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Grand_Canyon_Jon_Courville_Photography

Courvillage Honeymoon - Part 2 // Grand Canyon

Jon Courville April 25, 2016

Wednesday.

We got up early, packed a lunch, and hit the road to visit the Grand Canyon! From Sedona, we drove through Flagstaff [which is about halfway]. We stopped off in a couples stores looking for a down jacket for Jennifer since it was pretty chilly and windy. We finally found one of clearance at an outdoor store!

For the last hour of driving, we drove through a lot of Indian reservations.

We didn't realize that our honeymoon was directly in the middle of the spring break craziness of both California and Arizona colleges. The national parks were flooded with people. After waiting in a long line just to enter the gate [hint: ladies, make sure you use the restroom before you get to the bumper to bumper traffic!], we finally made it into the park. We first visited the visitor center where there is a beautiful view of the canyon.

The layers and depth of the canyon seem like a picture when you look at it - it's hard to grasp the magnitude of it all. Again, people were EVERYWHERE. And hardly anyone spoke English.

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We were SO HOPING to see some elk! But it didn't happen. All we saw were squirrles and a couple mule deer.

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We were not interested in being with the crowds, so we walked a little farther on the rim to see if the crowds thinned out. There was a trail that takes you 1.5 miles down into the canyon, so we were about to hike that. However, we saw that it was so condensed that people could practically link arms all the way down. We were on the hunt for a new location again!

So we started driving. We ended up taking the Desert View Drive and bypassed all of the popular places that had the parking lots over-filled. We had no idea where we were going. We started noticing that some cars were pulled off in picnic areas or where there were some small hiking trails. We finally were onto something! We had passed all of the tour buses, and we were excited to see what was up ahead [the road is like 30-40 miles, so we didn't know how far we would go]. We pulled off to the left where there were only a few cars parked. There was a couple who had just finished the trail, so we asked them what was on the trail.

We found the goldmine.

Shoshone point [sha-show-knee].

We saw about 5 people the entire time. The hike was more of a leisurely walk along a wide path rather than anything steep and strenuous. At the end, we reached a picnic area with a bathroom and an incredible view. We set up the hammock and enjoyed a couple hours up there!

Desert View Drive - Jon Courville
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Shoshone Point - Jon Courville
Shoshone Point Grand Canyon - Jon Courville
Shoshone Point Grand Canyon - Jon Courville
Shoshone Point Grand Canyon - Jon Courville
Shoshone Point Grand Canyon - Jon Courville
Shoshone Point Grand Canyon - Jon Courville

At certain points, you can actually see the Colorado River inside the canyon!


What we recommend bringing:


 
  • Lots and lots of water and gatorade [especially in the summer months]
  • Snacks [we brought popcorn, Oreos, fiber bars, crackers, raisins, etc.]
  • Fruit [we brought oranges and bananas]
  • Sun glasses [usually pretty bright and sunny]
  • Layers for changing temperatures [down jackets are great because you can squish them up in a bag - we there there at the end of March, so it was still very cold. You wouldn't need this in the summer.]

Camera Equipment we recommend:

  • Wide angle lens for landscape photos
  • 35mm 1.4 prime lens for higher quality landscape shots
  • 70-200mm 2.8 for capturing birds and wildlife [and portraits if you'd like]
  • Carbon fiber tripod for self portraits [notice we just stuck the camera in the tree branches - a tripod would've been helpful!]
 
Shoshone Point Grand Canyon - Jon Courville Photography
Shoshone Point Grand Canyon - Jon Courville Photography
Shoshone Point Grand Canyon - Jon Courville Photography
Shoshone Point Grand Canyon - Jon Courville Photography
Shoshone Point Grand Canyon - Jon Courville Photography
Shoshone Point Grand Canyon - Jon Courville Photography
Colorado River Grand Canyon - Jon Courville Photography
Shoshone Point Grand Canyon - Jon Courville Photography
Shoshone Point Grand Canyon - Jon Courville Photography
Shoshone Point Grand Canyon - Jon Courville Photography
Shoshone Point Grand Canyon - Jon Courville Photography
Shoshone Point Grand Canyon - Jon Courville Photography
Shoshone Point Grand Canyon - Jon Courville Photography
Shoshone Point Grand Canyon - Jon Courville Photography

We loved visiting the Grand Canyon, and highly recommend it for people of all ages! You can sit and enjoy views without hiking if you'd like. However, there are lot of hikes available. One day, we'd like to hike down into the canyon and stay down there. Jennifer's cousin's husband works in the canyon, so we enjoyed dinner with their family! We heard crazy stories and are eager to explore the lush terrain of the interior of the canyon.


We rate the Grand Canyon [Shoshone Point specifically] with 5 stars!

[We would probably rate the more populated areas with 3 stars - the views are all beautiful, but the crowds take away from the magnificence.]


Go out and adventure!

Jon & Jennifer

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In Travel, Personal, Honeymoon Tags honeymoon, Travel Guide, Arizona, Grand Canyon
← Courvillage Honeymoon - Part 3 // Tuzigoot, Montezuma Castle, Bell RockWooded Bridal Session // Amanda →
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JON COURVILLE

Adventure Seeker. Avid Volleyballer. People Person. Photographer: Weddings. Lifestyle. Travel. Architecture.

Welcome to the blog! 

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Jennifer Courville

Lover of the outdoors. Jon's travel buddy and volleyball teammate. Happy Wife. Musician. Blogger. Photographer: Second shooter for Weddings, Senior and Portraiture.

So glad you stopped by!


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@joncourville

Loving this new road of being a daddy. Every moment is cherished. Our little girl will be seven months next week. The time flies! #nebraska  #nebraskalandscape
Being a dad is a new and best kind of adventure. I may not get out as much and take the photographs like times last, but I gladly trade it for real moments and memories with my little girl. Soon, we can go on photo adventures together. :) #mavicpro #dronestagram
Here is one amazing mom and beautiful wife! Her radiance for life and love for God never changes, and seeing her be a mommy to our little girl is a great joy to me. Love you, Jennifer! #courvillagecountup
Rom 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth;” #lakemcdonald
An absolute joy to shoot this wedding for Jenny ( @jennyo_brien )& Steven!  Please hit the link in the description to see the blog post! Huge thanks to my lovely wife for doing ALL the behind the scenes work on this gorgeous wedding! #joncourvillephotography #trumpnationalgolfclub #mooresvillenc #charlottewedding #charlotteweddingphotographer
“It is best not to use a sleeping bag on your first attempt to sleep outside alone in the dark. Sleeping bags are not 
made for running.” —Patrick McManus  #crowdersmountain #ncparks #patrickmcmanus #curvyroad #nature_nc #ncfall #fallcolors🍁🍂
Pro 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
Fall really hasn’t happened till it’s almost over around here. :-/ Ah, well I guess we’ll just enjoy what is given :) #thankfultimes #igersnc #nclandscape #mexturescollective • Use this code in the Mextures app to use this edit: NFGDRUW • #mexturesformula #mextures
Happy Birthday to my best and friend and amazing wife! You continue to astound me every day by your selflessness, love for your family, and hard work. You are the best mother to our little girl. You are always my adventure partner. You are a beautiful example of a Christian who steadfastly seeks Him first. You are my love. Happy Birthday! @jennifer_courville #courvillagecountup #courvillage320
Gorgeous weather today! Congrats to Steven and Jennifer on their wedding day! #joncourvillephotography #weddingphotographer

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