Today's trip was to the Grand Canyon. I went by Lake Powell (Wahweap Bay), and that was beautiful. It is low (roughly 50 feet below where it was in July for the last two years) but at least there was still enough for people to enjoy the day with their boats!

As I approached the park entrance, I stopped at a small market in Cameron, and I was really impressed — once again — at how diligently the Native American tribes that I encountered adhered to COVID protocols (more stringent than the current CDC guidelines). The Cameron market had an attendant enforcing masks and hand sanitization, and the gas station up near Glacier Park had signage that said that tribal policy required masks.

Although the TWA/United Airlines accident happened before the emphasis on improving passenger safety with training, I was still reminded of that podcast episode, which was really good.

I don't have any wise words about the Grand Canyon. I went through the South Rim route. The canyon has been well described by many, but it was certainly an amazing experience to see it in person, both for the magnitude of it and the amazing colors in the palette.

I was reminded of the excellent PBS Ken Burns documentary series about the National Parks (streams for free on Hoopla, which might be provided by a library). He emphasized that Niagara Falls was overrun by vendors and the conservationists wanted to prevent the other National Parks from this outcome. As I left the park heading south near Tusayan, the feeling of being back in "town" was dramatic.

On the way to my hotel, I saw signs for the Meteor Crater, so I stopped. I was partly tricked: some of the signage reflected its "National Natural Landmark" status, but it is a private park separate from the National Parks system. I begrudgingly paid my admission and then really enjoyed the visit. I was fascinated about the some of the historic details (and who knows how much telephone game / embellishment happens from the guides): an American soldier reported on it to General Custer, who dismissed the information under the theory he was not right from too much sun. There was contention about how the crash from the meteor actually worked, and the correct theory wasn't validated until there was cross-comparison with craters from atomic bomb test sites in Nevada (in 1963!). And then NASA used it for a training site (possibly continues to) for astronauts so they could learn to collect core samples without using explosives. The story was that Buzz Aldrin tried to maneuver in the crater, and he split his suit, which led to a redesign. The guide didn't close this out by mentioning Aldrin's other notoriety having to do with space suits.

Finally, I checked an item off my bucket list, so to speak. When I was in high school, I was wandering around with Tom and JP, and we bumped into Coach Wilson in the hallway. I thought he was pretty cool because at the time, he had an old Jag that he occasionally drove to school. He shared a story about a time he was traveling and stood on a corner in Winslow, AZ. He's not the only one to do this, and they even set up some public art about it in 1999 (looked like it was somewhat to do with Route 66 tourism).