They chose not to name this place The Not-So-Average Canyon.

They could have just as easily called it the Awesome Stupdendous Unbelievable Crazy Huge Canyon, but I think they were probably thinking about the practical application of future bumper stickers.

For some of us it was not the first visit. But when standing in front of that infinite vista it didn’t matter if it was someone’s virginal viewing or someone else’s return to the same place on the path…it was, quite simply…humbling.

Awe is an overused word these days, but when faced with the jaw-dropping depth and breadth of the Grand Canyon, awe is the only word that seems satisfying and correct.

In a world filled with instant this and viral that, it feels necessary and fundamental to be brought to one’s knees by the grandeur and wonder of our natural earth.

Wonder and awe. What better reason to travel?