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Day Four: Northern Arizona and the Grand CanyonMiles today: 0 Total Miles: 1222 |
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No traveling today, at least not on my own. Booked a tour to the Grand Canyon that conviently picked me up from the hotel. Well worth the money given its a 90 min drive. 
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A view of the overnight snow from the hotel room |
More snow views, this time from a hotel where we picked more people up for the tour |
Glad I wasn't driving the tour van through the snowstorm... |
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Grand Canyon National Park |
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A quick stop at the vistor's center for bathroom, tourist baubles, and hats and gloves! The smart meteorologist that I am basically packed all my winter weather gear with the movers, which meant I had a lightweight jacket, two shirts on underneath, and a very expensive pair of hat and gloves. 
The guide, explaining the great virtues of the Yucca plant near the rim. He also turned out to be a former Aerographer's Mate in the Navy, and was rather excited to hear I was a meteorologist too. |
The guide's cowboy hat. Killing time waiting for others to get back to the van. Too cold to wait outside. |
Breathtaking vistas, even standing at 7000 ft in 20 degree weather with 40 mph winds and snow. -1 F windchill! |
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 More beautiful scenery |
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The snow cometh... |
This is where we stopped for a picnic. Yes, a picnic. One that okay until it started snowing...again. |
The Desert Watchtower |
The Desert Watchtower - From the inside |
What the Grand Canyon looked like most of the time I was up there |
Same view, minus the snow squall |
More snow. This was about the time the guide gave up and said we were going somewhere else. |
2000 feet lower and 30 degrees warmer, The Little Colorado River gorge. |
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The Painted Desert, part of the Navajo Reservation |
A stop at the famous Cameron Trading Post on the res. |
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Upstream of the gorge earlier, a bridge crossing the Little Colorado. |
The sign for the bridge, no longer in use |
Another view of the Little Colorado |
Somewhere in that snow are the San Francisco mountains... |
The San Francisco Mountains, from the hotel balcony |
All Photographs © 2009 Arlena L. Moses |