In the time it took us to savor a couple of bowls of decently spicy chili (spiked with hot sauce), an insistent sun had burned away the thick clouds that had obscured our view of the Grand Canyon. Zach and I walked out from the snack bar at Desert View into more hopeful weather. The rim was but steps away. Rising above it all was the 70-foot Desert Watchtower which would extend our perspective even further.
Designed by architect Mary Colter in the early 30′s, the structure resembles an over-sized Anasazi watchtower with textured stonework and a striking log ceiling over the first floor. A circular staircase leads to multiple viewing levels -the upper deck view is worth the extra 
cardio. Hopi artists embellished the interior walls and ceilings with images from Hopi mythology and religious ceremonies as well as copies of ancient petroglyphs and pictographs, and irregular windows rim all the observation decks, affording panoramic views in every direction.
Besides enjoying the heart stopping views of the vast Canyon, we had the fun of watching workmen ride up and down the exterior completing some much needed renovations. Repair work, which includes a completed roof replacement and mortar and window repair, began in January and is expected to conclude towards the end of 2010.
But… authorized repairs ONLY! 
Authenticity even with its occasional imperfections is the default preference as two self-described “grammar vigilantes” woefully discovered…
I well understand the pain of poor punctuation -or more specifically, the annoyance of a misspelling dangling carefree over a grocery aisle (“pickels”??!), but the National Park Service does not appreciate unofficial editing of historical park signs. Two men who corrected a misplaced comma and apostrophe at Desert View with white-out and permanent marker in 2008 were fined $3000. Personally, I think the most difficult penalty would have been the one-year national park ban that their actions earned!
Desert View? That would be the Painted Desert, which extends from HWY 89 (near the western turn off to the Grand Canyon) to Petrified Forest National Park (128 miles east of Flagstaff, AZ).
Updated from June 10, 2010.
I like your story on the imperfection.
What an awesome place! I absolutely have to go there now.
I hadn’t heard of the Desert Watchtower. Looks a great place.
That’s funny about the editing. Well except for the fine!
This tower looks like it’s going to fall over…..leaning tower of Pisa…esque.