Tag Archives: Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon – Bucket List Viewpoint

“No language can fully describe, no artist paint the beauty, grandeur, immensity and sublimity of this most wonderful production of Nature’s great architect.  [Grand Canyon] must be seen to be appreciated.” – C.O. Hall, Grand Canyon visitor 1895

 

I completely agree with Mr./Ms. Hall’s assessment of the Grand Canyon.  Neither photography nor paint nor narrative can do justice to its magnificence.  Road construction slowed the last stretch of highway from Page, AZ down to Cameron where we made a pit stop and a sharp right turn toward the park high above the Colorado River.  Light haze and smoke at the rim of the canyon Wednesday did not obscure the panorama. At the South Rim we took a short walk and went in the Watchtower at Desert View, built in 1932.  The road along the South Rim has fabulous viewpoints and signs explaining the geology and history.  The wonder of it all is awe-inspiring.  At Lipan Point lookout, we saw river rapids 3.8 miles afar and one mile below.  “It took me 82 years to get here,” Father Kevin remarked and smiled at the edge of the Grand Canyon.   This stop on his bucket list complete, we made a start toward Sedona.

 

 

The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How

At a family reunion last year I asked my uncle Kevin if he had a bucket list.  Well, I’ve always wanted to see the Grand Canyon, he replied.  At age 82 and with a medical condition called macular degeneration threatening his vision, it was clear that 2014 was the right time for us to schedule a trip.  We booked air travel, rental car and hotel accommodations.  Today our journey begins.

Kevin Gaffey is a Roman Catholic priest, ordained in 1957 in the Archdiocese of San Francisco.  He’s been retired for 11 years but is still busy and beloved, baptizing babies, blessing the sick, burying the dead, offering spiritual guidance, celebrating marriages and saying Mass every day.  Yesterday he preached at an 8:00 Mass at Church of the Nativity in Menlo Park, CA and then celebrated a 9:30 Mass for the nuns at Sacred Heart School in nearby Atherton.

My brothers and sister and I have always had a handful names for our uncle the priest.  To us, he’s Fr. Kevin, Fr. Kev, Uncle Kev or Uncle Father Kevin.  One of his grand-nephews added another name, Uncle Priest.  To his parishioners he’s known as Father Gaffey and to some of his young parishioners he was respectfully called Papa G.  For the purposes of this blog, I’ll refer to my travel companion and co-pilot as Fr. Kevin, Uncle Kevin, Fr. Kev, Kevin, Kev, or the Padre.  With all of those passengers onboard, maybe we should hire a bus.

I’m Patrick.  Also known as Pat, Patricio, Patricious, and King of the Road Trip.  I get to handle all the driving and blogging.  The first leg of our trek is a flight from San Francisco to Las Vegas.  We won’t what kind of rental vehicle we’re getting until we land in Vegas.

The plan is to visit three national parks and three states.  First up will be Zion National Park and then Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah.  After that, we’ll see the Grand Canyon in Arizona, before heading back across the Colorado River to Nevada.  By the way, we won’t be taking any burro rides to the bottom of the canyon.  As far as we know.

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