Make Time: Grand Canyon!!

After leaving Sedona around 4pm, I knew I would be cutting it close to getting a campsite up at the Grand Canyon. Everyone said to get up early to get a spot at the campground, because they fill up as the day goes on. As with all national park campgrounds, each spot is first-come-first-serve, so you just need to get there and park your car in the campsite and it's yours (after you pay too, of course). So I get up to Desert View Campgrounds around 7pm, which is very late. I pull up to the entrance to the national park, and the guy in the window looks like a thin version of Santa Claus. Huge smiles. I tell him where I'm from and that I'm hoping to camp, and he says that he hasn't gotten a call from the campground manager telling him that it's full. HUGE. I drive quickly to the campgrounds, and as I'm pulling in there is a car in front of me looking for a spot as well. The car in front of me pulls into a spot and then I drive past him and onto the last open spot in the campground! Whew. I walk over to the campground manager and he looks exactly like Santa Claus - not thin like the first Santa. A very jolly man - he tells me how lucky I am and then says that the next night a bunch of people are leaving so I can change sites if I want. Definitely. The campsite I got for this first night is in the middle of a bunch of other campers, so it's loud but I got some good sleep. Woke up around 6am and felt awake, so I showered up and then moved my things to a much nicer and more private location. After that I walked down to the canyon to get my first amazing views. Wow. Hard to put into words. So expansive. Peaceful. Spiritual. I think of how the first explorers came here and how they felt when they saw this. Obviously there are a ton of tourists around, but the canyon is so big you can always find some private spot to view and reflect. I jump in my car and drive down the south rim of the Grand Canyon, stopping at each viewing location. Each spot has a slightly different view, and each inspires me. The weather is beautiful. The tourists are kinda funny - lots of Germans, French, and Spanish-speakers. I stay to myself for most of the day - just enjoying the view and thinking about how lucky I am to be here. As I get back to the campground I take a nap and then get up just before the sunset. Walking down to the south rim of the canyon to see the sunset was a very spiritual experience. I felt like I was watching a holy event. And I was not let down. I took a bunch more amazing pictures with my camera, but cannot upload them yet. I will get them on here soon - promise. So I sit on the edge of the Grand Canyon and watch the sunset with about 50 others. Slow at first but then very fast, the sun dips below the edge of the canyon and paints the most beautiful colors into the sky. I watch for about an hour, thinking about the beauty of this country. Afterwards I get some firewood and eat some fresh smores over my campfire. A perfect end to my time in the canyon. I wake up the next morning and drive back towards Sedona, but first I stop in Flagstaff to get an amazing breakfast at a place called MartAnne's Cafe. Then onto Sedona for my vortex tour with my guide Kevin, and finally back to Phoenix for another night with my buddy Phil. We played drums and hung out (links included previously) - talked a bunch about my next steps and the business I would like to start. I'm anxious and excited about what lies ahead, and it's great to spend time with my boy Phil. He's one of the best people I know, and he has always been a very big supporter of my dreams and goals. It's nice to have good friends in your corner as you venture out on your own.