The Grand Canyon, Arizona20 Jul 2008
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| The Grand Canyon, Arizona Today we visited the Grand Canyon and things didn't start well. The rain hadn't lifted overnight and there was still light spots in the air as we set off on route. The drive to the Canyon is only about 50 miles and the overcast skies ensured our journey would be a relatively cool, if not dry one. Things were looking worse the closer we got as the spitting turned to light rain, however, by the time we pulled up in the car park the rain had stopped and the skies began to brighten. The canyon rim is shrouded by a forest of small shrubs and trees, to that end you don't initially realise how close you are to this magnificent feature. Had it not been signposted you could literally drive along blissfully unaware that you are only metres from this marvel of evolution (there are rocks in the visitors centre that are 1.7 billion years old, that's even older than my Nan). We stepped out of the car and were immediately met by one, if not the, most awe inspiring sights you will ever see. The views across and into the Canyon are breathtaking and like nothing I have ever seen before. The Canyon is 1 mile deep and as you gaze down it is difficult for your brain to put it in perspective. It wasn't until I spotted a small clump of houses down in the base (look carefully at the photos) that I was truly able to appreciate how deep it is. I am not aware if the Canyon is a hot spot for suicide attempts (unlike the Golden Gate Bridge which has counselling signs posted everywhere), however, you'd certainly have time to regret the decision as it takes about 25 seconds to hit the floor. As you can see from the photos, there are many well constructed viewing points for use by the public. What astonished me was that a number of them have no fencing or warnings whatsoever. There are paths that lead down to sheer cliff faces (which obviously the boys and I had to try out), much to the disapproval of the matriarch. As we're in the land of the litigation nation I find it bizarre that the public are allowed to wander about unprotected in such as dangerous environment. Anyway, it added to the adrenalin rush of the place and made for some interesting photos as you can see. We took the mandatory trip to the Visitors Centre and then drove along the rim to take in more of the viewing spots on offer. It was at this point the weather took a turn for the worse and it started to rain as we left the car park. Our journey on to the motel took the Route 64 which I had hoped to stop off along as it tracks the contour of the Canyon and offers many great viewing points along the way. Unfortunately, the rain grew stronger and put pay to any chance of seeing anything else today - the whole Canyon turned into a grey blur and looked as if it had been filled with a blanket of mist. All was not lost though, we had been able to take in some awesome views as you can see from the photos and we left grateful for what we had seen. Apparently the Canyon is the one place on earth where you can see the greatest distance with the naked eye - 90 miles on a clear day. However, these 'clear' days now only appear about 1% of the time due to the pollution in the air which is carried up on the wind from places like LA. You can see from our photos that there was a haze across the Canyon today. Tonight we're in the home of the Navajo Indians, in a place called Tuba City. I thought I would mention this as it has dampened my idealistic expectancy of what an Indian Reserve would be. There are no Teepees dotted across the plains, or smoke signals rising up into the air, far from it. In reality, what you see as you drive through this beautiful land is reminiscent of a collection of pikey campsites scattered randomly across the land. There is crap and rubbish everywhere, numerous knackered old cars left to rot in the sun and old decrepit trailers (caravans to you UK folk) which these native people obviously now call home. As you drive the highway there are many small stalls made from chipboard and wriggly tin with hand painted signs. They adorn the roadside and beckon you in to buy jewellery and trinkets. It's a very sad state of affairs and one which doesn't befit this once proud nation of people. The US government may have given back the land but it seems in doing so they've also washed their hands of the responsibility to re-establish a long disrupted society. View a few photos here: |
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