Goin' Out To Cally – Part 23, Desert Rain

I hopped out of the car at the Grand Canyon parking lot like a child running from his bedroom Christmas morning. We all immediately moved to the edge of the parking lot which stood at the edge of the canyon itself. I marveled at the large squirrels that traveled around and over the visible edge of the canyon with no sense of fear of falling to their deaths at the bottom of the canyon hundreds of feet below.

Brave squirrel

Screen capture from Tim's video camera

My great fear of heights immediately kicked in and I instinctively moved back from the edge a bit. I pointed across the canyon at some greenery on the other side.

Trees or bushes?

“Tim,” I said, “are those small bushes or really large trees?”

My mind simply could not fathom the scope of the visual feast in front of me.

Tim stammered, “I… I don’t know.”

Sunday, Pete and Beth at the Canyon

Beth directed us into the air conditioned welcome center built on the edge of the canyon, jutting out over the side. We were given a nice tour of the facility where they explained how it took millions of years for the rivers below to forge such a cut in God’s creation. The Guide also mentioned to me, in passing, that there was a canyon on the planet Mars that would dwarf our own Grand Canyon.

Grand Canyon on Mars

Staring out of the picturesque window at the great canyon below that seemed impossible to me.

Sunday moved up next to me and grabbed my arm, pointing out of the large window to a rain storm approaching in the distance. Growing up in Florida, I was used to thunderstorms. During the summer the winds from the coast would hit the winds from the land and form terrific thunderstorms and light shows everyday around four o’clock in the afternoon. But, I had never been able to see the totality of the thunderstorm itself. Standing in the observation deck of the welcome center with hundreds of miles of horizon within our view, we could see the thunderstorm from edge to edge quickly approach us.

It was interesting to see a thunderstorm in a desert. Considering we were right in the middle of the drought of ’88, it was even more surprising. Within minutes the storm was fast upon us and the winds and rain made a blustery entrance and exit, quickly moving past us on toward Bedrock City.

As I watched the dry ground immediately absorb the newly fallen rain, the length of the day was beginning to weigh on me. I was not alone in this sudden sense of exhaustion and with little fuss we decided to return to Bedrock City, rest up, and tackle the Canyon anew in the morning.

Beth looking hip in her 80's sunglasses

Our drive back to the campground was filled with excited conversation about the canyon, our expectations, our experiences and what we had hoped to accomplish the next day. It was nice to have a unifying experience among the four of us. It was the first real event that brought us together as one.

Pete and Sunday at the Canyon

As we approached Bedrock City we could see the heavy and quick storm had made an impact on the surrounding area. As Tim pulled into the campground he looked curiously from side to side and then back to us.

Tim asked simply, “Where’s our tent?”

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Goin' Out To Cally - Part 23, (Text, Audio) Desert Rain
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 22, (Text, Audio) Bedrock City
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 21, (Text, Audio) The Outhouse
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 20, (Text, Audio) Riding The Hump
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 19, (Text, Audio) Bob Hope, Lil’ Debbie And Restless Gods
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 18, (Text, Audio) Unlevel Headed
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 17, (Text, Audio) Starry Night, Confusing Night
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 16, (Text, Audio) Three Beds + Four People = Oh Crap
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 15, (Text, Audio) Masculinity At Stake
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 14, (Text, Audio) Texas: Latin For Shoot Me Now
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 13, (Text, Audio) Cars, Crossroads and Cosmic Convergence
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 12, (Text, Audio) Tumbleweed Dreams
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 11, (Text, Audio) Wet, Rinse, Repeat
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 10, (Text, Audio) Divine Misdirection
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 09, (Text, Audio) Getting Nowhere Fast
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 08, (Text, Audio) The Cock Crows Nine
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 07, (Text, Audio) Is Jackass A Sign?
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 06, (Text, Audio) Leftovers
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 05, (Text, Audio) The Kiss Of Friendship
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 04, (Text, Audio) Scholastic Intimacy
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 03, (Text, Audio) Space Invaders
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 02, (Text, Audio) The Fourth Wheel
Goin' Out To Cally - Part 01, (Text, Audio) The Seed Planted