Grand Canyon

We started our Grand Canyon visit just after sunrise at Mather Point.  The pictures of the canyon I show here won't do it justice.  It was big with massive long range views.

Next we took the Grand Canyon blue line bus to the Hermits Rest transfer where we hiked down the steep Bright Angel Trail.  This trail is 6 miles long with a total elevation of 3,000 feet from the canyon rim.  Needless to say we didn't go far before turning around and hiking back up.

After our short hike we got on the Grand Canyon Red line bus to Hermits Rest.  The benefit to starting early was no lines to get on the bus.  Our first stop was Trailview Overlook to get a birds eye view of the Bright Angel Trail.

Our next stop on the red line was Mohave Point were we watches the ravens play.

Next we stopped at Pima Point and walked the Greenway Trail to Hermits Rest for post cards, stickers, and treats.

After our visit at Hermits Rest we took the red line back to red line / blue line transfer where I got the notification that our table at El Tovar Dining Room was ready for our lunch reservation.  We were seated at a table by the window with good views of the canyon and the Rim Trail.  The service at El Tovar was 5 star.  Our server Kaleb was amazing and he recommend the Elk Burger that did not disappoint.

 After our filling lunch we decided to beat the heat and retreat back to our hotel to cool down in the pool.

That evening we returned to the Grand Canyon for dinner at the Arizona Steakhouse.  This restaurant also had good views of the canyon and hikers passing by on the Rim Trail.  Our server Kai was great and recommended the Elk chop which was was more like an Elk file. So good!

After dinner we drove to Grandview Point for sunset where we also was some local wildlife.

The next morning we went to Desert View on the east side of the Grand Canyon for our last stop before driving north to Zion.

Sequoia

We started our Sequoia tour in Three Rivers, CA and drove up the 17 mile crooked road to the summit.  The total elevation gain was 6,000 feet.

We stopped a couple times on the drive to enjoy the scenery. Note the snow on the Sierra Mountains.

Our first stop at the top was Moro Rock.  The views were spectacular for those of us that ventured out onto the rock. I stayed behind with the kids...for safety.

Next, we drove through the Tunnel Log and the Sequoia forest.  The Sequoia is a magnificent tree in both girth and height.  My neck still hurts.

Next we stopped at Crescent Meadow for a short hike through the giant.  Fires in 2017 left some of the trees damaged but nothing these 2,000 year old trees haven't seen before.

On the Crescent Trail we stopped by Tharp's cabin to say hi but no one was home.

After our short walk through the giants we stopped at General Sherman.  That's a huge tree.

After lunch we continued our adventure north through Kings Canyon.