The Grand Canyon is, as its name suggests, very large. Whether you hike along the rim or descend into the canyon, it takes a long time on foot. But there are many alternatives: helicopters, cars, buses, bicycles... but that seemed too ordinary for us today, so we decided to go for this 1 horsepower vehicle.
We rode on our mules 'Judd' and 'Corky' along the South Rim of the canyon and enjoyed the magnificent view. Horses are not suitable for rides along and into the canyon as they are easily frightened and do not feel comfortable on the narrow paths along the cliffs. The mules, on the other hand, trot without worries over rocks and stones and remain calm.
All the mules for the Grand Canyon come from Tennessee and undergo extensive training before they are finally allowed to lead visitors through the national park. In addition to our tour along the rim, you can also take a full-day ride down into the canyon and then stay overnight at an abandoned ranch before heading back up the next day. And this trip is extremely strenuous for the animals, the very steep descent and ascent takes more than 8 hours. But even the riders will feel some pain at certain points after this tour... :-) The rest of the day we continued on foot. On the beautiful hiking trails, we were able to explore the canyon a little further. The enormous size of the canyon still amazes us today. If we should come back here again, we will have to plan enough time for a descent. Tomorrow, it's time to say goodbye again. The program includes the long drive to Los Angeles, our last stop on our great journey.
