So Jutta may have strolled the streets of New Orleans, snorkeled in the Florida Keys, sped over the Everglades on a fan boat, ate Southern-style cuisine, walked a short bit on the Appalachian Trail, visited Graceland, and a bunch of other things on this trip to the United States, but a vacation in America without a stop in the Grand Canyon wouldn’t be a proper visit, and so here we go.

It’s late in the day, almost evening here on Saturday, when we decide that we’ll race up the Grand Canyon so Jutta can let everyone know back home in Germany that once again she has been to this National Park that intrigues her so deeply. We obviously won’t make sunset in the park, but we’ll be there bright and early for sunrise.