A Million Little Pieces Of My Mind

Arizona

Grand Canyon

Page Views: 1,380
Hashtags: #GrandCanyon #Arizona
Photos and travels in Grand Canyon, Arizona.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s) (73 words)
Grand Canyon in Winter

The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River (yes, that's its actual name) is the single most spectacular thing I've ever seen on Earth.

Not only is its physical beauty unparalleled, but its psychic energy, for those who are sensitive to such things, is life-changing.

This is the place I go to, over and over—for special occasions, to bring friends, for solitary contemplation.

And most of those trips? I bring a camera.

Car Camping at 73

By: Paul S Cilwa Occurred: 6/12/2024 Page Views: 522
Hashtags: #GrandCanyon #Photography
It's been too long since I've seen the spires.
Estimated reading time: 3 minute(s) (666 words)

I'm 73, as I keep having to remind myself, and I'm scheduled to have a hip replacement in a couple weeks. So who knows when I'll have another chance to visit Grand Canyon? And so, here I am, planning to take photos at midday, sunset, and night. And, by the way, all the following photos were taken by me, with my Samsung Galaxy 23 cell phone. I italicize that because I am still so amazed at the unexpected direction photography has taken in my lifetime.

Grand Canyon with Danes

By: Paul S Cilwa Occurred: 10/4/2018 Page Views: 1,733
Hashtags: #Places #Arizona #Superstitions #ApacheTrail
Today we took Danish friends to experience the mind-boggling Grand Canyon of the Colorado.
Estimated reading time: 1 minute(s) (230 words)

We have visitors from Denmark: Michael's nephew, Allan, and Allan's besties Jakob and Iben. As Keith and I love showing off our beloved Arizona, we happily participated in touring my favorite sites in the state, including the incredible Grand Canyon.

Visiting Grand Canyon South Rim

By: Paul S Cilwa Posted: 7/19/2013 Page Views: 1,368
Hashtags: #GrandCanyon #Arizona #Photography
All about the time I took Zach and his cousins to see Grand Canyon from the bottom up.
Estimated reading time: 5 minute(s) (1054 words)

So, and again because of the time constraint, we parked in Parking Lot A and took the free shuttle to the cluster of hotels and restaurants on the rim. We then walked up the hill…and the kids came to their first view of Grand Canyon from the rim.

Rafting With The Hualapai

By: Paul S Cilwa Posted: 7/18/2013 Page Views: 2,904
Hashtags: #GrandCanyon #Arizona #Hualapai
All about the time I took my grandson and his cousins whitewater rafting in Grand Canyon!
Estimated reading time: 15 minute(s) (3455 words)

So, a couple of days ago, my grandson, Zach's, dad, Jimmy, welcomed his sister, Kelly, and her husband and two granddaughters. That makes them Zach's second cousins. They live in New Jersey, and had never seen Grand Canyon or gone whitewater rafting.

Camping with Zach at Grand Canyon

By: Paul S Cilwa Occurred: 8/24/2008 Page Views: 1,902
Hashtags: #GrandCanyon #Arizona #Camping #Zachary #Photography #Travel
All about the camping trip we took, with Zach and his friend, to Grand Canyon.
Estimated reading time: 12 minute(s) (2754 words)

One of the things my grandson, Zachary, was most looking forward to about being in fourth grade, was the annual trip the local fourth graders traditionally make to Grand Canyon. This trip isn't just for fun. Grand Canyon is a living example of geology, ecology, the protection of endangered species, and more; and fourth grade is about the time most youngsters have grown aware enough to appreciate and understand it. Unfortunately, since our president has chosen to spend trillions of dollars fighting an un-winnable war against an enemy that didn't exist until he invaded their countries, there isn't enough left for the local schools to make the trip. And so, Michael and I took Zach and his friend, Chris, ourselves.

Arizona State Route 64

By: Paul S Cilwa Posted: 2/5/2008 Page Views: 1,356
Hashtags: #GrandCanyon #Arizona #Travel #Photography
Sightseeing along the Grand Canyon south rim.
Estimated reading time: 4 minute(s) (738 words)

One of the most beautiful stretches of road in Arizona, and one of the most underappreciated, is state road 64. This delightful ribbon of concrete runs from the end of US 180 right in Grand Canyon Village, and extends eastward, mostly following the South Rim of the Canyon, for just about 60 miles where it T-bones into US 89 at Cameron. From there you can head north to Tuba City or Page, or south to Flagstaff.

Rain Clouds Over Grand Canyon

By: Paul S Cilwa Occurred: 8/14/2000
Posted: 1/23/2016		 Page Views: 1,617
Hashtags: #GrandCanyon #Arizona #Sedona
All the photos I took of Grand Canyon with Michael's family.
Estimated reading time: 2 minute(s) (257 words)

Among the number of Michael's relatives that came to his and my wedding from distant parts were his sister, Dorothy Ann, her husband, Bob; and his other sister's son, Chris. Along with my son, John, we rented a van and made a touristy journey to visit Grand Canyon.

Havasu Canyon

Occurred: 9/26/1998 Page Views: 1,833
Hashtags: #HavasuCanyon #Havasupai #Supai #Arizona #HavasuCreek #Indianreservation #GrandCanyon
1998 camping trip to Havasu Canyon with Michael. Directions, photos and text.
Estimated reading time: 20 minute(s) (4731 words)

When we think of Paradise on Earth, the image that usually comes to mind is Tahiti, prior to the arrival of Captain Cook and his band of cultural elitists. Before 1750, Tahiti was a land where people obtained their food and created their shelter in joy; children laughed and ran barefoot amongst the fruit-laden trees; there was no pollution, no European diseases like smallpox or polio, and no sense of inferiority to anyone else. Today, while Tahiti still retains its excellent climate, it has become a tourist Mecca whose high-rise luxury hotels are not paradise to those of us who like nature and the outdoors, and where Tahiti's once-proud and carefree people serve as chambermaids and porters to the privileged who come to its shores for a few days of vacation. The Paradise that was Tahiti is long gone.

Winter On The Rim

Occurred: 1/10/1995 Page Views: 1,393
Hashtags: #GrandCanyon #Winter #KarenHopeCilwa #JenniferAnnCilwaRizzo
Visiting Grand Canyon in the winter.
Estimated reading time: 5 minute(s) (1069 words)

In January, 1995, I was teaching a class in Arizona and took a side trip to Hollywood to visit my daughters, Karen and Jennifer, who were living there at the time. This was their first time really far from home, really on their own (together; Jenny had previously had a solo adventure further north in California) and they were very excited to show me the restaurant where they worked, their apartment, and so on.

Grand Canyon Sampler

Occurred: 7/29/1998
Posted: 9/23/2015		 Page Views: 3,299
Hashtags: #GrandCanyon #Rafting #WhitewaterRafting #OARS #Travel #Arizona
All about my 1992 Grand Canyon rafting trip with my daughter, Dottie.
Estimated reading time: 3 minute(s) (632 words)

In April of 1992, my wife of twenty years decided to "find herself"; and she decided to start the search without me. Our separation was a mutual choice and led me to two conclusions. One: I could do stuff I never could before, like take extended camping trips. And, two: I should make these trips with each of my kids. Previously, everything had to include everyone; and, since I had four kids, this was usually a prohibitively expensive proposition. One kid at a time, on the other hand, was often do-able. I decided to kick all this off with a three-day rafting trip through Grand Canyon. The company I chose is called O.A.R.S., which stands for Outdoor Adventure River Specialists.