountains. This time I see it from a distance and that’s very beautiful too. When I leave the red rocks behind me, a long stretch of flat empty landscapes follow. It’s not too exciting, but also nice to see. Soon though the red rocks of Arizona come into view. Even though they have the same color as the mountains of Utah, they look a bit different. The landscapes here are wider and there are fewer cars. At the gas station and along the road I see from time to time some people who look like native Americans. I remember that also from the last time I went to the Grand Canyon, a few years ago. The road is a bit longer than expected, but about an hour before sunset I arrive at the national park. It’s beautiful to see the enormous canyon again, but it’s quite chilly here with a strong wind. The times I was her before, I used to climb on the rocks at the edge, but now they’re snow covered and so I skip that part. I drive to a couple of viewing points before it gets dark and also get to see a few elk on the road. I had planned to drive to the town of Williams, but when I see some hotels just outside the park in the town of Tusayan, I think it’s better to stop here. It’s getting dark and I don’t feel like driving further. This way I can get dinner on time and have a relaxed evening in the hotel. Conveniently there is a good pizza place just ten minutes walking from the hotel, so that works out fine too. The town of Tusayan is just a mile outside the national park, so I can go there again tomorrow to see more of the Grand Canyon during the day.
