More travelogue....

The Grand Canyon did not disappoint.  We drove our rental vehicle to the visitor's parking area and then proceeded to get a shuttle (shuttles run regularly and take visitors around to various viewing points around the South Rim).  It was exciting to finally see it and take in the view.  It was windy when we got there and one of the visitors beside us actually lost his hat over the edge of the canyon when the wind picked up. 

Sophie really wanted to hike down into the canyon, but we had to explain to her that this wasn't something you just "do", we needed to be prepared to do that.  Instead we decided upon some good walks around the pathways at the edge of the rim.  I think one of the neatest things was when we spotted the Colorodo River in the distance.

We had lunch in the cafeteria type place in the park (food was actually better than expected) and then did some more sightseeing in the afternoon followed by a visit to the geological museum they have.  The museum had one of their junior park rangers speaking to kids and she provided a good, informative commentary on the formation of the canyon.  It is hard to keep all of the rock layers straight -- I ended up buying a postcard that diagrams them all.  It truly is a wonder and I am so happy we got to see it.