We stopped in Kingman, AZ for a bite to eat and a fill of petrol. Knowing that the weather would be cold, we wanted our tanks full so we wouldn't need to cook anything once settled in camp.
We made it to a campground (the only one open on the South Rim) quite late, as I was driving cautiously due to the amount of ice on the roadways. We attempted to pay at the self-pay kiosk at the entrance to the campground, but once I selected 'yes' to the question of "Do you have a Golden Age, Access...pass?" it wouldn't allow me to plug in the numbers to my pass. I decided I would try again in the morning, and we went into camp. Here is where I found the Maggioina and especially the Columbus shine; camp was setup in literally just seconds.
Despite it being -4 degrees that night, we both slept warm, and I even found myself waking to take off a layer and to put in my earplugs (a must for a tent mate that snores).
We awoke early to catch the morning light of the Grand Canyon. I had seen it once before as a child, but it was as if I was seeing it all over again. Despite my best efforts, I was simply unable to capture the grandeur of that vast chasm in the earth.
My pops:
