Grand Rainbow & Sunrise


This post was published on Monday 15 July 2013.

After being trapped at the campground store during the incredible monsoon, on my drive back to the Lodge I saw what I should have expected.. an enormous rainbow, which started and ended in the Canyon itself.  I stopped off along the road to take a photograph of the start of the bow, and then hot-footed it back to the Lodge (it was still raining!) and ran to the main viewing platforms to take some more pictures.  I then stuck around for the sunset, which followed shortly.  I got very wet, but it was well worth it.

Here is a selection of the resulting photographs, I hope you agree it was worth it!

I met an English couple also standing on the viewing platform taking photographs of the sunset, and they recommended getting up for the sunrise over the Canyon.  I was a bit reticent to do so, given sunrise was at 5am, so I decided not to set my alarm, but to go to the main viewing platform if I woke up naturally.

I woke up at 4.55am so I threw on the previous day’s clothes, grabbed my camera and marched to Bright Angel Point.  I arrived just in time.  Ten minutes later the sun started to poke itself over the edge of the rim, and the over the next hour, bathe the Canyon in beautiful soft light.  It was breathtaking, stunning, incredible—words I know I am using too often on this blog, but they are all true!  Perhaps I should get myself a thesaurus.

Here are some of the photos from this morning:

I then did all the boring things, packed my bags, checked out, filled my water bottles—before driving on a scenic route to some more spectacular viewing platforms of the Canyon.

I will post those pictures later, in a separate entry.  For now, I need to leave the Subway I’m sitting in, and crack on, as it’s still another two hours to Bryce Canyon, and I don’t want to be too late so I have time to go for a walk in the Canyon before dinner.