Sunrise anywhere in the Grand Canyon is always a show of orange, yellow, and red set against a blue sky. This beautiful morning in October is no exception as the sun rises on the Vermillion Cliffs north of the Navajo Bridges. Most mornings, California Condors can be seen roosting on the bridge support arches below the decks. Sometimes they can also be seen roosting on the cliffs below. The condors usually wait until the sun fully rises to take advantage of the warming breezes before they spread their wings to fly. This panorama shows both the Historic Navajo Bridge and the Modern Navajo Bridge. The Historic bridge is the right-most of the two. It was commissioned to traffic in 1929 and US Highway 89 crossed the Grand Canyon over it until 1995. In 1995, the new, Modern Bridge was opened to traffic. The Historic bridge is only 18’ wide which was enough for the smaller cars of the early 1900s. But, as cars got larger, faster, and more abundant, frequent collisions occurred on the bridge. For safety, a new bridge was constructed. The Modern bridge is 44’ wide, more than double that of the Historic Bridge. The historic bridge, however, was not demolished but was converted to a span for foot traffic. This panorama shows a lone traveler peering into the water of the Colorado River more than 460’ below. Most days hundreds of travelers stop at the Navajo Bridges rest area on the north side of the river. Many then either walk, or drive, to the south side of the bridge where they can view and purchase craft wares from the Navajo crafts people who make them. The Navajo have constructed a permanent arbor to shade them from the hot sun while they ply their craft work. Spend a few minutes to talk with them and you will find they are most friendly and willing to talk about the Navajo culture as well as their craft work. GCPano.org