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Grand Canyon National Park
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Here is the rest of the story of the Grand Canyon.  The first part of the Grand Canyon begins here.

Beginning with the Riparian World. Water is the lifeblood of the Grand Canyon. Nowhere does water so transform landscapes as in the desert. A small seep, a cascading tributary,  or the ever-flowing Colorado River supports an abundance of life fostered by the presence of water.

Three of the four North American deserts come together in low elevations of the park. Mesquite trees from the Sonoran Desert line portions of the river. Black-brush sparsely cloaks the inner canyon in typical Great Basin Desert fashion. Joshua trees represent the Mojave Desert.

A dwarf forest of pinyon pine and juniper covers vast stretches of the mid-elevation Southwest. The scale-like, wax coated leaves of the juniper and the short, two-needled clusters of the pinyon conserve water in a dry land.

Ponderosa pine thrive with more rainfall and deeper soils. The bark has a unique smell -- vanilla or butterscotch.  Tassel-eared squirrels depend on the ponderosa for food and shelter. North Rim's Kaibab squirrel, now isolated for generations, sports different colors than South Rim's Abert's squirrels. 

The higher elevation of the North Rim captures more precipitation and supports a diverse forest of fir, spruce, and Douglas fir. Aspen trees shimmer golden in the fall.  Mule deer and wild turkeys are seen in the thick forest.