Day 4 – Awe and Creation

Our first morning in Arizona led us to the Grand Canyon, to experience an amazing example of God’s creative power.  We drove the (mere) 3 ½ hour drive to the canyon and, even after encountering stunning landscapes in the mountains, mesas, and canyons of our earlier drives, we were stunned by the sheer beauty and immensity of this Grand Canyon.  Our pilgrims quickly found a path outside the protective railing and went for a wander – down to a rock outcropping well below the rim.  Their view from there was even more amazing, being in the midst of the canyon itself.  After some scrambling, crawling and climbing, the pilgrims returned to the safety of the observation area and we enjoyed lunch at a picnic table, singing peanut butter and jelly sandwich songs.  We spotted a few gray flycatchers at lunch – very cute little birds with a tuft of fluff on their heads – as well as several, large aggressive black birds (ravens, maybe?).  We drove down to another viewpoint of the canyon, but a storm began blowing in and the temperature dropped significantly.  Huddling and shivering together we took another look at this amazing place and then jumped into the van again.  We drove down to Flagstaff and had supper at a Thai restaurant.  One pilgrim ordered his food as spicy as they could make it, but was disappointed at its lack of heat.  The food, however, was delicious and filling.  We headed back to Keams Canyon and had a night outdoor eucharist focusing on Creation and St. Mary Magdalene, whose feast day this was.  Off to bed after a very eventful day.

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