 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
I wanted to take a helicopter tour over the Canyon. I
judged that early morning would be best; as it was, flying was suspended
at 2.30 that afternoon because of winds exceeding a safe speed for
flight. |
 |
Fingers were crossed for a calm start to the next
morning. We did not have any flexibility as we had to move on to
Monument Valley for our next stopover. |
|
I spent some time on the edge of the
Canyon watching the sun go down. |
 |
 |
 |
| And then, a short trip down a very small part of the
trail leading to the Colorado river way below. |
 |
Although the path is wide enough to carry people on
mule back (there was strong organic evidence to show that they had been
there recently) the outside edge of the path could only be approached
with trepidation, it's a helluva long way down.
In fact, warnings are there for prospective hikers to
see. |
 |
 |
 |
Because we there for only a short time, we took the
instant gratification (and expensive) route. 8
am and we were there on a calm clear morning.
Inside the waiting area, an ancient Bell
helicopter sits forlornly on a shelf above Jean. |
 |
|
Our 'bird' was getting ready to fly. |
 |
 |
Once airborne, BOSE noise cancelling headphones on,
we entered an unreal world as we slowly cruised toward the canyon rim.
Music and a commentary (in French!) prepared us for the experience. |
 |
Nothing can quite prepare you for that feeling of
floating over natures biggest chasm on planet earth. It was, for me, an
emotional experience. The sense of enormous time, distance and history
both geological and geographical are just mind boggling! |
 |
We were truly looking at one of the worlds seven
wonders. |
|
 |
 |
 |
way, way below, the Colorado river raged. |
 |
All too soon, it was all over. Expensive,
yes, but in view of our short time allocated, it had to be. Just one of
lives great experiences. If I were younger, I'd like to go back and do
the trek across the Canyon from South to North Rim. Maybe one of my sons
will do it one day! |
