Roadtrip Day 7

"We woke up early to head up to the Grand Canyon, stopping at the IMAX for a spectacular – albeit loud -- documentary on the Grand Canyon.   After the documentary, we took a 7 mile stroll along the rim of the Canyon.  The views are like none other Cris and I have seen in all of our travels.

We met up with Ranger Pat for a basic talk on geology, sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks.  Ranger Pat had samples, which he carried around in a bag that he passed out to a crowd of 40 attending the talk.  The true passion of each and every one of the rangers we meet at the national parks is refreshing and inspirational, although Jim still is not too crazy about saving owls.

We headed back to the Jeep to get Aaron out for a few photos with the Grand Canyon in the background.  Aaron had been sweltering in the Jeep for over 4 hours, maybe we should have left more than one of the windows open.  Anyway, he was happy to see us and to join us for a walk to the rim.  The wind, like at Mesa Verde, threatened Aaron a bit, as he was nearly blown away twice! The first stop was at the Yavapai lookout.  A nice couple from Des Moines Iowa took a picture of the three of us, Jim, Cris, and Aaron, and we happily provided them with a putty sample.

Aaron then sauntered over to the sign about Ranger talks to look at the offerings such as geology, condors, fossils, and others.  Aaron then decided to take in some sights instead.  With Jim as his trusty guide, Aaron headed to a vantage point where he could peer into the Canyon. Satisfied with the glimpse down, Aaron anchored himself to a tree and posed for a few photos.

We did meet a few more people while we had Aaron with us.   First, we passed by two women, one from Iowa and one from Pennsylvania, who looked cautiously at Aaron.  Jim ran them down and provided a putty sample and asked if they wanted a picture with Aaron. One immediately said no, the other was wavering.  When Jim prompted that he could get them on the Internet, the other one said no, and then they ran away. Really, they trotted down the path in horror.  We, however, laughed all the way back down the walk.

Returning to the Jeep, we passed out some putty to some people from Arizona and then came across a man from NYC resting on a large stone. He asked about Aaron and received a putty sample.  While we were chatting about their travels prior to coming to the Canyon, his wife came along and wanted to know what the scoop was, as well.  She loved the color, the idea of putty, and just the whole idea of being singled out for a free sample of thinking putty.

Jim and Cris stopped at an Indian ruins and small museum inside the park to learn more about the pueblan Indians in the area.  They sure have been around for a long time.

Jim, Cris, and Aaron exited the park and returned to Williams. The daring trio headed out to a pizza place, right on Route 66. Aaron insisted on getting his picture taken under a Route 66 sign – we believe it was so he could “Get his kicks on Route 66.” At the pizza place, people looked at Aaron and Jim quizzically when they entered.  During dinner, Aaron leaned up against the wall and waited.  It seemed that most of the customers who entered after we did assumed that Aaron was simply part of the décor of the place. It wasn’t until we left, when Jim picked Aaron up and walked out with him under his arm, that people realized Aaron was not a pizza parlor regular. Some people smiled, some laughed and some tried not to look as Jim and Aaron left, followed by Cris.   Before turning in for the night, we stopped at the Thundering Eagle, a shop on Williams’ main strip, and offered a putty sample to the proprietor. It took some persuasive talk, but in the end we convinced him that we weren’t selling anything and he accepted the sample.

Finally, calling it a night, we returned to the Canyon Country Inn"