The I Don’t Really See What The Big Deal Is Canyon

Taking the Grand Canyon Railway with my Mr. to see one of the most impressive landscapes in the world on Valentine’s Day? Yes, please! The BOGO offer sealed the deal for me. I bought the tickets weeks in advance of our Arizona trip.

Days before our flight, weather reports were showing that February 14 would be a cold day at the Canyon. No problem. . .we packed our winter coats, hats, and gloves.

On a gorgeous Valentine’s Eve in Sedona, we found out (from wunderground and several other tourists we met) that a soaking rain front was coming in that would blanket most of the state. No problem. . .we had also brought our umbrellas.

As we wound our way from 2,000 feet above sea level to 7,000 feet the next morning in our Volkswagen Beetle rental car, the rain began to pour and then turned to sleet. No problem. . .it was warm and dry once we were inside the glass-domed railway car, and there were pastries and coffee to share with new friends.

From the train, we boarded a shuttle bus to go to the canyon viewing sites. Not only was it cold and raining, the entire canyon (if there really was a canyon) was covered in fog. Problem.

No kidding. The picture here is one of the best we got. We stepped off our bus, freezing wind swirling the rain around us, to walk a few steps to the viewing area and all we could see was a guardrail and fog. Once, we could make out what we were told was the Colorado River a mile below for a few minutes before the fog with the voracious appetite swallowed it up as well. We tried five sites before our driver took us back to the Grand Canyon Village.

Was the day a bust? No, not really. The train ride was fabulous. It was fun getting to know new people and, in addition to the breakfast and hors d’oeuvre buffets, there were roaming guitar and fiddle players. We even met a gruff but kind Marshal who saved us from a robbery by the infamous Cataract Gang. (It was just a staged robbery, Mom.)

So, the lesson learned from the day could simply be to focus on what we can see and not on what we can’t. But, I couldn’t stop thinking about that guardrail and the fog and the reality of what the fog obscured. We were on the rim of the GRAND CANYON and could see nothing but a puffy white sea. How often do we let obstacles fog our vision and rob us of the wonder that is within our reach?

Pain or grief or worry or outrage can easily consume our thoughts and control our lives. It’s worth the effort to make ourselves think about things that are noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy. Those things are out there no matter how the metaphorical raindrops and fog crowd in around you.

And what about that guardrail? What some might think is an obstacle to enjoy the canyon is really a device to protect us from danger. There’s a real book in the Grand Canyon gift shop (updated annually) of people who have died in the park because they ignored the warnings. Selfie on a cliff, anyone?

Are your instincts telling you that a person in your life is untrustworthy? You should pay attention to that. Is your conscience telling you that something you are doing isn’t right? You should pay attention to that. Are trusted friends and family telling you that a relationship you are in is destructive? You should pay attention to that.

While every analogy breaks down— sure, there are times to step beyond a guardrail and push boundaries for a worthwhile goal—what I’d like you to take away today are these two ideas:
 Don’t ignore danger warnings in your life.
 Don’t focus on the fog.

Oh, and definitely try the Grand Canyon Railway.