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=Laurel and Elizabeth's Grand Canyon Photo Journal! =  Overview of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon

4/16/09 Grand Canyon South Rim Visitor's Center 2:57 PM

The river looked tiny from a distance in between all of the layered red rock and dirt. The canyon looked almost like a picture...stretching as far as the eye can see. Each temple within the canyon was named after different religion's gods. It was a vertical mile down with a very scarce amount of plants. Words that were generally spoken when people first looked at the canyon were along the lines of, "Wow, whoa," and, "amazing."

South Kaibab Trail:



4/16/09 Hike on the South Kaibab into the Grand Canyon 5:09 PM

The rocks were almost a different kind then the South rim view, being a completely different color. Our trail was blown out by dynamite years ago so it could become a trail, and you could even see some of the areas where the dynamite was placed. We walked a total of a mile and a half taking about two hours total. The hike led into the Grand Canyon so we could could get a close-up view of many of the rocks and sites. Walking downhill into the canyon was much easier then walking out.

Colorado River Trip:





4/17/09 Grand Canyon Rafting Trip (Glen Canyon to Lee's Ferry) 9:58 PM

The weather was cold and the water spraying us made it even colder. The canyon was incredible from the view of the boat. When the rock was dark it meant it was older and redder rock was younger. We stopped to see ancient petroglyphs and although the meanings were unknown, being able to witness that history was breathtaking. On the trip we saw Tamarisk trees. They are trees from Australia planted for erosion control, but have now taken over. According to our guide, the Grand Canyon workers are trying to get rid of the trees because they are not native and they would rather have native plants grow instead. Also, the trees are killing all of the other plants around them. Chopping them down only leads to them growing back, so the only way to kill them is to chop them down and burn them.

Wukoki Ruins:

4/17/09 Wukoki Ruins 2:30 PM

We went to the Wukoki ruins, which means long house cut short. There was only one building. It definitely fit the Wukoki definition. The building was made out of actual rock in the area over 900 years ago. The doorways were incredibly short and small making it difficult to crawl through.The walls were square and tall and broken rocks were scattered everywhere on the red-brown dirt. There were many windows, located up high and each room was about the same size. Almost everything was rock or dirt apart from the few broken pieces of pottery.

Sunset Crater: 4/17/09 Sunset Crater National Monument 3:49 PM

The volcano was huge! Over one mile across at the base and 1,000 feet tall, this cinder cone volcano towered over the tree tops. Cinder cone volcanoes are made by magma coming out from the Earth and piling up to form a cone shape. Volcanic rocks laid all over the ground, covering most of the ash infested dirt. Some spots on our trail were active, most, however, were not. One cave was located within the rocks, holding tons of ice. Although Sunset Crater is a volcano, the name still refers to a crater. 'Sunset' refers to the color of the rocks at the top caused from the oxynization of the rocks. This lead to the reddish-orange color that is now seen at the top of the volcano. 'Crater' refers to the crater-like shape also located at the top of the volcano. When Sunset Crater erupts, the lava moves in a honey-like fashion, and due to the cold climate, the lava cools before it reaches the ground. Going to the top would be nearly impossible, so we stayed near the base, weaving through the rocks. 