U.S.A. Road Trip – Day 4

Saturday, 26th July 2014
Grand Canyon (AZ)

Clear skies, scorching sun, 30° degrees Celsius and we’re off to visit the Canyon with hats and a bottle of water at 11am. It’s incredible how, although the temperature is not so high, the UV lights are extremely strong here.

While queuing with the motorhome to get into the Park, we were thinking where to go. We decided to drive the West Route, which would take us to the side we haven’t seen yesterday. After getting a bit lost westwards, we got to the Red Route, which is closed to private vehicles, and therefore took the bus ride. By then it was extremely hot, the sun was boiling, and I had the feeling I was tanning in a millisecond. I was wearing my long scarf around my head, which pretty much looked like a kaffiyeh. I was a bit embarrassed of my non-fashionable look, but it really saved me from the unbearable heat.

The “hop-on, hop-off” bus took us to nine different stops. We were granted with the most amazing panoramas ever. In a museum that is free of charge, I’ve learnt that the Grand Canyon is 277 miles long (446 kilometers) and up to 18 miles wide (29 kilometers). The Canyon was created about 17 million years ago and through erosion is gradually changing its appearance. How interesting. Who knows what will happen to it in the next couple of million years.

After having a late lunch/picnic in a quiet area in the forest, around 6.30pm we headed towards a view point. We parked the camper and got off to go and see the sunset. What an atmosphere! Pink/reddish light reflected the entire Canyon, encouraging the witnessers to take pictures one after the other, as if they were holding a gun and shooting at their aim.

The grand finale of the day offered us not only the beautiful sunset, but we also spent a fantastic time witnessing mule deers grazing one meter from us in pure nonchalance.

Every day that passes, I realize how much nature can offer us, and I think that even though we live in this modern world where technology seems to be our priority, we should really spend a bit more time relaxing with what we are presented with by Earth.