A Journey to one of the fearsomely grandest ravines on earth --- The Grand Canyon
As
our flight started its descent over Las Vegas I was dazzled by the lights
below. Lights glittered all over like a huge, sprawling net. Appeared to be
laid for the aircraft to land on it like a trapeze artiste. I frankly admit
that I have never seen such myriads of lights before. Not even when our plane
hovered over glittering Manhattan while on its descent at New York JFK. Our son
Arjun had already fixed up a car with rent a car centre. We were transported
there in shuttle service available from terminal 1 of McCarran International
Airport. Arjun completed the formalities with the car company and then we drove
towards the city centre with Arjun at the wheel. After a short drive we were at
the famous Las Vegas Strip. I must admit that the Strip looks vibrant and
fascinating in the night, more than any other place I have seen on our planet.
Like a fairy tale world. Mandalay Bay, Luxor, MGM, Excalibur, New York New York,
David Copperfield. The illuminated Statue of Liberty in front of New York New
York and the medieval English castle type architecture of Excalibur exteriors
stand out in a maze of glittering hotels and casinos on Las Vegas Strip. We
stayed two nights at Excalibur, named after the legendary sword of King Arthur,
and tried our hands at the casino. Started our journey for Grand Canyon in the
morning. Via Boulder City in Nevada, our first halt was at the famous Hoover Dam.
Built in the early twentieth century during the Great Depression to tame the
river Colorado in the Black Canyon bordering Nevada and Arizona, it is a
showpiece of engineering marvel. The reservoir which came up during
construction of the dam and hydro electric project is known as Lake Mead,
considered to be the largest reservoir of America. After going around Hoover
Dam and almost gobbling down a hearty American breakfast, we embarked on the
final lap of our journey. Soon we found ourselves whizzing through the great
Arizona Desert. Dotted with cactus trees, some as large as fully grown banyan
trees , replicated images I tried hard remembering in cowboy movies of
yesteryear I had seen as an youngster. These cactus trees took up various
sizes and complex shapes when we turned left from the highway and took a
shorter route through the desert to reach Kingman for fuelling and refreshment.
The route happens to be the historic route 66, the mother road of America which
came up in the early twentieth century and has remained unspoilt over the
years. A very fascinating route as it retains the character of America during
early 1900. It leads straight to the Black Mountain. On our way we saw a very
interesting small town, with horses, cars, bikes and a pub looking like a ranch.
To me it was a captivating sight as it appeared to emerge out of a classic
cowboy story. For Kingman we had to turn right after about an hour’s drive. If
we had driven straight we would have reached the nearest point of Grand Canyon
i.e. the West rim. A brief stopover at Kingman for fuelling and delectable
bites on American Ice Cream at the gas station was delightfully refreshing. We
then drove down to Williams where we had booked our hotel. A quaint little
town, cuteness radiated from every nook and cranny. Right from Highlander Motel
where we stayed, attractive cafes, warm restaurants with live music, gas stations,
departmental stores, the pleasant chill of a hill station all seem to gel so
wondrously.
After
settling down at Williams we decided to catch the much hyped sunset at Sedona. As
our car climbed up and down the hilly terrain to get to Sedona, it brought us
unique vistas of Oak Creek Canyon in the beginning and Red Rock Canyon / Secret
Mountain while nearing Sedona. The ride and the views were spectacular and at
parts formidable! Particularly while negotiating close to the steep canyon
walls. Sedona is again a lovely little town beautifully decorated with artistic
statues, and watching the sun go down the mountainous silhouette from sunset
point was an exhilarating experience. Next morning we were overtly excited
while gearing up for visit to the Grand Canyon about 55 miles from Williams. Las
Vegas is about 2000 ft above sea level; Williams is about 6000 ft above sea level
and Grand Canyon is about 7000 ft above sea level. Road distance from Las Vegas
to Grand Canyon is about 290 miles. So when we reached the Grand Canyon
National Park after traversing 290 miles we never had inkling that we have
climbed over 5000 ft on our journey from Las Vegas. It was as if driving on
plains throughout. The mystery deepened when we took the park and ride shuttle
bus from the Grand Canyon Visitors Center. I was still desperately trying to
figure out how our bus would be negotiating such giant gorges I have seen only
in movies and photographs till then, when our driver announced that the first
view point has arrived. And there it was. As if from nowhere a spectacular
sight opened up and greeted our eyes. It was only then that I realized that we
were at an elevation of about 7000 ft above sea level. The immense buttes, some
steep jagged rocky walls running down straight and deep down at the bottom the
Colorado River winding its way – a real treat for the senses. The formidable
vastness of the ravine is breathtaking. Created by Colorado River this earth’s
wonder evolved a billion years ago and the current Grand Canyon is said to be
six million years old. The South Rim is regarded as the heart of the Grand
Canyon. The viewpoints covered by the shuttle are Trail View Overlook Point,
Maricopa Point, Powell Point, Hopi Point, Mohave Point, the Abyss, Monument
Creek Point, and Pima Point and terminates at Hermit Rest. On return path it
stops at Mohave Point and Powell Point. Adventure lovers can take the trail
paths to Hermit Rest. A new vista opens up as one moves from one pint to
another. Views those are vertiginously stunning and beautiful. Shades of red,
copper and yellow, deep chasms at places, rocks jutting out in the form of
table tops, nature’s architectural wonders like formation of temples aptly
named Vishnu Temple, Isis Temple and edifices looking like the walls of
fortress all cut out and carved from the rocks by the hand of nature millions
of years ago. Major John Wesley Powell, a soldier and a naturalist, was the
first man who set out with a team of nine men and four boats to explore the
hitherto unknown Colorado River and Grand Canyon in 1869. Six of them dropped
off within three months of the expedition after travelling 1500 miles and
losing boats and essentials in dangerous rapids they encountered on the river.
At the fag end of the journey the three remaining men deserted Powell to get
back to the mainland. They are believed to have lost their way in the fearsome labyrinthine ravine and never to be found again. Previously Grand Canyon was
known as Big Canyon. After the expedition Powell was so impressed by its
grandeur that in 1871 he termed it as Grand
Canyon.
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Hotel Excalibur,in the night, Las Vegas Strip |
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Casino and eatery inside a hotel at Las Vegas Strip |
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New York New York,Las Vegas Strip |
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Night Club, Las Vegas |
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Las Vegas Strip |
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Hoover Dam |
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The Dog who owned a Dam |
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Arizona Desert |
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Sedona is decorated with such statues |
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Sedona town |
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Sedona |
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Another view of Sedona |
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The first car to reach Grand Canyon South Rim by Historic Route 66 |
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Cute little Williams |
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Road to Sedona |
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Grand Canyon Visitor Centre |
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Early Explorer of Grand Canyon |
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Grand Canyon |
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Grand Canyon with view of Colorado River |
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Grand Canyon |
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Grand Canyon |
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Grand Canyon |
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Grand Canyon - Effects in black and white |
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Grand Canyon. Far below River Colorado can be seen |
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Grand Canyon |
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Williams and Route 66 |
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Train to Grand Canyon. Runs from Williams |
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A view of snow capped California Peak on way to Grand Canyon |
(Photographs - Courtesy Arundhati Sengupta)
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