I visited the Grand Canyon last week. Somehow I had managed to get through 46 years and numerous trips through Arizona without seeing it. I’m glad I finally got to experience it.

It seems pointless to discuss how small and insignificant a person feels while viewing the canyon. But it is true. It’s massive. All my worries and petty grievances paled when I was faced with the wonder of its expanse. Why had I been so annoyed with my husband just moments before for making us stand around and wait while he took his time getting out of the car? This canyon has literally stood around for nearly 2 billion years.! It’s always good to get one’s own importance in perspective and therein lies the power of the Grand Canyon.

October is a good time to visit. There are crowds, but they are manageable and one can easily move to less occupied viewing areas. As we hiked along the Rim Trail, there were many times that we did not encounter others. There are also many, many spots along the trail with no walls or railings. There are an average of 2 to 3 deaths from falls over the rim every year according to park statistics, although some sources say there are as many as 12. We witnessed tourists and photographers climbing far out onto rock ledges in order to get the perfect shot. As my husband kept reminding me: "All it takes is one big gust of wind..." Not surprisingly , my anxiety level was through the roof by the time we finished the hike. I was even beginning to have very real anxiety about imaginary things-- thinking about my lively young nephews (who were safely back in Albuquerque) hiking the trail.

Yavapai Point/ Geology Museum is a nice place to view the canyon safely behind glass. The Trail of Time also begins right after this building. This trail provides a nice perspective (especially for children) on how old the canyon is. As you walk, metal coins are embedded in the path denoting years. Start with your age in years, and continue walking west until you reach around 2 billion years. For geology lovers, large samples of the Grand Canyon's rock layers are also found along the trail.

View from Yavapai Point / Geology Museum

If you’re continuing to hike west on the Rim Trail, I recommend visiting the El Tovar Hotel located about 2 miles from the main Grand Canyon Visitor Center. It was built in 1903 and is still both rustic and elegant today. We dined in their restaurant and the food was good and the service was wonderful. I have heard that you need to book a room about a year in advance in order to stay here.

Ours was a relatively quick trip to the canyon. Endless amounts of time could be spent discovering its secrets. However, we were tired from our hike and chose to ride the free shuttle bus back to our car.

A nice stop a few miles down the road in Tusayan is the National Geographic IMAX theater. You’d think watching a film of the Grand Canyon would be ridiculous after seeing the real thing, but it was magnificent and took us to places that we certainly could not see in person. The film also explored the history of people in the canyon and it was quite fascinating to watch Native Americans living among its ledges and crevices.

The Grand Canyon 2016