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**WELCOME TO BAYLEY'S & TARA'S** **__GRAND CANYON__ EXPERIENCE!**

(There are videos and pictures at the end! Check them out!)




= South Kaibab Trail: =

===The South Kaibab Trail was the first stop on our Grand Canyon journey. It has an elevation of 2134 meters (7000 feet). The trail is 6.4 miles downhill and descends 1445 meters vertically. It was very rocky, and you could tell when you descended into another part of the canyon due to the colors of the canyon walls. Every step we took was equal to going back in time 100,000 years. We were the second group to start hiking, and we ended up being the first down to Ooh Aah Point. There, we saw many squirrels and naturally formed caves. It was hard to see anything though, because there was so much dust I couldn't even see anything. It was definitely something new for me, but I don't think I'd want to do it again at this time of year because I kept on getting hot, and then cold. Everyone kept on falling on the trail. But I loved seeing the scenery on the trip, and I felt special knowing that I was one of the few people that went into the canyon.===

===The Grand Canyon is where the South Kaibab and Bright Angel Trails reside. They are both on the South rim of the Canyon. The Grand Canyon is 1.2 MILLION acres wide! It's one big canyon! The river is 277 miles long and there are 26 species of fish in the Colorado River. The Grand Canyon is made mostly of sedimentary rock. There are many animals, amphibians, and reptiles in the Canyon. There are 76 known animals, 6 amphibians, 35 reptiles, and 305 birds in the Grand Canyon. The fossils in the Grand Canyon depend on the many layers. In limestone, you can find fossils of water creatures, such as sponges, shellfish, and crinoids. But in sandstone, you can find dune crossing reptiles. Those are the two layers we went through in the South Kaibab Trail. We saw many fossils on the trail, and you could tell they were fossils because they appeared darker on the rock. Climates have been the single most profound influence on the Canyon's ecology. For instance, the coarse, loose soils grow larger plants, while fine heavier soils grow smaller, denser plants and meadow grasses. The invasive species in the Grand Canyon is called Tamarisk, which was placed in the canyon to prevent erosion, but the growth of Tamarisk went out of hand, and now to get rid of it, many people take it out or poison the roots.===

= = = The Beautiful Colorado: =

===As we reached the Glen Canyon Dam, we saw the beautiful Colorado River. The Colorado once ran about 1,085 miles long, but after they put the dam, the river started flowing at only 16 miles long. In the 1960's when the dam was built, it also cut down the rate of the rapids. Today the river flows around 3.5 miles per hour.=== ====== ===As we traveled along the river, we observed the rocks and scenery around us. If you don't know, Colorado means red. When the first explorers, like John Wesley Powell, found the river, they described it to be the color red. That's how the Colorado River received it's name. If you look at the canyon walls along the river, you see different kinds of blazing rocks. The color of the rocks varies from red, tan, brown, black, and white. All of the rocks have their own unique color. Because of erosion the rocks have their own shape. Some have holes in the wall, some are short, some are tall, and some even look like they've been sliced like cheese! Below are some examples of the different rock we saw:===

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===Besides studying the rock and learning the wonders of the Colorado River, we got to stop at a beach area. There was a trail that lead to a rock that had "rock art" on it. Honestly I think it's not rock art, because I believe the signs on the rock represented something. Indians sent messages through these symbols. When something wrong was happening, maybe the Indians used some of these signs to caution other tribes. What do you think these signs mean?=== ======

===In Arizona our temperatures are really hot and dry. In the summer our high ranges from the late 90’s to the early 100’s. For the Colorado River you would expect the water to be warm, but it’s not. The temperature of the river was about 47 degrees when we went. So when we reached the beach area, some of us had the guts to jump in. I had the chance to be one of those people to jump in and it was a wet, cold, but fun experience! The Colorado River was fun and exciting just learning about it, but jumping into the water made me love it even more! Honestly the river was my favorite part of the entire Grand Canyon experience. I will never forget it!===

Lee's Ferry
=== John D. Lee established a ferry in the Colorado Rover in 1871. Since Lee traveled a lot, the ferry was managed by his wife, Emma Lee. Lee was eventually forced to leave the ferry site to evade law enforcement officers for his part in the 1857 Mountain Meadows Massacre. He was executed by the firing squad on March 23, 1877. In 1879 Emma Lee sold the ferry, for 100 milk cows, to the church. Today, the site is used for fishing, launching rafts, and site-seeing.===

[[image:IMG_0327.jpg width="216" height="288" caption="Near where Lee's Ferry was."]]
= Wupatki: =

===From hunter-gatherers to farmers, herders, ranchers, and caretakers, many people have called Wupatki home. Many of the people were Indians. People lived there and grew their own food. At age 13 some teenagers started taking caring of little children and raising them in these pueblos. Not only were there homes, there were pits, where they played ball, had ceremonies, or had a campfire.===

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===Although it was the tallest, largest, and perhaps the richest and most influential pueblo around, it was built in one of the lowest, warmest, and driest places on the Colorado Plateau. Wupatki was not only homes for many, but a trading area. People traded exotic items like turquoise, shell jewelry, copper bells, and parrots. After the eruption of Sunset Crater, people started to move in. The ash and lava actually helped grow plants with the rich soil. Later on, people started to leave Wupatki. Wupatki is full of interesting history!===

= Sunset Crater: =

===Sunset Crater is the youngest volcano on the Colorado Plateau. This volcano is known for showing how day turned into night. Farmers use to live in the forest part of the area. They farmed corn fields and lived in pithouses. Everything was great and grand until the volcano erupted, in 1100 - 1180 A.D. Nobody could live there, so farmers moved to places like Wupatki, where the eruption actually helped them grow crops with the rich soil. Today if you go to Sunset Crater, you will still see lava rock left and the evidence of the eruption.===

Did you Know ..?

 * === Flagstaff, Arizona is the world's first designated International Dark Sky City. This helps to ensure dark night skies at 3 national monuments located nearby - Sunset Crater Volcano, Wupatki, and Walnut Canyon. ===

= = = Watching the Sunset: =

= Below are some cool pictures and videos we thought you would like to see! :) =

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