Route 66 to the Grand Canyon

On our way to the Grand Canyon South Rim, we drove along historic Route 66. Here's the spot where we stopped to have lunch. The food was actually not that bad, despite the name!!

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On we went to Grand Canyon South Rim, where we stayed a couple of days. We spent part of one day doing a day hike down the South Kaibab Trail to "Skeleton Point" which is about 3 miles down. It was a great hike and not TOO strenuous. It was getting a little warm by midday though. Here's a good shot looking West in the canyon from Skeleton Point.

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After our dayhike, we went along the West Rim Drive to a spot called Hermit's Rest. Back in the early 1900's a fellow by the name of Louis Boucher (the "hermit" in question) actually operated some accomodations down in the Canyon, which could be accessed by mule. However, after returning to the rim, clients would often stay an extra night there to recuperate from the rough trip up, thus the name. This is a building which was designed by the Architect Mary Coulter, who around 1900 was quite active in designing buildings around the area. It was particularly remarkable in that at the time, there were very few women in the profession. She was one of the first to break with the traditional European style and actually incorporate natural and native elements into her designs. This particular structure at Hermit's Rest is built of local stone and completely blends into its immediate surroundings. I should note that Coulter's style was later adopted by the National Parks Service for much of their buildings and signage and is referred to as "National Parks Rustic".

http://img33.photobucket.com/albums/v98/gforce2002/gary-hermits.jpg

Anyway, we after our dayhike and a little touring we did some gift shopping and the next day headed East toward Page, AZ and the beginning of our rafting trip. Yahoo!!