The next destination is none other than the biggest, the grandest, the one and only ...Grand Canyon in Arizona. This bad boy is shaped through million years of pure unadulterated hydraulic power! Generated by the relatively teeny-weeny Colorado River. You can literally see the age of the earth from the layers of the cliffs.
Exciting introduction, if only the drive from Vegas to Grand Canyon could be just half as exciting. We started our journey from Vegas quite early ... ~9 am, eager to reach the magnificent canyon by 1pm. Yes, it's a freakishly boring 4 hours drive away! Alas, that's not all, by 10 am we were stuck. Road construction brought the traffic to a standstill for an estimated 2 hours. After much consideration and with the help of the trusty GPS, we managed to find a detour. 5 more hours of hard driving, stopping only for gas, forbidding Rain from drinking too much water in fear of unnecessary pit stops (sorry!); and we are there.
Typical view of the long endless drive to Grand Canyon.
The view that greeted us at Mather Point & Yavapai Point. Impressive!!
The view is just breathtaking! There is no wonder it's known as the "Grand" Canyon. All this is due to the water flowing through the Colorado river.
The Colorado River, one of the co-designers of the Grand Canyon.
It's just one breathtaking view after another after we arrived. We made one silly mistake at this destination. Not wearing enough clothes. It's a mistake that Rain will definitely remember. She was visibly shivering in the cold as we wait for the sun to set.
Rain about 1 hour before sunset. Clearly not wearing warm enough for 36deg F + strong winds.
The magnificent view before we had enough of shivering.
We were exhausted and slept so late the next morning that we missed the sunrise. All is not lost though we still manage to drive to Desert View as well as took a bus to Hermit's Rest. Both are lookout points at both the western and eastern most of the Grand Canyon (South Rim) National Park.
Half awake, in at least 5 layers of clothing. It's only ~6a.m.
Rain "trespassing" on ancient Indian grounds.
What's left of an ancient Red Indian community.
A bunch of deers crossed the road right in front of us. They nearly became roadkill!
Desert View watchtower.
This place is known as the Abyss. One step forward and it's just air beneath you for 3000ft.
Click to have a better panoramic view at Pima Point.
The view at Hermit's Rest. Managed to catch a glimpse of a condor.
Only regret for this destination is that we do not have the time to actually hike/take a mule ride down to the base of the canyon. Friends who have been there said wonderful things about it. For those with tonnes of cash (~usd300 per pax), you could even take a chopper ride all the way to the bottom of the canyon.
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3 comments:
Really love the Grand Canyon alot..
can't keep myself from being overwhelmed by its beauty
A masterpiece of Mother Nature..
Really wonder how it is like beneath the canyon..
Amazing pics! Luckily you had the GPS with you ;)
ppl: sorry for the long delay. will be updating everything about the trip in june.... hopefully...
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