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We both slept very well and awoke refreshed and ready to go. The foot problems of the prior day had also vanished and I felt fine. Robin was still having some toe problems but she claimed to feel OK to be walking around. Our shuttle flight back to Deep Space Nine was not until 2 PM so we had plenty of time to kill. We had a late breakfast at the El Tovar and then walked over to Babbitt's to return an extra can of cooking gas that I ended up not needing. We also did some souvenir shopping at Babbitt'sand some of the other shops along the rim. The morning was beautiful and warming up nicely. I still cannot believe how we lucked out with the weather on this trip. Although it would have been nice to see the Canyon with snow on the rims and an inversion layer of clouds in the ditch itself it was nice to not have to deal with lots of snow and ice on the trails.
On the way back to Maswik Lodge we were treated to a show of the aerial antics and acrobatics of a flock of ravens that were performing along the rim between the El Tovar and the Bright Angel Lodge. Ravens are incredible birds and are always a pleasure to watch and to listen to. I was disappointed that we did not see any in the inner canyon, as they are usually pretty good company for hikers, as long as you keep an eye on them and your stuff. Again, it may have just been the wrong time of year for them to be down there.
We arrived back at Maswik Lodge around 11 AM and started getting our gear together. At 12:00 we had to vacate the room and took a taxi back to Grand Canyon Airport to wait our shuttle flight back to Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Hilton and Star Trek - The Experience.
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Early morning sun on the Canyon
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Early morning sun on the Canyon
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Ravens soaring along the rim
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Inner gorge of the western Grand Canyon from our shuttle flight
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Back on Deep Space Nine, dinner at Quarks
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