AROUND THE BEND

All places, big or small, have a beginning, and the Grand Canyon has its rather humble origin at a small spot on the map called Lees Ferry. Here, the Colorado River undergoes a quick transition from the sandstone enclosure that was Glen Canyon (before the creation of Lake Powell) to a multitude of other rock formations that will, in short time, compose the steep walls of the Grand Canyon. The top layer throughout the Canyon is Kaibab limestone. When this stratum makes its discreet appearance above the river at Lees Ferry, the Grand Canyon officially begins. Here, the great gorge can be measured in only a few feet or even just inches, but because of what the Canyon will soon become, it's a wry thought to imagine such beginnings.