The Grand Canyon - The Watchtower
The Grand Canyon
For those of you that have read my Bucket List, you know that it has long been a dream of my husband and I to see the Grand Canyon. We finally did it, we made it to the Grand Canyon in mid March of 2009!
The Grand Canyon is absolutely incredible. It is so immense, it is absolutely huge. You gaze across this massive expanse of canyon and can not even take in how far you are actually looking. Mountain peaks that seem just a few miles across are over 70 miles in the distance.
The colors of the Canyon are just incredible and ever changing. Even though so many take pictures from the same view points along the way, the different times of day change it. The different seasons and weather patterns change the Canyon.
Even as you look down into the Canyon, you continue to see more and more of it.
You realize way down at the bottom, that muddy river is the Colorado River. The river that played such a huge part in carving this massive expanse through the rock. The river looks so tiny from a mile above.
You see the square hole in the side of a Butte and discover that hole is actually the opening to a mine.
A yellow dot on a smooth green grass and dirt covered flat top of one of the walls of the canyon, turns into a tent through your looking glass, be it binoculars or your camera's lens. Closer inspection reveals the trail that leads to that tent and a hiker moving along it. You imagine the return trip they will have coming back up the nine mile switchbacks to the top of the south rim. One wonders just how warm it is down at the bottom in March, as you stand in 60 degree F, and just read that the bottom of the Canyon is on average 30 degrees warmer than the top of the rim. Is it really 90 degrees already?
What looks like a completely uninhabited Canyon at first glance, changes as you look further and realize there is a few old buildings of a camp in that little crevice between two walls. We read that people make reservations one to two years in advance to camp there.
Come join me on this photo series of tours of the Grandest of all Canyons. But if you think that through these pictures you have seen the Grand Canyon in full, I will honestly tell you that nothing can compare to standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon and experiencing the silent awe of looking across its beautiful span, millions of years of layers of rock, miles of distance, a palette of colors painted by the Colorado, the wind, the weather and time.
We begin our tour from the East Entrance to the Grand Canyon's South Rim. The Watch Tower on this page. Then off to the Peaks of Grand Canyon, to The Tusayan Ruins, the Colors of the Grand Canyon, and the last in the Series is the Museum at the Grand Canyon. Enjoy this unique perspective of the Grand Canyon.
The first view of the Watchtower
The first view of the Watchtower

As you approach the Watchtower, this is the first view of it. Honestly it looked a little unstable, I think it is the way they built it with the rocks jetting out of it. The holes on the top rim of the roof almost look as if it is falling apart. But on closer inspection it seems quite sturdy, and well built.
The vision of the Watchtower
The vision of the Watchtower

The Watchtower in Grand Canyon
The Watchtower in Grand Canyon

This is my favorite photograph of the Watchtower backlit by the sunshine, towering over us as the Watchtower stands tall, like a sentinal watching the Grand Canyon. The structure is amazing.
Architect drawings of the Watchtower
Architect drawings of the Watchtower

A photo of the Architect drawings of the Watchtower, you can see how it was built.

Inside wall of the Watchtower
Inside wall of the Watchtower

Paintings on the wall of the Watchtower
Paintings on the wall of the Watchtower

Paintings on the wall of the Watchtower
Old photographs of the artist at work in the Watchtower when it was built
Old photographs of the artist at work in the Watchtower when it was built

This is a photo of Hopi artist, Fred Kabotie at work in the Watchtower when it was created. In this photo he is painting the Snake Legend, just one of the many murals he painted that you see in the above photo's and those below.
Antique furniture inside the Watchtower
Antique furniture inside the Watchtower

Antique furniture made from wood and leather inside the Watchtower
Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter, the designer of the Watchtower
Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter, the designer of the Watchtower

Looking up from the bottom floor towards the second story of the Watchtower
Looking up from the bottom floor towards the second story of the Watchtower

Looking up from the bottom floor towards the second story of the Watchtower
The ceiling of the Watchtower
The ceiling of the Watchtower

Looking up through the 1st and 2nd parapets of the Watchtower to the ceiling painted by Hopi Artist, Fred Kabotie.
Old pottery and paintings in the Watchtower at the Grand Canyon
Old pottery and paintings in the Watchtower at the Grand Canyon

Old pottery and paintings in the Watchtower at the Grand Canyon
The San Francisco Peaks
The San Francisco Peaks

As you leave the watchtower area this view of the San Francisco Peaks opens up between the trees. It is a gorgeous mountain that overlooks the Grand Canyon area.
Humphreys Peak is the tallest point you see in this picture. It is 12,633 feet high. It is part of the San Francisco Peaks, a mountain range which were once active volcanos. They were formed in the past six million years, and the last known volcanic activity was around 1000 years ago.
The Hopi Indians (modern spiritual descendants of the ancient Pueblo Indians that once inhabited the Grand Canyon) view these mountains spiritually. They believe they are the dwelling place of their ancestral spirits, the Kachinas.
The Watchtower from a distance at the next view point
The Watchtower from a distance at the next view point

A distant view of the Watchtower from the next view point we stopped at.
Don't miss these other sites about the Grand Canyon
The following links are some you should not miss.
The following links are some you should not miss. The first is my Bucket list, it is what led us on our journey to the Grand Canyon. The other four are the rest of this story of our incredible journey through the Grandest of all Canyons.
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The Grand Canyon - Series III - The Tusayan Ruins
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The Tusayan Ruins in the Grand Canyon are what remains of a small village of about 30 people that lived there for 25 or 30 years in the late 1100's. The architecture was typical for that period of time. Pueblo architecture varied according to the...
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The Grand Canyon - Series II - The Peaks of the Grand Canyon
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There is a quote I saw on a sign in the Grand Canyon from a visitor long, long ago; "No language can fully describe, no artist paint the beauty, grandeur, immensity, and sublimity of the wonderful production, of Nature's great architect. (Grand Ca...
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The Grand Canyon - Series IV - The Colors of the Grand Canyon
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Your first impression of the Grand Canyon is the immense size of it. People grow silent as they gaze upon its beauty. There is a tranquility that touches your mind, your heart and your soul as you drink in the beauty. But is it the colors that mes...
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The Grand Canyon - Series V - The Museum
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A must see stop along the way when visiting the south rim of the Grand Canyon is the Tusayan Museum. It was an eye opener, the awe in looking at relics from a civilization that lived in North America 4000 years ago. I have always thought of our co...
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My Bucket List
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When you or your loved one has a close call with death, and yet miraculously is spared and given more time, you are so very thankful. It gives one a new view on living each day to the fullest, to spend time with that person, and enjoy every second of...
The Grand Canyon

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Thank you,
Linda

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- TerriLorah TerriLorah Apr 24, 2009 @ 10:39 am
- This is a really nice lens and the photos are astounding. Thankyou for sharing such beautiful work. 5*****
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- Apr 12, 2009 @ 10:37 am
- A must see when you're planning to visit The Grand Canyon.
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- kiwisoutback kiwisoutback Apr 9, 2009 @ 12:47 pm
- I'd love to see your Grand Canyon and other National Parks lenses added to the National Parks group!
http://www.squidoo.com/groups/national-parks
Thanks, hope to see you there!
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- kiwisoutback kiwisoutback Apr 7, 2009 @ 1:32 pm
- I'm in awe of this lens! And there's four more?? I'm really impressed by this!
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- Jimmie Jimmie Apr 6, 2009 @ 2:15 am
- Oh, this is so fun, I'm going to the Grand Canyon with you! It's like I've stowed away in your camera bag.
Off to #2...
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