A Trip to the Grand Canyon

A TRIP TO NATURE’S MASTERPIECE:
THE GRAND CANYON

Some have described the Grand Canyon in two words, “Nature’s Masterpiece.” They may be right. Like many of our trips, this started in a casual conversation. Last fall, Kay proposed that we should go to the Grand Canyon. After some hesitation I jumped on the idea. At the end, I was glad that I agreed because frankly speaking the Grand Canyon to those who may have had the opportunity to visit, it is a place or experience that no words can really do justice in describing it. However, I will attempt in the best way I know how, to do just that. Stay tuned!

We had to do some research of where the Grand Canyon was exactly located. We only had an idea that it was somewhere around California, Nevada, and Arizona. After figuring that it is all within Arizona, the other puzzle was how we were going to get there, 3,600 km away. We were not sure whether it was worth driving or flying, but eventually we decided that we were going to drive. We knew we were looking at thousands of kilometres, but because we had the experience of driving to Florida which is over 2000 km, we convinced ourselves that we could do it. After all, we both love long distance driving. You can even say that we have a certain degree of passion for it. We also thought that it will make more sense, economically and mechanically, to just rent a car. For less than $500 we were able to rent a full size car (Buick Century) with unlimited mileage.

Because our focus was the Grand Canyon, we made a conscious decision that on the way there, we would not spend anytime touring any city; we decided to do that on our return trip. We were looking at 36 hours of driving. We knew that we could easily drive 12 hours a day, happily – this way we only needed to spend two nights on the road, and the third night we should spend in a lodge within the Grand Canyon National Park itself.

We left home around 5 o’clock on a Saturday morning. We got to the U.S. boarder through Sarnia three hours later. After crossing the boarder, we hit the highway in the states of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and arrived at our first destination, St. Louis, Missouri around 7:00 PM (1270 km from home). The second day, we finished with Missouri and entered into Oklahoma, and got to our second destination in Amarillo, Texas 12 hours later (1220 km from St. Louis). You would think by this time we would be so bored. The answer is, emphatically, NO. Honestly, we both enjoy driving, we normally talk a lot, stop every few hundred kilometres to fill up with gas, buy snacks, or stop at a Rest Stops where they normally have benches where we could sit and have our snack. Anyway, our last leg of the journey on the third day we finished the rest of Texas, and into New Mexico, and ultimately Arizona.

Anyway, believe it or not, finally we were at The Grand Canyon Village, South Rim at 6:00pm (1110 km from Amarillo where we left at 6:00am). What a sense of accomplishment for having fulfilled all our goals in the past 3 days. It took us 36 hours. We paid the US$20 entrance fee which was for the entire stay at the Grand Canyon. And we took directions to our lodge, the Yavapai Lodge. We later realized that this was one of the best things we did before leaving home, i.e., to make reservations for accommodation within the village. From Yavapai Lodge and other lodges, you could just take a walk to the rim of the canyon within minutes, i.e., at the very edge of the canyon. In fact, at this point we were so excited to see the canyon that we did not want to take a chance to first go and check-in at our lodge in case the sun sets and we would not have been able to see the canyon before sunrise the next morning. So we went to one of the observation point, the Mather Point which is at 7,120 ft above sea level. And we looked at the canyon, and we were speechless, breathless, and utterly mesmerized. And we kept saying, O my God! Oh my God! We saw something that words cannot really do justice in describing it. Something so gorgeous, something so magnificent, something so splendid, something so awesome. To the best of our knowledge, it is the best thing that we have ever seen that “nature” has to offer. Right at that point we believed and actually said that our very long trip was worth it. We said we would do this again and again without any hesitation. We then drove to our lodge which was located within the Grand Canyon National Park.

The Grand Canyon, which is considered as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, was created, according to Geologists, as the mighty Colorado River cut its winding course through the canyon walls. Looking down from the rim, we could see “6,250 feet of geological history - more than is displayed anywhere else on earth. The fossils in the horizontal layers tell the story of life on earth since the beginning.” The Grand Canyon is 446 km long (measured by the Colorado River course at the bottom), and up to 29 km wide, with an average depth of 1.6 km. It was made a national monument in 1908 and became a national park in 1919. It has an area of more than 1,900 square miles. Within the national park, apart from the spectacular canyon which really is THE main attraction, there are 89 species of mammals, 373 species of birds, 50 reptiles and 5 amphibians. Also, five Indian tribes live in the region today. To me the Grand Canyon, is probably THE most Natural Wonder of the World. Until now, both Kay and I were more familiar with “Wonders of the World” as opposed to “Natural Wonders of the World.” Wonders of the World include the Great Pyramids in Egypt which we were privileged to visit in 1995. I guess it is almost a competition between God-made wonders verses Man-made wonders! Having seen one of each, I would like to categorically state, without any unfairness, that I personally prefer the God-made wonder! The Egyptians did a superb job, mathematically and architecturally the Pyramids are just mind-boggling, but God beat them by creating the Grand Canyon!

Anyway, the following morning at 9:00am we took the official Desert View Tour which we had made prior reservation for. The importance of this tour was to be able to appreciate the canyon from different observation points. Our tour driver was Karen; she is one person you will like instantly, she is a people’s person and very likeable. She is one woman who just could not stop talking. She cracked jokes and made our trip filled with laughter. The desert view tour was 4 hours long and we stopped at various observation points for taking pictures, videos, and just appreciate the captivating canyon with different colours, shapes, and elevations. The last stop was the Desert View point itself where they have a Watchtower which was specifically built in 1932 to offer an unsurpassed view of the Grand Canyon; and indeed the view is nothing short of breathtaking. The watchtower was designed by Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter, a passionate individual full of life, and consideration, love, and respect for the Native people. She was also an avid admirer of Native American architecture, and she tried to integrate Native American designs into many of her own. For example, before constructing the Watchtower at Desert View she visited several Native American sites in the Southwest to examine first-hand the construction techniques that the natives used to construct their own towers. She was just an exceptional human being.

When we came back after the 83 km round trip, we wasted no time but jumped into our car and drove to just outside the Grand Canyon to catch the Grand Canyon film on the huge 6-storey screen at the Grand Canyon IMAX Theatre. Watching a film on an Imax theatre is so real that you almost feel that you are part of the action. The 1 hour film, Grand Canyon: The Hidden Secrets, was just spectacular. This is one thing that you do not want to miss if you happen to visit the Grand Canyon. It will be a relaxing moment when you just want to sit, relax, and absorb the enormity of the “grandest” of the canyons - THE Grand Canyon. The film took us on a journey spacing 4,000 years of known humans in the area, the First Nations People. The film also featured the “first” known human expedition to traverse the entire length of the “Mighty” Colorado River from one end of the canyon to the next (446 km). The expedition was led by one Mr. John Wesley Powell in 1869.

In the evening, we went for the 2 hours Sunset Tour. This is on the western side of the village along the Hermit Road. On this trip we got quite an intellectual Tour Guide/Driver, Roger. He knew so much that he was confident to respond to any question regarding the Grand Canyon. He could tell you about the animals and birds in the national park, about the aboriginal people who lived in the national park then and now, and the historical and geological facts about the Grand Canyon itself. He was a person whom you could just listen to. We stopped at Hopi and Pima points to appreciate different views of the canyon, and finally ended up at the Hermits Rest 13 km away where we watched the sun set. It was absolutely romantic. Believe it or not, at every observation point, whether it is on the Desert View tour or the Sunset tour, the canyon looked different and we just did not seem to get enough of it. Encyclopedia Britannica says,

“Although its awesome grandeur and beauty are the major attractions of the Grand Canyon, perhaps its most vital and valuable aspect lies in the time scale of Earth history that is revealed in the exposed rocks of the canyon walls. No other place on Earth compares with the Grand Canyon for its extensive and profound record of geologic events.”

Indeed, it is probably the most spectacular example of erosion anywhere in the world. Encarta Encyclopaedia said,

“The Grand Canyon is of relatively recent origin; apparently the river began its work of erosion about six million years ago.”

Honestly, one thing that we have never known is how Geologists and Archeologists come up with these “millions” of years of fossils or rocks! It is just mind boggling! We have always been curious to meet one of these scientists who can explain to an “average Joe” how they come up with these figures, the instruments and technology that they use, and how accurate these figures are. If something as deadly and rampant as cancer is, yet scientists still do not know what causes it and how to cure it, yet they know how old a rock is? Well, it is just one of those things that no one can really force you to believe it. Needless to say, I have always been skeptical.

One naturalist, John Muir called the Grand Canyon, the “Grandest of God’s terrestrial cities.” He also called it, “Supreme …above all other canyons.” We also tend to agree with another observation by the National Geographic Society saying, “perhaps it is the most spectacular and overwhelming place on the earth’s surface.”

On the one hand, there is this geological explanation of how the canyon came into existence, i.e., that this was initially a plateau which was split into two by the constant flow of the powerful Colorado River with its grinding load of gravel and sand “sometime between five and thirty million years ago.” On the other hand, some of us would just like to believe that the Grand Canyon was there from day ONE when the earth was created! In my humble opinion, after having toured over a dozen countries in four continents, I can say without any hesitation that the Grand Canyon is the most awesome, magnificent and beautiful thing that nature has to offer. It is the most beautiful natural landscape.

We spent the evening buying some souvenirs in the many gift shops that they have within the Grand Canyon Village.

We were also privileged to visit the famous Hoover Dam – at the boarder of Arizona and Nevada – 4 hours drive from the Grand Canyon (380 km). Based on the terrain, Hoover Dam is a marvel of civil engineering. From the Hoover Dam, we took a 10 minutes drive to the Marina at Lake Mead. This huge reservoir for the Hoover Dam is one of the largest artificially created bodies of water in the world; it covers an area of 603 sq km. We took a 90 minutes cruise; it was just so relaxing. From Lake Mead we were ready to head to Las Vegas to rest for the night. It is the closest major city, only 48 km away. Neither Kay nor I are into gambling, but we certainly strolled along the famous Boulevard, The Strip, and kept thinking as we passed one Casino after the next, how people work so hard to earn their money, just to come and loose it all to the gambling machines in the name of “having a good time!”

Anyway, we wanted to make the return trip more challenging and really scenic. And nothing can beat the Rocky Mountains in that part of the continent. We really wanted to cut through the Rockies. And boy! Cutting through we did, in the States of Utah and Colorado. At times when the mountains were so close and the rain was coming down, we almost got disoriented. Although Kay drove on some portions of the Rockies that were less mountainous, for the most part she left the steering wheel to me; however, she played a more pivotal role of making sure that she kept me awake, because dozing off for a split second could be disastrous. At times we literally drove through tunnels that were constructed through the mountains; some tunnels were 3 kilometres long. We drove through these tunnels hoping that nothing happened before we came out at the other end. In some places it was raining, in some snowing, and in some it was icy and we had to be extra careful.

All in all, this particular part of the trip, in Utah and Colorado, it was an experience that we are so glad we were bold enough to undertake although we might probably not do it again – this route is quite dangerous. Probably it is okay in the summer but certainly not in the autumn as we did. And in the winter do not even think of it!

The two weeks trip was very long, 11,000 km to be precise. But it was worth every kilometre! We would do it all over again, with one addition though; this time we would also visit the less visited North Rim of the Grand Canyon. And finally, as one book puts it so beautifully,

“To experience the Grand Canyon is to commune with nature at her very finest.”

And thank God, we were privileged to do just that.

[2003]