Our Refuge and Strength
Struggle. We all face it. During this time of difficulty, we each have our own battles to face. No matter what comes our way, the beauty of struggle is we serve a Creator God who does not have to face the same struggles we do, yet has chosen to be a "very present help in time of need." God chooses to dwell in feeble human hearts. He desires to give us strength, endurance, and staying power. The picture above was taken on our last river trip of 2019 while
What Will You See? – Waterfalls
One thing people on river trips through the Grand Canyon are often surprised by are the number of waterfalls we encounter. In such a drastically dry desert environment, seeing water cascading from canyon crevices is an unexpected delight. The Grand Canyon is home to numerous waterfalls, both large and small. The most well-known waterfall in the Grand Canyon would have to be Havasu Falls. Standing at the base of this tumbling torrent of turquoise and travertine whisks you away to another world — seeming an island paradise, rather than
What Will You See? – Snow
One of the surprising things to many who come to Northern Arizona is the fact that we have snow. And when I say snow, I mean not just a little, but quite a lot! In fact, Flagstaff is often listed as one of the top 10 snowiest cities in America each year. While we see a fair amount of it on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon as well, it pales in comparison to the North Rim. Being roughly a thousand feet higher in elevation than the
River Rats Across the Pond
Recently I returned from the United Kingdom, after conducting a week-long biblical tour of London. This is something my wife and I typically put together every 2 years, with an open invitation to people from around the world. Apart from all the sightseeing and adventure, during our London Christian Tour we also focus on three main areas of the Christian faith— Creation Science, Church History, and Biblical Archaeology London’s Natural History Museum is a bastion of devotion to evolution and Charles Darwin. When entering the museum, you see Darwin
12 Stones at Separation Canyon
What an incredible season it’s been on the river. This year I had the privilege of running our first river trip, as well as our last. It has been amazing to see the many lives God touched and perspectives He changed while folks rafted through the Grand Canyon with us. God is amazing and always has unique ways of speaking to our hearts and drawing us to Himself on these trips. We believe the layers of the Grand Canyon comprise a remnant and a remembrance. They consist of a
Master Books Comes to the Grand Canyon
Recently I had the amazing opportunity to spend the day giving a tour to 21 members of the Pratt family. If you don’t know Randy and Kristen Pratt, you should. They and most of their family are involved in various ways in the publishing company Master Books, which published the books our founder, Tom Vail, helped put together. These include Grand Canyon, A Different View, and the True North Series guide books for Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce Canyons, and Yellowstone and Grand Tetons. All four of these books are
SHARE IT in Sedona
We love seeing the various ways God works. A few days ago, I received an encouraging “SHARE IT” message from a couple of young ladies. After being on the Grand Canyon Sunset Tour with me one day, they did a jeep tour with a different company the next day in Sedona. While driving around Sedona, exploring the red rocks and learning about the history of the area, the guide then started to share a little about the geology. After pointing out marine and sea life fossils in the
The Great Unconformity in the Grand Canyon
This massive erosional plane would be precisely the kind of feature you would expect to see if there really was a worldwide flood as described in Genesis and elsewhere in the Bible. One of the places we often explore on our Grand Canyon river trips is a little side canyon found at river mile 120 called Blacktail Canyon. Blacktail is a very narrow slot canyon carved predominantly into the golden-brown latticed ledges of the Tapeats Sandstone. For many folks, the time spent in Blacktail is the highlight of their Grand
White As Snow
If you’ve seen some of our pictures from around here lately, you’ll undoubtedly know we were recently graced with a beautiful white veil of snow, which covered the landscape and transformed the desert into a western winter wonderland. Snow at the Grand Canyon is a sight to behold, and although you would never think it possible, somehow transforms this wonder of the world into even greater magnificence, like the glazed frosting on top of a giant layered cake. The beauty and majesty of our Creator never fails to amaze
Mighty in the Mundane
We serve a truly mighty God. A God who is mighty in both the large and the little. A God who is mighty in the majestic, and the seemingly mundane. I was reminded of this on a recent rim tour. One of my favorite Grand Canyon rim tours to conduct are our daily Sunset Tours. These tours typically run four hours, and conclude with the daily setting sun. Not only are these our most popular tours, but they tend to be the most dramatically variable. Most of this variability