When we were at the Canyon, there were several cloudbursts in progress. Lightning struck so close at one point that our SUV shook from the concussion. There was no problem a while later when it cleared enough to get this incredible panoramic view from Desert Lookout. Click it big.
In 1930, Fred Harvey commissioned Mary Colter to design and build a gift shop and rest area at the Grand Canyon’s Desert View scenic overlook. The Watchtower resulted from Colter’s efforts and was opened to the public in 1933.
The Desert View lookout and the Watchtower make for a climactic final stop if you are driving Desert View Drive from Grand Canyon Village, or a dramatic beginning if you enter the park through the East Entrance. From the top of the 70-foot stone-and-mortar Watchtower even the muted hues of the distant Painted Desert to the east and the 3,000-foot-high Vermilion Cliffs rising from a high plateau near the Utah border are visible. In the chasm below, angling to the north toward Marble Canyon, you can see an imposing stretch of the Colorado River. The Watchtower houses a glass-enclosed observatory with powerful telescopes.
I made this image of the tower using a vertical panoramic technique; first, I took three images of the tower in portrait mode, one above the other with slight overlap. I was standing about 30 feet (9 meters) away from the tower. The camera was my little Canon A710 IS and the photo stitch software was part of Canon’s Zoom Browser which came with the camera. Click on the thumbnail to see a larger view of this interesting, looming tower.
During our visit to San Diego, I took this panoramic view of the USS Midway docked at Navy Pier. The Midway is now permanently moored as a floating museum. Verna’s Dad, Bill, served on this ship when he was a sailor.
Verna snapped this unusual vehicle just before we got home from our vacation. Unlike most trikes which have one wheel in front, this one has two steering wheels in front, and a single drive wheel in the rear. Very interesting!
This is the Arboretum at Balboa Park in San Diego. We spent the day visiting the park and other nearby attractions. Click for the full panoramic view.
