Grand Canyon Winter Weekend

The Grand Canyon is a place of beauty any time of year, but I especially prefer it in wintertime. The snow dusts the canyon walls, and the air is crisp and invigorating. And the entire park is less crowded than it is in the summer months, so at times you feel like you have the whole canyon to yourself (well, except for that one guy walking up the steps).

Kevin and I headed up north for our anniversary weekend, in our new camper van.  It’s tiny – just 22 feet long – but it’s roomy enough for two and easy to drive (even for me!).
We were able to drive the van out to Hermit’s Rest (they open the road during winter, during summer you have to take a shuttle bus).  It was our first big trip with the van – in many ways it is reminiscent of the boat, but at least when we park it for the night we don’t have to worry about dragging anchor or anything. 
Our campsite provided some interesting photo opportunities, especially one evening just before sunset. An antlered mule deer took a stroll right outside our window. We weren’t the only campers who noticed the deer though. The folks across from us actually came out of their camper and started doing exactly what all the rangers tell you not to do – feed the wildlife. I’m not sure what field guide claims that wonder bread and bananas are a staple of a mule deer’s diet, but that’s what they had on offer. Here’s one of them holding out a peeled banana. I wouldn’t in a million years get that close – take note of the very pointy, sharp antlers.
Of course the sunsets were our favorite part of each day (we are too lazy to drag ourselves out of bed to catch the sunrise).  On our anniversary we spent the evening at the viewpoint in front of the El Tovar hotel and an Italian tourist was kind enough to snap a photo of the two of us.

We plan on taking a few more trips in Arizona while we get used to the van and RV lifestyle.  We are planning to take the van on a big road trip up north this summer, so stay tuned to the blog for more info and photos!