US diary: part 5: Grand Canyon, AZ

One of the legs of our US trip I was more excited about was going to the Grand Canyon.

I was actually surprised to find out that most of those living in the United States have never been to Grand Canyon.

Well, we all know what the Grand Canyon is, and most of us have seen amazing pictures. But what more do we know about it?

The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, one of the first national parks in the United States. The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over a mile (1.83 km) (6000 feet). Nearly two billion years of the Earth’s geological history have been exposed as the Colorado River and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plateau was uplifted. While the specific geologic processes and timing that formed the Grand Canyon are the subject of debate by geologists, recent evidence suggests the Colorado River established its course through the canyon at least 17 million years ago. Since that time, the Colorado River continued to erode and form the canyon to the point we see it at today. (source)

In short, it took billions of years for the Grand Canyon to form, and the culprit is the Colorado River. Amazing isn’t it (more amazing than knowing how to buy acne treatments -!)? In addition, the Grand Canyon is so big that it takes about five hours to go from the South Rim to the North Rim.

These amazing facts amazed me, and I so badly wanted to see the Grand Canyon!

We left Las Vegas at around 7:30 am. We were on our own for this leg of the trip, so we decided to rent a car. It was a road trip for us. We asked the kumpare of my father, who was in Las Vegas working for Wynn Hotel, to rent one for us because they are given discounts. Kaya naman we had this high-tech car for 2 days for only $40. Super not bad ano?

This car has a key, but there were no holes to put it in. Alarm lang lahat…pindot pindot. Even starting the car involved just pushing a button near the steering wheel. High tech talaga! I loved driving the car because it ran so smoothly.

We also had one more [important] companion: our reliable GPS tool. Kaka-aliw ang GPS! This amazing tool, which I hope will be available to us here in the Philippines, tells you when to turn and on what street and how far you are from your destination, both in distance and in time, and shows the twists and turns in the road itself! Galing! What’s more, when you miss a turn, it “recalculates” and looks for another route. Grabe, galing! If I remember correctly, a GPS costs around $300 in the US. We named our GPS Susan because that was the voice we chose among a list [the list contained voices of both men and women].

Susan: In 9 miles, turn right on Route 66, then go straight for 5 miles.

Before the trip, another first: Pumping our own gas. Fun! Fun! Fun! Dito kaya sa Manila, payagan tayo sa Shell or Caltex that we put our own gas? Hmmm…

*****

With the help of Susan [no maps!], we had a smooth trip! The scenes in Nevada and Arizona were the same: endless desert, plants, and nothingness!

Deserts can be beautiful too, right?

The scenes were almost the same throughout…spans of nothingness! We also passed the famous and historic Route 66 on the way. Would you believe that Route 66 runs from Chicago, IL, to Los Angeles, CA? That means more than 3,400 miles of road!

*****

When we arrived in Grand Canyon, however, the scene drastically changed. In place of the desert were sprawls of trees and green. Beautiful!

The road leading to the Grand Canyon was full of trees, parang Baguio.

We arrived in Grand Canyon at around 1:00 (5 1/2 hours, with a stopover) and went straight to our hotel: Red Feather Hotel. We were to stay just overnight and would head back to Las Vegas the next day.

Hotels in Grand Canyon are a bit expensive, perhaps because there are a few and Grand Canyon is a pretty amazing place. You may opt to stay in Flagstaff, a town before Grand Canyon, where hotels can cost a third cheaper than those in Grand Canyon. However, Flagstaff is still an hour away from Grand Canyon. You might want to take this into consideration.

Red Feather Hotel: simple but very, very nice!

We decided to rest for a while and give my father, who drove all the way, a chance to get his energy back.

Room for four [or more]…it was really spacious. We had no problem positioning ourselves on the bed!

*****

At 4 pm, we made our way to Grand Canyon. Whooo, exciting! As I have mentioned previously, the Grand Canyon is sooo big. As for us, we decided to go to the South Rim, which is the most popular. For those wondering where the skywalk is, it is found at the west side (Grand Canyon West)! I bet it is an awesome experience!

Grand Canyon offers free shuttles from station to station. The shuttles are color coded according to three routes: red for the Hermits Rest route, blue for the Village route, and green for the Kaibab Trail route. We found out that the blue and the red routes are the more popular ones, so off we went to get the blue and red buses! One must know however, that there are trails from station to station, so if you are feeling strong and adventurous, you may hike from end to end (which is what I would have done had I not been with “oldies”…he he!).

You ride the bus depending on where you want to go. As for us, we went the blue-to-red route.

The shuttles were spacious, with allotment of space and seats for people with disabilities. The bus also had a ramp for wheelchairs.

Map and guide providing information on the Grand Canyon. Tourists are also provided with leaflets and pamphlets to guide them.

We started with the Yavapai station.

*****

What I saw with my eyes I can neverdescribe in words. It was one of the most amazing things I’ve seen in my life. Amazing. Beautiful. Breathtaking. Jaw dropping! Grabe! I must have said WOW a thousand times while looking at the stone formations. Can something this beautiful really exist?

It is also one of those rare moments that I felt my camera let me down because I believed my shots do not even come close to depicting what I really saw: this amazing, beautiful creation of God. But then, words are not enough too, so I will then just let the pictures speak for themselves.

(Those two have the best seats in the house! See them?)

Notice the river between the rocks. That’s the Colorado River.

The rock formations at the Grand Canyon took billions of years to form.

Hermit’s Rest is the farthest station in the red route (east direction).

Grandparents and grandchild enjoying the wonderful scene.

This stone building is a gift shop at Hermit’s Nest.

There were many souvenir items to choose from…something to remind you of your trip to this beautiful place.

*****

Grand Canyon certainly exceeded my expectations. I am at a loss for words on how to describe it. Super ganda talaga!

So if you’re in the United States and you have the chance, do not miss the Grand Canyon. I highly, highly recommend it. Also, if you are to visit it from Las Vegas, do not make it as a day trip, as you will need at least half a day to fully appreciate the place.

Amazing!

*****

Related posts:

US diary: part 1: San Francisco, CA

US diary: part 2: Glendale, CA

US diary: part 3: Los Angeles, CA

US diary: part 4: Las Vegas, NV