Where: Grand Canyon, Arizona
When: June 24 - 26, 2011
With: Rachel
Inspired by throwback Thursday, and continuing on my "UK Lockdown", I thought I'd seize the opportunity to do a couple of posts about past trips so I could start working on the completeness of the blog and my list. My first trip to be covered in this project should be epic one to support the efforts. So I choose the Grand Canyon!
It was funny how this trip came about. Rachel and I have a saying, and that is "don't invite us somewhere unless you really want us to turn up...cause we probably will actually turn up." Rachel's friend had an opportunity to use up a timeshare in Sedona that provided for an extra bedroom and asked if Rachel would want to come to Arizona to use the spare room. Rachel passed the idea by me, I was on board, and we basically booked the tickets immediately.
We decided to start our trip in the Grand Canyon before heading over to Sedona. We met up from our respective coasts (me east, Rachel west) in the Phoenix airport before renting a car and heading off on a road trip across the state. A couple hours later of non-stop chatter and catch-up, and the signs for the Grand Canyon started to appear. We arrived in the late afternoon, and the sun was at its hottest when we parked the car in the visitor's lot and started weaving along a pathway meant to take us to the edge of the canyon.
Upon first seeing it, it's weird cause it looks like every photo of it you've ever seen, but you are still blown away by just how massive it is. Standing on the edge of the ridge, a sign nearby stated that the other side was 18 miles away. 18 miles!!
The other striking thing was the various colors of the rocks and their reflections in the sun. Each layer of earth was like a bookmark to a past that was eons old and was aligned as evenly as if it was made with a ruler.
After we refreshed ourselves in the hotel, we returned to the canyon to set off for a sunset hike along the Rim Trail.
As the sun started to reach the edge of the canyon, we decided it was time to stop and take in the famous Grand Canyon sunset. We weren't alone in our decision.
As the sun started to dip, its rays only touched the tips of the canyon, giving one last shade to all the colors.
It was cool to see the rewind effect of the night before, as the sun rays slowly exposed more and more of the canyon.
From here, we walked back towards the middle, getting a new vantage point of the canyon, and seeing it in the midday sun.
This was where the annual Grand Canyon "Star Party" is held. Amateur astromonists show up in droves, set up their gigantic, fancy telescopes, fix them on various stars, galaxies and planets, and allow you to wander around taking a look. Saturn looks fake - the rings look like they were a sticker on the end of the telescope. We also learned about how the light pollution from Vegas is potentially going to erase the night sky in the Grand Canyon. And finally, we took a "star tour" and learned interesting ways to identify some of the more famous constellations. While it's hard for me to photograph the night sky, I actually got one picture that gives some indication of how breathtaking the view was.
The next day, it was time to say goodbye to the Grand Canyon on our drive to Sedona. However, we didn't leave in a hurry. We planned our drive along the rest of the southern rim of the canyon, called the Desert View Drive, and allowed ourselves plenty of time for pictures, taking advantage of every turn off point.
It was crazy to drive so far and still see some of the same peaks and points that we could see all the way from the other end of the canyon the day before.
One of our last stops on the drive was called Desert View. This is where a 70-foot watchtower sits, overlooking the canyon. Inside, you can climb to the top, observe some interpretive Navajo drawings, and view the canyon from a higher vantage point.
From here, we left the east entrance of the park, and the landscape changed dramatically. The canyons were smaller, the peaks sat above us rather than below us, and the sandy desert took over from the reds and oranges of the canyons.
It was funny how this trip came about. Rachel and I have a saying, and that is "don't invite us somewhere unless you really want us to turn up...cause we probably will actually turn up." Rachel's friend had an opportunity to use up a timeshare in Sedona that provided for an extra bedroom and asked if Rachel would want to come to Arizona to use the spare room. Rachel passed the idea by me, I was on board, and we basically booked the tickets immediately.
We decided to start our trip in the Grand Canyon before heading over to Sedona. We met up from our respective coasts (me east, Rachel west) in the Phoenix airport before renting a car and heading off on a road trip across the state. A couple hours later of non-stop chatter and catch-up, and the signs for the Grand Canyon started to appear. We arrived in the late afternoon, and the sun was at its hottest when we parked the car in the visitor's lot and started weaving along a pathway meant to take us to the edge of the canyon.
Upon first seeing it, it's weird cause it looks like every photo of it you've ever seen, but you are still blown away by just how massive it is. Standing on the edge of the ridge, a sign nearby stated that the other side was 18 miles away. 18 miles!!
The other striking thing was the various colors of the rocks and their reflections in the sun. Each layer of earth was like a bookmark to a past that was eons old and was aligned as evenly as if it was made with a ruler.
In those first few minutes, in the wind and the silence, you just feel so tiny.
We ticked off another major site with our signature photo (why are your flipflops so dusty? Oh you know, just the dirt from the Grand Canyon) and headed off for our hotel.
After we refreshed ourselves in the hotel, we returned to the canyon to set off for a sunset hike along the Rim Trail.
At this point in the day, the sun was making the colors in the rocks more vibrant and the shadows more dramatic.
The trail itself was tree lined and had occasional pitstops with geological fun facts about the canyon: entertaining and educational.
Walking along the trail added a bit more diversity to the scene, as you could look back on the various rock formations that sat under your feet as you'd hiked. But more often than not, it was weird to turn a corner and realise how little the scene had changed despite having walked 30 minutes. It's just so big!
I nearly had a heart attack when I saw where this guy chose to take in the view.
As the sun started to dip, its rays only touched the tips of the canyon, giving one last shade to all the colors.
We had the luxury of a clear blue sky all day, but we realised that may take some of the colors out of the sunset. However we ended up pleasantly surprised by the last view of the sky.
After a quick meal at a restaurant in the park at the El Tovar Dining Room, it was early to bed that night so that we could get up before the crack of dawn to see the other big must-do of the Grand Canyon: the sunrise. We were staying at the Yavapai Lodge, located on the premises of the park that provided shuttle service in the early morning to the main trail heads along the canyon. We headed as far east as we could go to the South Kaibab trailhead, where we found a spot to sit back and enjoy the show.
There were more clouds in the sky than the last time we saw the sun, so the stunning colors started well before the scheduled sunrise.
Finally, it makes its appearance!
It was cool to see the rewind effect of the night before, as the sun rays slowly exposed more and more of the canyon.
When there was just enough light, we decided to start our hike and scurry our way down the trail. At that point of the summer, its advisable you hike early in the morning, cause if you get caught in the canyon in midday with no water, things can get pretty dangerous pretty fast. The canyon can be up to 30 degrees hotter than along the upper rim, and if you don't give yourself enough time to hike back out, it's a bad situation. And just in case you forget this possibility, there are signs everywhere telling you the tragic tale of a young marathoner who just a few weeks earlier had died after becoming dehydrated in the canyon on the exact trail we were on.
The trail wasn't too steep and involved a lot of switchbacks that made it less strenuous. We hiked down for about an hour. The views at this point of the day were stunning as we descended into the canyon.
The mark that we reached on our hike down was called the Ooh Aah Point. Ooooo.
Due to a miscalculation of time and the panic of ending up like the dehydrated marathoner, I decided I wanted to head back before the sun got too high in the sky, and Rachel was a good friend to me as she quelled my fears by joining me. Upon reaching the top again, I realised it was almost 2 hours earlier than I thought it was and apologised for being a nervous wreck that cut our lovely hike short. At least the view made it hard to feel sad too long.
We decided to hike the rest of the Rim Trail to the west.
Throughout the morning, we hiked a decent portion of the trail before hopping a bus to take us to the western end of the trail, Hermit's Rest.
From here, we walked back towards the middle, getting a new vantage point of the canyon, and seeing it in the midday sun.
As the day grew hotter, we decided it was time for a hotel break. We went back to change and refresh ourselves before dinner at the canyon. There are actually a couple different restaurants allowing these views while you eat.
After dinner, we did a short starlit hike to the central grounds of the park.
This was where the annual Grand Canyon "Star Party" is held. Amateur astromonists show up in droves, set up their gigantic, fancy telescopes, fix them on various stars, galaxies and planets, and allow you to wander around taking a look. Saturn looks fake - the rings look like they were a sticker on the end of the telescope. We also learned about how the light pollution from Vegas is potentially going to erase the night sky in the Grand Canyon. And finally, we took a "star tour" and learned interesting ways to identify some of the more famous constellations. While it's hard for me to photograph the night sky, I actually got one picture that gives some indication of how breathtaking the view was.
The next day, it was time to say goodbye to the Grand Canyon on our drive to Sedona. However, we didn't leave in a hurry. We planned our drive along the rest of the southern rim of the canyon, called the Desert View Drive, and allowed ourselves plenty of time for pictures, taking advantage of every turn off point.
It was crazy to drive so far and still see some of the same peaks and points that we could see all the way from the other end of the canyon the day before.
One lookout point gave us our best vantage point of the Colorado River. The demure way it weaved itself through the canyon is misleading for the river that carved out this entire phenomenon.
One of our last stops on the drive was called Desert View. This is where a 70-foot watchtower sits, overlooking the canyon. Inside, you can climb to the top, observe some interpretive Navajo drawings, and view the canyon from a higher vantage point.
The view from the top does not fail to impress, even after all this time.
From here, we left the east entrance of the park, and the landscape changed dramatically. The canyons were smaller, the peaks sat above us rather than below us, and the sandy desert took over from the reds and oranges of the canyons.
It was sad to say goodbye to this natural wonder, but it felt like an amazing thing to tick off the bucket list. On to Sedona!
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