The El Tovar Hotel opened in 1905, which means it is the same age as the Roediger House. It's a grand rustic lodge and, to me, it was worth it to pay to stay here on the rim. After breakfast in the main dining room, it's just a matter of stepping out the side door and you're looking out at the Grand Canyon. Which brought me my first close viewing of some mule deer, who were snacking on leaves from scrub trees just below the retaining wall outside the El Tovar. Because I was coming from breakfast, I didn't have my camera. But that's okay. The day was young, yet.
This great hulking elk was on the canyon side of the rim trail, working his huge rack against a tree, and that attracted quite a crowd around him. We were all snapping pictures like crazy. When he decided to head back into the wooded areas, we all definitely cleared a path for him, but that also gave us even better shots, like the one above. A few of us followed him as he brayed loudly and signaled for his mate and two kids to join him, and they lazily snacked and gradually worked their way deeper into the woods.
I don't even begin to know how to choose from among my dozens of pictures today, so here are a few for the sampling.
And there was yet another chance to photograph mule deer at day's end, because this fawn had wondered onto the lawn outside the lodge, and his mother quickly came to corral him back to safety. (But there were too many people around, so they just stayed still for bit.)
One final word: I'm sunburned. But I'm going to enjoy a great final meal here in the Canyon by returning to the El Tovar dining room. Time to shower up and get dressed.
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