We eventually forced ourselves out of the wonderful bed at the Best Western and enjoyed a huge continental breakfast that was complete with scrambled eggs, sausage, biscuits and gravy, and all the usual fruit, rolls, cereal, etc. We definitely didn't leave hungry.
When we went outside, we found 6" of new snow. It was just enough to cover everything and make it look new again. The highways were clear and dry, so we had all the benefits of the new snow without any of the hassles.
As soon as we reached the Grand Canyon, we checked out Mather Point for the first view of the Canyon. The entire canyon was covered in clouds, but we could see under the clouds to the formations below. All the colors were muted, but the fresh snow provided some life to the images. In twenty minutes, nearly all of the canyon was gone as clouds rose up from the depths to the west.
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The rest of the day was more about the people than the photography.We were pilgrims traveling to a far-off destination. We had set out on separate journeys, but were united in our eventual goal of Desert View. Each leg of the journey was defined by a stop to check out the next viewpoint. There were the three sisters who had lost their mother earlier in the week and wanted to see the Grand Canyon before they had to fly back to Detroit. They arrived yesterday, but couldn't see the canyon at all. The same clouds that would bring snow overnight completely filled the canyon. Today, when they arrived at Mather Point and looked into the depths of the canyon, they screamed with excitement. There were two older gentlemen traveling together who couldn't get around all that well, but they weren't letting that stop them from checking out each viewpoint. And there was the family of six: the husband with his wife and four daughters. Yikes! We never figured out what language they spoke, but they were entertaining. Our group of pilgrims eventually reached Desert View; the end of our pilgrimage along the East Side Drive.
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We ate the worst lunch ever served in a National Park at the Desert View snack bar before returning to the main Grand Canyon village so we could check into our hotel.
After the disastrous lunch, we decided we needed a good dinner. We drove into Tusayan, which is right outside the park entrance to see what we could find. We decided on Plaza Bonita Mexican Restaurant. It was the only crowded restaurant in town, so we thought it would be the safest bet. The portions were huge, but the flavor was only mediocre. We got a lesson in ordering food in a strange country from an Asian family across from us. They spoke very little English, but used their smart phones to translate the menu, figure out what the foods on the menu looked like, and how they should assemble and eat the fajitas. They did very well with a little help from their electronic friends.
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