Deb/Grand Canyon
From ShareYourHoliday
Had read so much about it and had imagined myself on it’s edge beholding the oblivion, numerous times. A natural wonder of the world and absolutely breathtaking. Carved in by the Colorado river with interminable patience stands the Canyon, bigger than life and a testimony to time.
But let’s start from the beginning. We flew into Flagstaff on a small plane which jolted with every little whiff of the wind and flew very low so it offered excellent views. Quite an experience in itself. Now, Flagstaff is one of the airports closest to the Canyon and also one of the smallest that I have ever been to. Lovely little place and doesn’t feel like an airport at all without the zillion hurrying passengers. No hustle bustle and no queues!!
From there on we drove to Flagstaff city and had lunch in an Indian restaurant which serves an excellent buffet. Of course Indian food is available practically everywhere and we are so glad about it. Then we went grocery shopping in the ubiquitous WallMart to stock up with essentials for our stay in the park.
So well nourished and fortified we embarked upon the drive upto the canyon which is around 90 miles from Flagstaff. It is a lovely drive with the wide open horizon stretching out in every direction with nothing to obscure it. For a city dweller like me this is absolutely marvellous. One is used to see only a chink of sky through the melee of concrete structures and here the whole beautiful horizon is beckoning one.
The drive ended rather abruptly with nothing preparing us for what is to come. It was midday and the temperature was soaring in high thirties. A bit fatigued from our travels we made it to the Yavapai centre which is the heart of the south rim of the Canyon. Finally we parked ourselves in the Yavapai Lodge, the biggest accommodation in the park. It offers nice comfortable rooms with all the basic amenities one could think of, though a bit pricey. The other alternatives for stay are Bright Angel Lodge, Maswik Lodge but none are cheap.
After a brief rest to our weary bones, we decided to explore and introduce ourselves to the Canyon. We hopped on one of the free shuttle buses which runs along daily on a route full of scenic vistas and one can hop on and hop off as one pleases. A wonderful service which frees up the roads from undue traffic congestions. Moreover, as they run on natural gas they keep the Canyon air clean.
The names of different places in the park are native American Indian as they are the original settlers of the region. For me the quaint names evoked an image of the life that the early settlers had in the Canyon. Coming back to our trip, we got off at Hopi point where the Colorado is at it’s widest at 350ft and the place is famous for surreal sunsets. A storm was brewing on the other rim of the Canyon and in the half light of the swift approaching dusk we had our first glimpse of the Canyon. Words seem terribly inadequate to describe my feelings at the first encounter with the Canyon. It’s awe inspiring vastness and it’s changing hues of colours in the reflecting sunlight, is enough to spellbind. There we stood enchanted by nature’s grandeur and were blessed with the most magical display of dancing light and shadows. At sunset, the whole Canyon gets transformed into a stage where the sun choreographs it’s farewell for the day on the face of the Canyon.
Here, I would like to acquaint the reader a bit with the Canyon basics. The Grand Canyon is a mile deep and averages 10 miles wide. Snaking along its floor are 277 miles of the Colorado River, which has carved the canyon over the past six million years, exposing rocks up to two billion years old - half of Earth's total life span. The two rims of the Grand Canyon offer quite different experiences, and as they lie more than 200 miles apart by road, they are rarely visited on the same trip. Most visitors choose the South Rim, which boasts easy access, the bulk of services and the panoramic vistas for which the park is famous. The quieter North Rim has its own charms; at 8200ft elevation (1000ft higher than the South Rim), its cooler temperatures support wildflower meadows and tall, thick stands of aspen and spruce (Ref: Lonely Planet)
We were on the South Rim. One could walk in any direction on the rim of the Canyon for hours and this is what we mostly did for the rest of our stay. One could of course do a lot more like hike down into the Canyon if one is well trained. For the more adventurous, white water river rafting down the Colorado would be more to their taste. We opted for more tame explorations. It was quite fantastic to walk for a long distance and not meet another soul. The perfect quietude far away from the maddening pace of city life. We had little picnics sitting on rocks overlooking the Canyon, enjoying the solitude. We fortuitously met some very candid squirrels who were not camera shy. In our meanderings, we captured a magical sunrise on Mather point, a point renowned for spectacular sunrises.
Other than exploring the park on one’s own the park also offers a variety of free group activities. There are geological walks with rangers to be taken or an introduction to the night sky from a ranger is to be heard. Notice boards are full of these programs that one could join in. For booklovers, there are many bookshops in the park which tender an eclectic collection of reads.
On our last day we visited Desert view which is the eastern end of the Canyon and the highest point on the South rim. Here one can see the meandering Colorado way down in the depths of the Canyon. Our evening ended with another beautiful sunset. Finally, the day came to bid goodbye. I believe that a part of me is left behind forever in the Canyon and the Canyon has gifted me part of it’s tranquility as farewell.
