Posted by Mr. Robot | March 13th, 2020 | No responses
The South Rim. I chuckle every time I say that out loud. Of course it’s so juvenile. If you want to go for middle school levels of laughter, then you just add the word “job” to the end of it, and it makes for great dinner conversation for the uninitiated. So let’s get started with…
When you can’t see shit at one of the most magnificent sites on earth, well then everyone gets in a bad mood. They spend all of this money on booking flights, a rental car, lodging, meals, and whatever the fuck only to be “Rick Rolled” by the Arizona weather.
All day you could vaguely see that there was even a canyon out there in all that whiteness. Just imagine the first time you visit the Grand Canyon, and the first impression you get is a fog of pure white all over. And it lingers, and lingers, and lingers. I came prepared though. Because I don’t like to disappoint others without purpose.
Peep this iPhone image from this morning.
As Wily Wonka says, “Come with me and you’ll see…” for now just use your world of pure imagination and pretend these photos are what everyone was supposed to see this morning.
Ok, these are actually photos from the summer of 2014, but I promise you the canyon still looks quite the same. This is the story of how I first became acquainted with one of the natural seven wonders of the world. Let me back up some more. See, I didn’t make it to the Grand Canyon until night fall, and even still I didn’t get to stay at the El Tovar, but opted to camp out for the first night at Mather Campground.
Let me just say, don’t do that. If it is your first time in the South Rim (hee hee) make sure it is at one of these lodges like Bright Angel, Thunderbird, or El Tovar. Why? The simple answer is ravens. If you’re camping these fucking asshole ravens will start cawing as early as 5AM just pissing everyone off. CAW, CAW, CAW, MUTHAFUKNCAW!!! They are relentless. I got out of my tent, picked up a rock, and chunked it towards the annoying sound. I had hoped it would scare it away. Nope. It’s like more of them got together just to fuck with me. But I digress, I was talking about how I became acquainted to the South Rim (hee hee).
Feast your eyes on the magnificence that is the Grand Canyon. If you want to hear different languages speaking all at once and fighting for the most optimum photo opportunity, then you can head towards the railing area which leads to the most congested spot in the canyon. But it is a huge canyon, and there’s plenty of photo spots to take advantage of. I don’t really understand why everyone flocks at this particular location, but I would guess the railing makes the people feel safe.
I like that element of danger when I am out in the field. I remember a family from Japan died on the evening that I took these photos though. They were camping way down on the rim, and they got struck by lightning. Tragic. Which goes to show that the elements here are not so forgiving. People have died from exhaustion trying to walk the trail down to the Colorado River without being prepared. There are signs on the trail that warn would be bad asses to turn back now if they don’t have enough water. People falling to their deaths by getting too close to the edge have been reported, and of course being struck by lightning.
There has never been a time when I’ve been to the Grand Canyon where it did not rain. Make sure to bring a raincoat because rain is a given. You will be in for some visually beautiful cloud formations here, and if you’re lucky, you may even get to see some lightning…or unlucky as I stated before.
During this time I think the smartest of us decided to seek shelter because that lighting was getting closer and closer. I was possibly the only person out there on the canyon awaiting the Darwin Award. Just look at that sky though.
HOLY SHIT! See what I mean?! The railing doesn’t really keep anyone safe, and it’s also a conductor.
I am told that lightning doesn’t strike the same place twice, but I am not taking any chances. So I gtfo, and I set up my tripod and take these long exposures of the El Tovar hotel.
On the rim you have a few options for lodging with El Tovar being the best place to stay in. The rooms are alright for what you pay for. Food wise, the restaurant in the El Tovar is better than the other restaurants on the rim. Trust me, you want to dine in here, unless you like bar food with that “frozen food taste”. People from other lodges stop by frequently at the El Tovar to just lounge and it crowds the hotel lounge up. If you want some peace and quiet, its very hit or miss. Oh yeah, the fireplace has this funny smell. It isn’t the typical fire wood smell either, but a heavy musty under arm smell of some kind. I don’t know how to describe it. When you combine tourists who have been hiking all day near the fireplace, it is probably the cause for this unique scent. Go get yourself a whiff.
Photography here at the South Rim is pretty open. Let me break it down like this.
There is the West Rim, the South Rim, and the North Rim.
The South Rim is owned by the U.S. government and the West Rim is owned by the natives. Between the two, there is more touristy things to do in the South Rim, while the West Rim is a bit more natural and restricted. The West Rim does have the famous sky walk, but professional photography is not allowed last I heard. The North Rim isn’t open all year, and is less visited with fewer things to do over the other rims. So if photography is your thing, you want to go South Rim. Bring yourself a tripod, stands, assistants, or whatever. It is a big canyon after all, and as long as you’re not being obtrusive to other people around you, you can pretty much get the shots you want unbothered.
I recommend you stay at the rim for a minimum of 3 days though. You will probably be over it by the second day if nature isn’t your thing. The internet is slow, and I imagine that this is deliberate because you know, Grand Canyon. Do yourself a favor and stay off of your phones. At least for the first day. You will enjoy the experience so much more. You know when you go see a concert and everyone is trying to record said concert on their smart phones instead of enjoying the actual experience? People can be so fixated on trying to capture the experience via an electronic device than taking it all in organically. Heed my advice and leave your electronics in the room.
These photos serve as a reminder to me that first impressions do make a significant difference. I was very lucky to be able to see the Grand Canyon with my daughter for the first time on a beautiful sunny day, but just imagine planning for this experience to finally see the beauty of the legendary Grand Canyon, and you end up with this shit?
Hello friend.
