I really needed a break that year. Three friends had died within a few months and during that same time I had lost a job. So when my father-in-law invited me along on a bus trip to the Grand Canyon with a bunch of seniors, I said « Why not? »

This was the polar opposite of how I normally travelled: fixed schedule, set meal times, a tour guide providing a running commentary… I was more used to booking a flight and showing up without a clue of where I would go next…

But I must say that care free travel was what I needed. Plus, the locations were stunning. I had never understood the allure of the Grand Canyon. It always seemed like a tacky tourist site that Chevy Chase would prat fall into in one of those National Lampoon vacation films. But once I saw it, I realized that duh! Some things are popular because they are just amazing.

I set my alarm for 4:30 every morning to catch the sunrise shots, and then caught the sunsets every day. Lots of sweet light and colours that you didn’t see during the day. Because our time was short and I was travelling with a group of seniors, I didn’t do any serious hiking. But there were sone great walks to vistas from the rim.

The itinerary also included short stops at Bryce Canyon, Zion National Park, Lake Powell, and the Badlands where they filmed so many Westerns. We ended up in Las Vegas, which I am glad to have seen, but don’t need to go back to. Not my jam.