A Large Gorge

After leaving Uncle John's, we shot up north to see this canyon carved out by a river, apparently it's some kind of big deal. On our way, we were able to hit up the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, an astronomy research station. We were lucky enough to witness one of the cheesiest video presentations in years. It wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't for the dramatic music, most likely featured in a Turkish monastery during a funeral of a high priest. Basically, a lot of powerful organ, coupled with phrases like "space is a very dark and cold place." But, we got to see some close-ups of Saturn and M5, a spiral star globulation, or as Wes put it: "a pinwheel".

We continued the drive up to Grand Canyon, but decided to pitch a tent off some side road. Instead of the corporate conformity of a campsite, we found a road less travelled in Kaibab National Forest. We set up camp right outside a gated fence (later to realize was a ranch) and took Audrey (yeah we just named her... although Wes prefers Adrianna) on her first off road experience, leaving her red with passion (aka soil dust).

Not camping in a campsite (where smelly humans and structures are around) really allows you to see what is actually going on "out there". During the night we heard scurrying jack rabbits (inside and outside of the tent), male and female elk mating calls (inside and outside of the tent), and the "meep meep" of a roadrunner. I woke up just before sunrise, as a true animal of nature and watched the sunrise next to the bovine creatures just on the opposite side of the fence. As the bird's began morning songs and the cows called their friends into the field for breakfast I felt as part of a world we (at least I) so rarely get to see... a private relationship that these animals are sharing with their world and each other... and I was only just catching a glimpse of their rituals.

The park was misty with fog so early in the morning, but the eeriness about it was actually pretty sweet. As the sun burned out the fog, we were able to see the power that water actually has. Crazy, who would have thunk that water can do all that? After a few minutes of taking it all in, we realized we each needed a little adrenaline rush...

Now we're staying the night in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, a town that probably lost most of its charm when Route 66 was no longer "The Route". So it goes. To Texas tomorrow... onward!