The boys are not exactly the ‘enjoy the scenery’ kind (so which kid is?). So there are Ranger activities to keep them interested, and places to see. On the first day, we took a drive east to Desert view to the Watch Tower for and work our way back into the rim walk near the lodge, followed by a Raptor watch talk by the HawkWatch International. Followed by taking the local shuttle to Yakki point to check out the sunset, where a Ranger as there to answer some questions as well. Some Elks were spotted on the way, which got the boys all excited on the shuttle.
Ranger Talks
Ranger Talks covers a variety of subjects, and in the Grand Canyon, is typically Geology, which the boys aren’t big fans of, but they do pick up a few information here and there about the Colorado River, the age of the rocks, and fossils. Yes, we went ‘fossil hunting’, down on all fours, and that got the boys interested.
Nothing grand like a dinosaur, or any major finds. You won’t get dinosaurs in the rocks, as the age of the rock around was way before the dinosaur period, but we do get some shellfish, oysters, coral. And the neat thing is, the erosion that’s still happening, will likely reveal even more new fossils in future.
Raptor Watch
QiXiu found a couple of new friends, at the Raptor Watch ranger talk, which we went to, twice, at two different locations. Besides learning more about his favourite raptors, we also had the opportunity to be at their ‘office’ to help them spot the birds. The second watch we went to was particularly rewarding, and we saw a good variety of raptors, local or migratory.
Here are some pictures of QiXiu with his friend, Jacob, and some raptors we spotted.
And at the end of the few days, the boys earned their Grand Canyon Junior Ranger’s badge and certificate.
