The Grand Canyon!!

The distance from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and the North Rim is 220 miles.

In distances I can understand, it is 204 miles from New York City to Washington, DC;  it's 202 miles from Paris, France to London, England.

The Grand Canyon is big.

But first we saw Sedona, Arizona, which is famous for Red Rock, rock that has been weathered by natural minerals including iron.

You can see the waves that caused the erosion better here.

That's bell rock below.

and a little closer.

I liked how a figure was carved out (accidentally, I'm sure) to keep an eye out for everything else.

You can almost see people in this one

There were so many trees that were victims of fires or "controlled burns" (what fires are called when the fires are arranged by the National Park Service) that I had to take pictures of them.

Medusa's trunk.

I think this tree looks interesting...or artistic.

The tree finds water however it can, and its roots grow horizontally when it grows on a rock.

This is a picture of a "controlled burn" from a distance.

I'm afraid this was not a "controlled burn;" 

this is a picture of a plain old forest fire.

The tree is on an angle, I'm not altering the shot.

I'm not sure if I like this picture for the tree or the Canyon behind it.

A similar picture, but with a live tree.

Have we mentioned recently how OLD the Grand Canyon is?

You can see so many layers of time here.

Parts of the Grand Canyon do look like they were carved away.

It's hard not to think that the Canyon was carved out by a being, 

but all the lines and patterns are only proof that math rules us all.

Is this a statue carved out of the stone?

A picture with people, in case you've forgotten how Grand the Canyon is.

Here are the Peaks of San Francisco, in Coconino National Forest.

This is one of the cracks where the Grand Canyon looks almost manageable in size,

but that's just a tease, because the Grand Canyon does continue for a while.

Here's a view from the North Rim with people (just for a sense of perspective).

Rock formations called Isis Corner and Cocino Sandstone helped form the spires you see here.

More faces!!!

A Mule Deer! (Look at it's ears, that's how you know.)

The Colorado River runs through (and helped create) the Grand Canyon.

People go river rafting down the Colorado.

Sometimes people in the picture help you understand the size of the Canyon.

I think that's a ladder, so people can climb up to that particular plateau.

The lower parts of the Grand Canyon are quite green.

This demon is not afraid of heights,

but this one is.

This is a baby tree.  I'm sure it will grow quite tall.

Pineapples?

The canyon is winking at you.

From the Yavapai Museum of Geology

Trees catch one another.

I'm the only person who suspects a fight broke out here, aren't I.

Dorothy's calling you!  

Or do you prefer the rainbow without the antenna?

As we approached the North Rim of the Canyon, the trees took on different colors.

The North Rim at sunset.

To see a skull at sunset.

Painted women on the canyon.

Trees with evidence of their inclination to reproduce.