Day 4 - Bitsy Day

 Sunset

 El Tovar Lodge

 Inside El Tovar

 Helicopter like the one I was on

 Helicopter View

 More Sunset - This was a minute earlier than the first picture

Today is Bitsy Day. On this date 14 years ago Mary "Bitsy" Treadwell went home to be with her Lord and Savior after a 3-4 year battle with breast cancer. Today she is "Home Free". A while back the children starting calling this Bitsy Day as a way to honor their mother and celebrate her life and not just mourn her death. Yesterday as I was driving toward Desert View, along the road are several scenic overlooks where you can pull in. In 1975 Bitsy and I were returning from vacation in California and stopped at one of these overlooks on the way to Flagstaff and had lunch at the Grand Canyon. When I passed those yesterday it reminded me of that memory.

I slept much better last night, even got about 8 hours awaking around 6 am. After my coffee and oatmeal bar I set about breaking camp. Took be much longer than I thought, but The bottom of the tent and the tarp underlayment were wet and/or muddy from the rains yesterday so it took time to clean them off before I could fold them and pack them away. Got to work on the tent folding - got it in the bag but couldn't zip it closed since it need one more fold. After getting things packed up I went and showered and headed to the Canyon Cafe for a snack. I had about 3+ hours before leaving for my helicopter flight, so I  went and visited some of the historic lodges in the park. Returned to Market Plaza for lunch and enjoyed a Rueben sandwich.

After lunch I headed for the Grand Canyon Airport for my helicopter ride. I managed to draw the seat next to the pilot so I had an unobstructed view. A family of 5-6 from France were also on the ride and they got the rear seats. It was an neat experience. We didn't fly over some of the more dramatic areas of the canyon but it was a different perspective from above.

Returned to the park and checked in a the Yavapai Lodge for my last night here. Then headed back to the lodges to catch the shuttle out to Hopi Point for sunset. Went there early to scope it out then returned and had dinner at the Bright Angel Lodge. Caught a shuttle just in time to make it back to Hopi Point for sunset. Took lots of pictures as the sun was setting, two of which are posted here.

It was a good, full day and I think I am ready for a nice comfortable bed. Tomorrow I leave for a stopover in Las Vegas on my way to Death Valley. See you down the road.

Oh, and Happy Bitsy Day!