If you don't feel insignificant biking across the US, standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon (well, at least 6 feet back from the edge so I don't feel like I'm going to get sucked over) certainly does it. 277 miles long, up to a mile deep, the exposed rock up to 2 billion years old, the river carving out the terrain tiny bit by tiny bit (about a sheet of paper thickness a year) for the past 6 million years... Nine of us got a taxi to the rim for sunrise which looked like a bust and then a clear band of sky appeared at the horizon just in time for sunrise - amazing! Otherwise today was an IMAX presentation on Grand Canyon, laundry, pizza, and not much else - which was awesome...
This will be an incredible and challenging week ahead - tomorrow 86 miles partly along the canyon rim, next day Monument Valley (117), next day 4 corners (114 with the 12 mile detour to 4 corners), then 44 into Durango, 61 into Pagosa, and a mammoth 142 into Taos with 8500 feet of elevation gain (the most of the trip - including a 17 mile uphill segment from about mile 63-80; I kind of overlooked that one somehow) peaking out at 10,900 feet which is the highest we'll climb during the trip too. I'm tired just thinking about it :) - but the scenery should be amazing - and glad we're not in Montana where a blizzard is raging right now...
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| And me...or at least my shadow |
Beautiful!!
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