Major John Wesley Powell

A monument stands on the road to Hermit’s Rest which reads:

“This monument honors Major John Wesley Powell, the leader of the first documented expedition through Grand Canyon (via wooden boat down the Colorado River).  Imagine entering the depths of Grand Canyon down a roaring, not-yet-charted river, not knowing whether you will emerge. Because Powell’s first expedition in 1869 was more survival than science, he led a second in 1871-1872, which gave America its first geologic glimpse of the canyon.

The names Frank Goodman, William Dunn, and brothers Oramel and Seneca Howland, 1869 expedition members, are missing from this 1912 monument.  All were labeled “deserters” - though not by Powell - for leaving the voyage. Goodman left after the first major rapid in northern Utah. Dunn and the Howlands left just two days before the trip’s end. They attempted to climb out of the canyon, but were never heard from again.”










Grand Canyon Village, located on the South Rim, is the place where visitors can stay. There is camping, RVing, and a number of lodging possibilities within the park. Because of the amount of traffic here, many of the drivable viewing spots are accessible only by park shuttle bus with numerous on-off options. Our first trip was on the westbound Hermit Road, with a number of “picture stops” and ending at Hermit’s Rest. Here is what we saw.




























Hermit’s Rest opened in 1914 to offer a refreshing drink after an 8-mile buggy ride from El Tovar (located in what is now the Village) before returning, or to then ride a mule 7.5 miles to Hermit Camp for a “delicious meal and restful sleep”.




A bird’s eye view of such an extraordinary site as the Grand Canyon can give additional perspective. We took a 45 minute flight on Grand Canyon Airways over and around the entire canyon - south, east, north and west.
















Next - back up north to Utah.





Comments

  1. CindeeSeptember 9, 2022 at 7:48 AM

    Even though you see so many photos of the Grand Canyon, you are still in awe when you see it in person.

    ReplyDelete

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