On Friday, I finally completed all the paperwork to get on board, so I did a "ride along" with a seasoned tour bus driver here in the Grand Canyon. Beside the bus tours, Grand Canyon is famous for the mule rides halfway down to Indian Gardens (that is the Bright Angel Trail leading 5 miles down to Indian Gardens) and 9.2 miles, all the way to the bottom of the Canyon at Phantom Ranch. While I don't have to lead any mule tours, they are part of the Transportation Department. While walking to the bus barn, I pass the corral where my favorite sign is located. 
The non-profit partner working with NPS at the Grand Canyon is (naturally) the Grand Canyon Association. They have a wonderful building and work very hard to promote hikes, work trips, and further the appreciation of the Canyon. They publish many books about the geology and history of the GC.
My first ride along is a tour called the Freedom Tour. We meet the Grand Canyon Railroad train coming up from Williams and take the guests on a 2 1/2 hour, 2 stop tour. This will probably be my "bread and butter" tour. We go west on the Hermit Road to Hopi Point and Mohave Point. I'm pretty sure this is from Hopi Point; this is just the top 5 layers (there are 10 layers all together) of the Canyon wall. Ranging from 270 million years at the top layer to around 300 million years old on the first 5 layers, they were "layered up" as the continental plates collided. The Pacific Plate rode underneath the North American Plate while the Colorado River cut through both plates, creating this unique place.
Below is the Colorado River, about 12 miles away. (Used my telephoto lens to pull it closer.) The black rock at the bottom of the canyon is Vishnu Schist, about 1.8 billion years old. These 2 pictures are taken from the same place; telephoto lens immediately below then the "normal" lens below that. No way to capture the immensity of this place but here's a stab at it. ☺
This tour covers just 2 stops on the Hermit's Road; there are 9 stops all together. So much more to see!! Stay tuned!
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