Imax and in Quest of Elk

The day seemed to start badly. We had planned to see the Imax Grand Canyon movie at the South Rim. But it started raining and snowing while we were having breakfast. I tried to find whether the woman at the Visitor Center thought it would be safe to make the sixty mile trip. She hem hawed quite a bit. Then I asked her would she drive up there. Oh yes, she said. That did it, we were off and running.

About ten miles into the trip north, the sky went to white clouds with patches of blue and the rest of the day was dry and pleasant. Prairie grass and gentle hills provided the scenery early in the trip. As we crested a long slope, we could see something very different. I could swear I was looking at the ocean—distant and flat. A high, gently sloping mountain was right in the middle of the view. It was remarkable. Since we knew the Grand Canyon was ahead, we knew what we were seeing. We didn’t see that view again as the prairie grass gave way to a Kaibab Nation forest.

The National Geographic center with the Imax theater is just south of the canyon’s park entrance. The movie was remarkable. My previous favorite was Imax’s presentation of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Now there’re both my favorites. Consider seeing both if you have the chance. Only Imax can deliver the proper impact of this epic journey and this monumental place.

During the opening dialog, the announcer says “…did God make it or is it a symphony of nature…”. This is a question without an answer. Each person, who cares, must answer personally. For me, the answer is both. In my faith, I never tire of seeing the beauty and magnificence produced by God’s physical laws.

After leaving the center, we decided to explore some of the forest to see the abundant wildlife. We took one of the forest roads. Driving the roads was a challenge—unmaintained dirt and gravel with soft spots now and then. In about fifteen miles of tortuous driving, we saw a squirrel with big ears and some birds. Nothing else.

We emerged at a McDonald’s. Loaded up with coffee and tried another road. We got about two miles in before the road became impassible for our Honda. After a tricky turn around, we gave up went back to the highway and headed south. Not long after we left the forest, behold there was a big elk grazing about fifty feet from the road. It was perfect, the elk was in profile, the rack was huge and the magnificent beast stared right at us. We were about to top a hill and traffic was on our tail so I didn’t stop. We turned around to try for a picture but it was gone. Like the fish that got away.

Again, three hours behind and another night in Williams.