Day 10 - Arizona to Utah

I could count the number of cars I saw during a 3 hour portion of this drive on one hand.

But that wasn't until after seeing the Grand Canyon.  Holy crater in the earth, but holy tourists as well.

Woke up early and drove out of Flagstaff Arizona straight to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

It's pretty breathtaking when you think about how large this canyon is, especially in relation to your own body.  I loved the ways in which the hues of the canyon walls would seem to change depending on where you were and how the sun was hitting the faces.

Although in your mind you know the rock is a deep red and/or a vibrant white, it appears to have purples, maroons, and greens all interwoven.  I can't imagine what the first impression was from someone coming upon the Grand Canyon for the first time.  This combination of colors and scale would just be unimaginable.

 After a few hours of touring the canyon, and right about the time where tour buses filled the roads, I exited through the East exit and headed towards Canyonlands, Utah.  I thought New Mexico was like driving on Mars... well I must retract that statement.  Driving through Utah is like driving on Mars.

However, the terrain did show signs of life every so often.  Stunning landscape changes and incredible cloud formations.

I managed to pull into my campsite at Canyonlands just in time for sunset.  I was sure that I arrived for the most beautiful light... I would realize in the morning that Sunrise is a very impressionable time to see the area as well.

I pulled into The Needles campsite, which was empty, to a sign on the door saying pay in the morning, and to please be honest.  I liked it already.

I decided to hike around the rock formation behind my tent site to see if I could capture the last remaining slivers of light for the night.

Not only was it a crystal clear evening to see the brick red canyon walls and crisp blue sky, but the night was full of plenty of stars as well.  I was also serenaded to sleep by a pack of coyotes - how lovely.  For the record, I woke up every few hours with the fear a coyote wanted to cuddle inside my tent or eat my face for dinner.  Looking on the bright side - I got to watch the big dipper pass over my tent.

Goodnight, Moon.