12 hours of dead slumber later, I awoke in my darkened hotel room. I felt relaxed, rested, but still sick. This cold was proving to be a hard companion to ditch. I took my time getting ready for the day, reasoning that I wanted to enjoy every moment of the luxury of having a hotel room before spending another night in my car.
I ambled into the lobby at 8 for the free continental breakfast, thinking I had an hour until it was over. I quickly noticed the attendant busily putting items away and I searched confusedly around the empty room. After some disjointed words of Spanish, recesses from my high school days, I found the clock in my hotel room had actually been correct! I completely forgot about zone time changes. I quickly grabbed some items before the attendant had the chance to whisk them away and headed back to my hobbit hole. When I finally left the comfort of the room, the afternoon sun was already warming the day. I went for a quick tour through Williams, AZ, took some pictures, and headed toward the Grand Canyon.
I started to feel more at ease as the scenery slowly melted from dry desert to mountainous firs. I pulled into the park and eased my way through the crowds into an empty spot, right in front of the wide expanse. That initial sight of the Grand Canyon is so breathtaking, it makes you feel both significant to stand at the brink of such a glorious monument, and insignificant in size compared to its grandeur. The majestic beauty of such a natural wonder is extremely humbling. I took several hours taking pictures and merely sitting on the brink dangling my feet into the recesses below. The sheer expanse of the canyon takes you back millions of years in time, to a much simpler time when mother nature ran her course and the creatures around it appreciated the simple abundance.
That evening, I took a guided nature tour and remained near a vantage viewing point to capture the sunset, a truly magnificent sight. The suns rays dip below the canyon, casting tremendous shadows across every crevice. As the rays began to drop away and the waning darkness took over, I realized I was alone in the park and some distance from the safety of my car! Not to mention the cold wind that was growing incessantly stronger. I ran back toward civilization, my backpack and camera slamming into my hip the whole way, and caught the shuttle back to my car. By now the last of the sun was waning over the mountains and the night sky was beginning to light up with millions of twinkling stars. I would have enjoyed the sight even more if my next mission weren't so fervent in my mind, finding a place to sleep for the night!
I drove around the darkened park and tried to think logically. I could find a parking space near a bathroom, but to my dismay, all the public lots were closed. The campground was out of the question unless I wanted to spend upwards of $30 just to sleep in my car! I was also hesitant to leave the park and travel back down to the nearest village, some miles away. With only the thought of waking up early enough to catch the sunrise, I found myself driving back toward Yaki point, the same spot I had just been to photograph the sunset, and the same spot I would be in the morning for the sunrise. The parking lot was empty except for one other car, so I pulled in front of the public restroom, and prepared myself to sleep. An hour or so passed as I stared up at the beautiful night sky and thought about the events of the day. But before I could drift away in slumber, harsh bright lights pulled up beside my car and the next thing I knew, a flashlight was being glared through my window and into my eyes. I quickly opened the door and found myself face to face with the park ranger. She immediately told me I could not sleep in my car, and to guide myself to the campground or leave the park. Embarrassed and ruffled, I quickly apologized and got back behind the wheel. So much for being clever!
By now, my only option seemed to try the campground, so I headed in the direction and eased my way past the entrance guard, hoping I could get away with not paying the fee! I pulled through the grounds and passed several silent cars, their inhabitants most likely asleep for the night. I pulled into a vacant lot, quieted the engine, and tried to calm my mind. Should I risk spending the night here with the possibility of being woken up again in the middle of the night for not paying the entrance fee? It was a chance I was about to take!
So once again, I curled up in the backseat of my car, hugging Mr. Minky tight and trying to keep out all of the horror movie images I had of pitch black forests and lonely individuals. Before I knew it, I was asleep. After a fitful night of tossing and turning in the cramped space, I woke up well before sunrise, said a silent prayer for not being caught, and decided to head back toward Yaki Point to reserve my sunrise photo opportunity. After fighting the biting cold morning wind and setting up my prime location, I watched as the Sun began to rise over the west of the mountains. If the initial sight of the Grand Canyon during the day, or watching the sunset weren't beautiful enough, seeing the sunrise was a completely different experience. The shutter of my camera kept clicking away as I took shot after shot after shot. A camera couldn't do the wonder enough justice.
All of the other tourists stood beside me in silent awe as we watched the beautiful sight unfold. The Sun's rays flushed the red stone brilliantly, like hell's fire reaching up from the pit of the earth. Once again, and not for the last time, I felt so thankful to be able to witness such an amazing sight and quietly reminded myself yet again not to rush through life, passing by all of the wonders of each new day.
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