Day 7 - Last Day on the Rim - September 9, 2008

Although we had both promised to sleep in, we were up by 6:30 a.m. and seated at a table at the El Tovar with a view of the Canyon by 7 a.m. After a delicious breakfast and several perfect cups of coffee, we decided to pack up and put our stuff in the car, then take a walk down to Mather Point, the one view point we had missed yesterday since the parking lot was full (and I was DUN). While not ready to run a 10K, my legs were fine and I wore my sandals instead of my hiking shoes. It was a beautiful morning, warm when the sun was out and the sky was painted with grey clouds dusting the Canyon with rain here and there. We only felt a couple of drops. We bought books and t-shirts and Canyon stuff before heading to the Village Marketplace by shuttle for a tuna sandwich.

We took the free shuttle back to our car and piled in, ready to start our journey back to Phoenix. But first one more stop at Desert View where we found a quiet spot to sit and say good-bye. I didn't feel the sadness I felt when I left the Canyon last summer because here I was, back again. In hindsight, it's as if I knew somewhere inside me that I would be back. Some people have questioned why we went back this time - when there are so many other places to hike and explore. Yes, that's true - and I look forward to visiting some of them. Right now, my heart is in the Canyon - so huge, so ancient, and so much more to explore. I am not ready to walk away from this place, and Nancy's connection is even deeper than mine. I still want to raft the Colorado and visit the Havasupai Reservation and check out some of the more remote, unmaintained trails. I haven't seen it all - not even close - and I'm not finished yet.

There's so much more.

So I can safely say - we'll be back!

Of course...