1990 ride to a Big Ditch

1990 ride to a Big Ditch

This post is part of an ongoing project: scanning my old slides, prints, and negatives (late 1970’s to 2004) to digital.

Click here to see all scanned image posts

It was a cloudy and overcast day in Williams, Arizona in August of 1990. Our ride for the day awaited us.

A vintage train in Williams, Arizona, parked at the station, with green trees in the background.

As newcomers to the Grand State of Arizona, it was our first trip to The Big Ditch. The train from Williams took us on a day trip to the rim of the Grand Canyon _{(you knew all along it was the Grand Canyon, right?)}. Little did we know that it would be the precursor to another trip nineteen years later (2009), called The Grand Adventure (see below).

The gray and rainy day dulled the usually vibrant colors to nearly monochromatic hues. The grandeur of the Grand Canyon remained. The almost surreal lack of color highlighted the ruggedness of the area.

A view of the Grand Canyon on an overcast day, showcasing the rugged landscape with clouds hovering over the canyon walls. — If you have never been to the Grand Canyon, from many viewpoints at the top it really does look like a giant ditch. Much like a kid… a very big kid… would dig with his shovel in the backyard.

Of course, we all know it “was primarily created by the erosive power of the Colorado River over millions of years, with the uplift of the Colorado Plateau providing the necessary elevation for the river to carve the canyon.” (Thank you, Google AI)

The very big kid story sounds better.

A panoramic view of the Grand Canyon under a cloudy sky, showcasing the rugged cliffs and layers of rock formations.

A panoramic view of the Grand Canyon with overcast skies, highlighting rugged cliffs and a distant horizon. — A storm moves in from the right.

A panoramic view of the Grand Canyon on a cloudy day, featuring rugged cliffs and distant mesas, showcasing an overcast sky with patches of blue. — The trails below us were the same ones we would hike 19 years later.

Close-up of a yellow-green flowering plant against a blurred rocky and forested background in the Grand Canyon area. — A spot of color on an otherwise gray day.

A bare tree in the foreground with the Grand Canyon in the background, featuring rugged cliffs and layered rock formations under a partly cloudy sky. — Mandatory picture of a scraggly dead tree with the canyon in the background.

The clouds and rain moved on, brightening and adding color to the day.

A panoramic view of the Grand Canyon on an overcast day, showcasing its rugged cliffs and distant plateaus under a cloudy sky, with green foliage in the foreground.

Panoramic view of the Grand Canyon with rugged rock formations under a cloudy sky.

As noted, nineteen years later, two of the visitors on this trip, along with one more yet-to-be-known (but very important) person, descended into the canyon on foot in …

2009: The Grand Adventure. Click to read the story.

Scanned from slides to digital on July 5, 2025

Click here to see full-size, no watermark, images at www.ImagesByBill.us

Thanks for visiting!

July 7, 2025

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1990 ride to a Big Ditch