Canyon of Mystery

A few days ago, I read about Grand Canyon rafters who went looking for old mining equipment after stopping for the night at a little-used campground along the Colorado River. Instead, they discovered the smashed wreckage of a small red plane wedged between large boulders which had concealed it from searchers since 2011. The plane's emergency locator signal had been detected, but planes and helicopters flew 2000 air miles and covered a 600-square-mile area without finding the home-built aircraft.

On our way to Arizona last February, our jet flew over the Canyon which spread itself over a vast corner of the state like an etching of some infinitely-branched tree.

From the edge of the Canyon, all the scenery is down. It's amazing to think how native Americans lived in those hidden depths for thousands of years. And it's easy to see how lost planes could elude discovery. These photos were taken from the South Rim, where most visitors go.

One of the two main "highways" into the Grand Canyon starts here at the Grand Canyon Village on the south rim of Grand Canyon, and descends 4380 feet to the Colorado River

Looking down at the Bright Angel trail. To Phantom Ranch in the bottom of the Canyon it's 9.9 miles.

Sunset at the Canyon...did the Bright Angel lose her shadow?

Visitors come from many nations to gaze in awe over this vast gash in the earth.

The Colorado River (in middle distance) and geologic uplifting sculptured eons of layered rocks. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and over a mile at its deepest.

One of the resident elk having a snack.

At the South Rim Visitor Center, enjoying the view