View across the street from the Island in the Sky Visitors Center

My dad getting closer to the edge than I dare to (I’m kinda scared of heights)

Gnarled trees (pinons? junipers?) frame the views beautifully:

 

And they’re quite interesting even without the backdrop.

 

Of course, the rocks are pretty fabulous too:

And this is the canyon on the OTHER side of the road, as seen from a viewpoint the name of which I neglected to note:

The water is the Green River, which comes to a confluence with the Colorado further down the canyon:

And despite my vigilance, I still spot no rattlers, tarantulas (do they live on this part of the Colorado plateau?), or scorpions. I learned at the visitors center that midget-faded rattlesnakes and scorpions are active at night because of the extreme heat during the day. Even with air temperatures not especially high, the sun is scorching on all these red rocks.

Okay, I know this is a weed, but I thought the light on the golden flowers was gorgeous anyway:

Grand View Point Overlook:

Closeup of part of the White Rim (along which runs a 4wd trail my dad would like to explore sometime!):

Some incredible and fascinating rock formations down in those canyons:

Next on our odyssey: dinosaur bones! In situ!