It was still dark as I walked out of my room with my coffee cup in hand. I was amazed to see how many deer were on the lawn of the hotel just grazing. I quietly walked past, trying not to disturb anyone from their green breakfast and headed towards the stone wall a few feet away. There I was greeted by all the other guests that were waiting for the sunrise as well. There were a few people sitting on the wall while their legs dangled into the abyss of the canyon. I found a spot with a clear view and rested my cup down while I adjusted my camera. The sun started to rise, you could see the earth tones of rust and orange start to rise from the back of the canyon which was still hiding in the shadows of darkness. The sky was a night blue with the moon hanging in the center as if someone had just placed it there. You could start to see the outline of the top of the canyon as the darkness changed to brush strokes of colors. Looking down for a moment, I saw that the canyon too was beginning to lighten up, rigid walls of terra cotta started to appear. The crevasses looked like winding roads going in every direction. It was if the world was waking up for the first time. Everything was slowly coming alive and so was I. The colors in the sky were turning a golden yellow and the sun was rising over the ridge. The light was reflecting on the gorges which were now filled with layers of grays and browns with a tint of blue to them. It felt as though everything was rising, even me. You could now see specks of greenery throughout the canyon. As I was focusing through my camera lens, I found it blurry to see. My eyes were welling up with emotion. I struggled with staying composed while watching what I like to call God’s Artwork being created. I stared at the beauty of this wonderous canyon in disbelief. I had seen pictures of it throughout the years, but nothing can compare to seeing it in person. I could feel the energy of this view through every part of my being. I felt alive and blessed to be able to experience something so beautiful. My words will never express the beauty of this experience so all I can say is you must see it for yourself!
