The Grand Canyon

Once again Ronnie and I revisit the Grand Canyon. Our goal is to try and replicate our reactions to seeing the Canyon for the first time, so we blindfold Alyssa and walk her to the rim. Her reaction is as expected when we finally reveal the grandeur of Mother Nature’s beauty. But firstly,

You will recall from the last update that we stopped at the Hoover Dam after visiting Las Vegas. Well about 70 miles from the Hoover Dam, and about 50 miles from the nearest town of Kingman, Kenny the Kia (our trusty rental car) blows a tyre. We pull over and thankfully it is the back right so away from the traffic on the Interstate. We replace the tyre with the provided space saver which only allows us to travel at 50 miles per hour (in a 70 zone) and we call Hertz to advise what has occurred. They quickly request that we attend the Hertz office in Kingman where we will be provided with a replacement car. Not long later Kenny is replaced by Donny the Dodge, a little smaller but wonderful service.

Back to the Grand Canyon, which is visited by over 5 million people each year, thankfully mainly in Spring and Summer. As we are in Winter, the head count is relatively low. The Canyon is made up of 7 different layers with the lowest basement rocks believed to be 1.8 billion years old. Other statistics are that it is 277 miles long, 10 miles across and over 1 mile deep.

There is no one specific point to best view the Canyon’s majestic colour – just good places and better places. Although most tourists view the Canyon from the popular Mather point, we decide to get glimpses from a view different locations including at sunset which transforms the canyon’s buttes and points into a beautiful canvas of unimaginable views.

We also decide to take a couple of hikes into the Canyon, firstly on the Bright Angel trail and then a longer hike on the South Kaibab trail to Ooh Aah point. The views from in the Canyon are totally different and worth the slow walk back uphill due to the elevation being 7,000 feet above sea level.