Sunrise, Sunset

Day Two in the Grandest of Canyons, and we were up with the elk.

Just check out this feral wildlife!  And look at the ones roaming behind them, too!

Because it's not every morning you can pose a few feet from elk who could care less that you're taking Facebook profile pics.

As a seasoned marathoner, I know that proper hydration is crucial.

Mother-and-son reunion, getting ready to begin our sunrise descent into the canyon

Taking a tip from Jim Mabry, we opted for the South Kaibab trail to canyon's bottom.  And in case you're wondering, Kaibab which gives the Kaibab National Forest its name, is a type of rock about 250 millions years old.   It's made up of a sandy limestone, and usually gives off a cream or greyish-white color.  I didn't make that stuff up, that comes straight from the National Park Ranger.

Up top, this is the type of trail you contend with.  It changes before long, though. 

Andrew and Heath making a point to have an ooh and ahh moment.  (There's lot of those to come.) 

Turns out Andrew gets a kick out of climbing out onto the edges of precipices and posing in iconic vista shots.  Who knew?  His mother wasn't too keen on him doing this so frequently, but hey, it's the Grand Canyon.

Documented proof that photobombs are not restricted to the home field.

At this point, it wasn't even 8 a.m. yet, and the temperature was already inching closer to 100 degrees.  Which explains our sweat.

This clay staircase is built right into the trail.  Not much on either side of it, though, so don't look down.

A warning we didn't have to repeat too often with Heather, who kept her focus on every next footfall in front of her.

Down, down, down we go

Obligatory surfer dude sign flashing pic

Finally, we reached our destination, Cedar Point, a flat plateau that marked the end of our descent and a chance to chow down on granola bars and water.

And pose with the occasional deadwood tree 

Or smooch

Canyon floors stir the romantic emotions, obviously

Or in some case, lend themselves for a siesta

Before we begin the climb back up, a moment for Simba to pose atop Pride Rock

The colors at the canyon floor are just as breathtaking as they are from above, but even more vibrant

The girls wouldn't venture out to the cliff's end, so they took the shot from above

Kings of the Canyon

Hercules, he's not.

Historic poses done, it's time to start our ascent.  Trust me.  It's a LOT harder going up than it is going down these trails.  A LOT.

This pic was captured early, when the energy level was still high. 

Mr. August in next year's Grand Canyon Beefcake Calendar 

We've still got to climb all the way to the top of that?!?

One final foursome shot right before we returned to civilization.  Sort of.

After a quick wardrobe change, it was time to venture further down to the eastern side of the canyon for some varying views

Which, like, the southern rim, brings out the romance.  Get a room, you two! 

Time for a stop All Along the Watchtower

Dare to step out

Ain't no sun setting on this love story!

The last hours of this road trip's Grand Canyon pitstop ahead of us, it was time to catch one of the glorious sunsets that you hear so much about.  No picture we would take would ever come close to capturing its perfection.  The solitude, the colors, the panorama, it's all unbeatable.

Bring on the Fiddler on the Roof.  It's Sunset.