Thanksgiving - Thursday 22 November - Grand Canyon to Zion Canyon

Started the day by returning to the Grand Canyon South Rim to see how different things looked with the morning light. Not many people had started the day so it was wonderful to look at the majesty of the canyon without the noise of others. After we had our fill, we headed along the South Rim road heading to the east and stopped at a few overlooks (note not lookouts) to catch a different perspective. Then into Desert View for a visit to the Watchtower.

With many more pictures on our memory cards both camera and human and Jenny having purchased a Dream Catcher, we headed off away from the Canyon and to the north across the Painted Desert. The changing landscape reminded us all of the many facets of God's creation and how beautiful they are.

Probably the highlight for us was our stop at the Navajo Bridge across the Colorado River on the road to Kanab where we were able to have a very close encounter with a Californian Condor. Only his mother could really love him!!!!!

Alison had taken on the driving just before this and was having fun with me telling her to move away from the road edge - just what she had done to me on my first day! We headed across a changing landscape of rocky cliffs, mesas, scree slopes and incredible colours from white through pink to red until we finally reached the towering cliffs of Zion NP. Someone had said to us at the Grand Canyon - you think this is great as you look down, wait until you get to Zion and have to look up. Part of the entry drive to the park is through a mile long two lane tunnel carved through a mountain. Alison enjoyed that part of the drive - NOT!

This view looks back up to where the tunnel cuts through the mountain and you can see an opening which is one of the "windows" cut into the outside tunnel wall.