A letter to my Grandmother
ATTENTION FOR STUDNETS IN XML FOR LIBRARIES CLASS: YOU NEED TO ADD BOTH "OPENER" AND "CLOSER" ELEMENTS IN YOUR ASSIGNMENT FOR THE FULL CREDIT.
OF COURSE, YOUR ASSIGNMENT SHOULD BE "VALID" WITH TEILITE.DTD. VALIDATE YOUR DOCUMENT WITH W3C VALIDATOR, PLEASE. WARNINGS ARE FINE, BUT ERRORS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE.
April 2, 2003
Dear Grandmother,
I just wanted to write you a letter about my trip to the Grand Canyon, Arizona. It was a wonderful trip and Ben and I can hardly wait to go back next year. This year marked our fifth year of going to the Grand Canyon.
The days before we left, Fort Collins had a huge snowstorm; the second biggest since 1903! So, we weren't really even sure we would be able to go. Well, soon enough, the sun came out again and started to melt the snow. We decided we would be able to leave town on Friday, March 21, 2003. We both had to go to work Friday morning, so before work, we packed up the car and made ready to leave. We worked until 3:00 on Friday and then left town. We drove South on Interstate 25 to Pueblo. We got to Pueblo at 6:15 Friday night. We stayed at Ben's mom's house in Pueblo West. We went out to dinner and then talked and relaxed. We had a nice time there.
We tried to get a good night's rest on Friday night, because we were planning on waking up really early on Saturday morning - we still had a long drive ahead of us. We got up at 4:00 am on Saturday and got ready quickly. We took muffins and other food with us for the road. I was still pretty sleepy, so Ben drove while I slept. He drove to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and then we traded places. So, I was in the driver's seat! It was fun to drive though. I drove to Gallup, New Mexico, where we once again stopped and traded places. From there, Ben drove us all the way to the Grand Canyon Village. We arrived there around 5:30 pm. We checked in to a cabin and then ate some dinner at the Bright Angel Lodge. We were both feeling excited with anticipation for the backcountry experience. We went to sleep, but didn't sleep that well.
We awoke early on Sunday morning and ate a quick breakfast. We checked out of the hotel, secured the car, and double checked our backpacks before heaving them up onto our backs. Then we were off! We had to take a shuttle bus to the trailhead, which took about 25 mintues to get to. The trailhead we started at is located at the western edge of the main section of the Park, called Hermit's Rest Trailhead. It was a beautiful, but cold morning. We started hiking briskly down the steep trail. Going down was fun, yet quite breathtaking. As we made our decent into the canyon, we recounted our knowledge or the Cayon's geology. We made our way through the Kaibob limestone, Bright Angel shale and Redrock layers. After hiking 9 miles, we ended up at a backcountry campsite called Monument Creek. We ate a nice relaxing lunch, drank some water and set up our tent. Then, we got out our books and read in the shade and listened to the birds for several hours. It was very peaceful. I even managed to take a nap. Then, we made our dinner and got into the tent for sleeping. Since the sun set around 6:30, we were usually in the tent and asleep by 7:30 pm!
We awoke early again on Monday morning, but we didn't set off right away. We had a more relaxing breakfast and got ready for the day. Then, we repacked one of the backpacks for a day trip down to the Colorado River. Along the way, we studied more of the plants, animals and geology. We spent nearly two hours at the Colorado River and explored along the banks of the area called Granite Rapids. Then, we decided it was time to head back up to our campsite and prepare lunch. After lunch, we read some more. Then, we decided to take a hike up through an old creekbed. We saw many interesting sand stone caves, of which several we explored. After that, it was nearly dinner time. We made our dinner and got ready for sleep. Right after dinner, a beautiful rain and thunderstorm moved into the Canyon. It rained for at least 20 minutes. After the rain stopped, the birds were singing so loudly - it was a chorus of thanks for the rain! We slept well that night.
We woke up at 3:00 am on Tuesday morning, in preparation for 15 miles of hiking ahead of us. We used our headlamps to tear down the tent and repack our backpacks. After breakfast, we set off on the trail again, still using our headlamps. It was beautiful to hike under the waxing moon, soon to be replaced by a bright sun. It was very cold that morning and I needed to wear gloves. We weaved in and out of several side canyons and saw the first light of the day. Many birds greeted the sun with their songs. After a long day of hiking, we arrived at our last campsite - the Bright Angel Campground. We picked out a nice campsite right across from the Bright Angel Creek, which runs into the Colorado River. We relaxed more and drank lots of water. We took naps and read our books until it was dinner time. We ate our dinner with thanks, and then walked over to the Ranger cabin to listed to the Ranger talk about lizards in the Grand Canyon. It was quite educational and we learned that one of the main lizards in the Grand Canyon is called Western Whiptail lizard. After the talk, we made our way back to the campsite and got ready to sleep. We slept well that night and were blessed with the song of the Bright Angel River.
We awoke at 5:00 am on Wednesday morning and prepared to leave camp. We at a nice breakfast and splashed water on our faces. Today was the day to leave the Canyon. We were filled with remorse and longing to stay longer, or even forever. We begrudgingly started our hike back up. The hike back up to the Canyon rim is actually quite beautiful. We passed by many stately old Cottonwood trees, and several beautiful types of flowers. We made our way through the area called Indian Gardens, which is filled with beautiful plants and waterfalls. By 10:00 am, we were back at the rim, which is pretty fast time. We were quite strong on the way out and never tired from the trek up. Once at the rim again, it was stunning to look back out across the Canyon and down into the depths where the mighty Colorado River runs its way West to the Pacific Ocean.
We had a wonderful time and are already making plans to head back next spring. We always enjoy the backcountry hiking and camping experience. It makes us feel proud to hike 40 miles in a few days. It is a chance of a lifetime to visit the Grand Canyon, and yet, we are fortunate enough to go once a year to a place we so dearly treasure in our hearts, minds and souls.
Much Love to you Grandmother.
From, Your Name