Our first stop of the trip was in Phoenix, so we could stretch our legs after the long flight and get oriented to our new environment. The plants were like something from a, well, desert..

JT lends some scale to the vastness of the cacti.

Spikes appear to be the "in" thing for desert wear.

Desert flowers were abundant.

Some of the plants just looked like bad special effects. Now we know where the FX people for "Doctor Who" looked for inspiration. This is a boojum tree.

A view of the Bright Angel Trail from the rim of the Grand Canyon.

The long trail down.

We saw a thunderstorm on the north rim of the canyon. It never rained on the south rim though.

Rock squirrels want your lunch! This fellow was quite impatient when I apparently failed to grasp that he wanted my sandwich, and attempted to crawl into my lap to better explain it.

This raven was also keenly interested in us as possible sources of sustenance.

JT regards the raven. The raven regards JT.

There be mules here. Watch where you step. (JT- "I'm never going to think about small round green things the same way again.")

Looking back up the trail.

This was the closest we got to the river. (See the rapids at the left of the picture.)

Trail's end. Boy, do our legs ache!

The next day, we opted for a gentle stroll around Red Rocks State Park.

The plant life looked so peculiar to eastern eyes that it was sometimes hard to believe it was real.