Seen The Grand Canyon
“It's like trying to describe what you feel when you're standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon or remembering your first love or the birth of your child. You have to be there to really know what it's like.”
--Jack Schmitt, American Astronaut
Back in December when I started this project, one of the biggest items on my list was to see the Grand Canyon. I’ve been lucky enough to see many parts of the world, but there is so much of my own country I haven’t taken the opportunity to explore. I felt the Grand Canyon was a huge gap in my life experience. (No pun intended.)
J and I booked a tour to see the Grand Canyon last week mainly because the drive would be so long (over four hours). We booked with a tour company called Grand Adventures, which does a Grand Canyon walking tour that sounded really awesome.
Our tour guide Erik came to pick us up at 5:50am, and to be honest, I have never in my life been more excited to wake up at 5 in the morning. After picking up the rest of the people on our tour, the first major stop we made was at the Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge, which gives a spectacular view of one of the country’s incredible man-made landmarks, the Hoover Dam.
The bridge also crosses the Nevada-Arizona state line. I stood halfway between the two states.
We also made a stop in Seligman, Arizona, a town on historic Route 66.
Eventually, we made it to the Grand Canyon. It was a long journey, but it was well worth the wait. When I got my first glimpse of the canyon, I was not disappointed, not even a little.
Pictures really don’t do it justice. It truly is a natural wonder. The colors of the layers are just incredible, and the thought that they represent different times in Earth’s history makes it even more amazing.
It’s a long way down.
It was not awesome when I slipped. (I didn’t actually slip.)
The tour brought us to Hopi Point, which is the first spot where we could see the Colorado River. The lines of definition in the rock formations are just outstanding.
I hate to sound cheesy, but the Grand Canyon is really is one of those things you have to see with your own eyes. I do have to say that if you go, it’s best to walk the trails a bit. When we walked around, it was not crowded at all, and it was just awesome getting different views of the canyon by walking just a little bit.
I can’t say enough about the tour company, but especially Erik. He was knowledgeable and kept the entire 15 hours fun and interesting. We even got to hang out with him a little later in the week.
If you have not seen the Grand Canyon (or you saw it as a kid), go see it. It’s as beautiful as people say it is. Who knew a hole in the ground, albeit a very large hole, could be so so amazing?
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