10 March

Well today I really was up at the crack of dawn, waiting and rearing to go – but still on Utah time, so at not long after 6:30 I rocked up for breakfast to find – it was only 5:30! The perils of state hopping.
At the “real” 6:30 I was there and ready, and so were about thirty others. This was the largest number up early for breakfast at any establishment I have stayed at. A woman recognised my accent and chatted away while my toast was being gently ambered (three goes to make it brown), but didn’t think any of her family would like to try Vegemite. After breakfast I decided that I could combine an active and rest day so booked in for another night. I didn’t have to pack up and check everything, so I headed off to the Grand Canyon National Park. I showed my pass, got some literature and headed in. Nothing was open except the grandeur of the canyon. I parked at Mather Point and started looking around and taking photos. After that, a quick walk to the display centre and I was first to take the shuttle bus. Because of the amount of traffic and limited road and parking spaces, there are large parking spaces in centres (including Mather Point) and then shuttle buses come around about each fifteen minutes, stopping at central points and also at the lookouts. I would like to tell you I walked the south rim, but I didn’t (partly because my shoes are starting to show the signs of walking and will need resoling if I do too much more cross-country walking). It was good to get off, look around, take a few photos, have a chat and then get back on the bus.
I worked my way along to the Hermit’s Rest and then went straight back to the Village and had some lunch. I had already booked a helicopter flight for the afternoon, so figured an early lunch would help it stay down (the food, not the helicopter). After, I went further out on the south rim to Grandview Point, then back to the motel, copied the pictures over to free the card up, then went out to the airport. I wrote a little while waiting (I don’t get any time to write individual letters, but I should as not everyone is on computer), then was offloaded to another airline as they had overbooked (not really – passengers on a tour had not previously paid for the flight but still wanted to go on it now). The flight was the same – over the canyon to the north rim, but to the west of the walking tracks. The view put the canyon into perspective because we were looking straight down into it. If you get the chance to see all the pictures, you will see how the rim shots are oblique, but some of the aerial shots are nearly vertical – and you will see the Colorado River better (it’s the dirty brown streak you see, at about 100 feet (30 metres) wide) and realise the size.
After, I got a photo of me at the helicopter and then went back into town. I decided to see the Imax movie and then ran into an Australian girl there (whose mother had taught at Springvale long ago and who now came from Brisbane) who had been working in Philadelphia and was now sightseeing before going to Ireland. We watched the movie (very good) about a little of the history of the Grand Canyon and then she went off and I did some shopping (agh; the postage will kill me!), then returned, did the normal computer work and then went to bed. I was back not long after 6; it’s now nearly 8 and will be after 8 by the time I can say all the “normal computer” work is finished. I will have ot pack tomorrow, butI will get up at the correct time.