The Grand Canyon

Today we saw the Grand Canyon.

Before we actually saw the Grand Canyon, we went to a gift shop and I saw postcards with images of the Grand Canyon. I wasn't too impressed.  I do love beautiful scenery, but I'm picky. Some stuff is extremely attractive to me, and other stuff is not.

Tim said maybe I would like it better in person.

He was right.

The Grand Canyon looks much better in person than it does in pictures.

It's a fabulous thing to see.

I thought about our time in Halls Gap. One day I took a walk by myself, and climbed to where I had this view of beautiful Grampian scenery.  I took photos, but I wasn't able to capture the beauty of it.

I wonder if the same principle would apply to things in Australia like the Twelve Apostles and Uluru. I see photos and think, Yes, that's really lovely.  But maybe if I saw them in real life I'd be saying, Oh my God!! And I'd get all emotional and not want to leave.

When we were walking around the Grand Canyon, I asked myself for the 50 millionth time if I'd want to go to Uluru.

For now, it's still no.

The Grand Canyon is beautiful, but it wasn't a enormous spiritual experience for me. I didn't get goose bumps or have tears. There was nothing like that.  I think my thought processes were more along the lines of, this is beautiful, and good, now I can tell people I've been here and seem well-traveled.

Also, if I want to see famous beautiful scenery, it's easier for us to just return to The Grand Canyon. It's just a car drive away. If I want to see Uluru, there are  major expenses on top of the expense of traveling all the way to Australia.

I'm fine with seeing less famous spots of beauty in Australia.

The Grand Canyon is really grand. But I got more enjoyment from my quiet hike in the Grampians. I mean the Grampians isn't a total secret hideaway. I think it's fairly well known among Australians. Probably. It isn't world known, though, like Uluru and The Grand Canyon.

We're staying at a hotel near the Grand Canyon. It has a bunch of little shops and restaurants. It reminds me a bit of Halls Gap. The problem is it's missing the kangaroos, cockatoos, and magpies, which for me was the main selling point of Halls Gap.

Yeah. The more I think about it the more I realize I don't need anything grand. I just need some gum trees, some pretty rocks, some parrots, and a nearby shop that sells things like Tim Tams and Iced VoVos.   If there happened to be a store nearby owned by a fan of Doctor Who, and he sold cool Doctor Who stuff, that would make things even more wonderful.

In the meantime...I shall enjoy the big and small beautiful things of my own country. 

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