Michele told me that the Grand Canyon was her favorite place, over a Scotch at the old Stars, the night we first met. I guess we had technically met weeks before, but this was the first social conversation we had. I don’t remember if it was before or after I told her I was would be going down the Colorado in a couple of months. It was my second trip into the Canyon and, it turned out, it was her third trip. For both of us, it was our first time down the bottom half.

I thought I had seen the Canyon in all her moods,

but I have never seen it like it was on November 29th (click through for more pictures). It must have been spectacular, but only if you had been there before and knew the clouds were 7,000 above the river. When I showed it to Michele, all she said was Wow!