Road trip to the Mid-West! Part 3: The Grand Canyon, Arizona

This is the last post about our fabulous road trip to the Mid-West. Our last destination was the Grand Canyon, Arizona. Instead of spending one night here, we stayed two nights and got to explore for two days! The Grand Canyon definitely lives up to it's name. It's HUGE and pictures are incapable of capturing it's depth and expanse.  I kept reminding myself that what I saw in front of me was only a very small part of the Grand Canyon. What I saw had no end. It's so big it borders 3 states! I really couldn't imagine. Can you?

Almost everyone has heard of or have seen a photo of the Grand Canyon. I already had expectations of what I was to see but it still took my breath away. I think the first glance is always a shock and then you are left to stare straight out feeling perplexed. What are you supposed to do here with all this land? There is so much of it! It's so wild! It's barren! It's untamed!  The park offered many activities:  hiking, helicopter ride, or donkey guided tour? You could have any type of trip you wanted. Hiking is our thing. We started with a scenic view and then went for a hike. Believe it or not that takes a whole day. The next day we would walk the rim of the park all the way to Hopi Point before heading back to Vegas. We chose Hopi Point because you could catch a glimpse of the Colorado River from there. It was barely visible and from every point it all sort of looked the same. One must explore going into the canyon and not just going from one point to the next. However, my favourite view point was a secret remote location that took you through a short walking path through a forest. We went there to catch the sunset. On the way back we ran into a family or herd of deer. That was really cool. I also saw a tarantula...not as cool. I think the Grand Canyon is a place you need to stay longer to appreciate it. Our two days felt very rushed.

For those of you who want to visit, the Grand Canyon is a national park and you need pay an entrance fee to enter with your car. I think each car was 24 dollars regardless of how many people are in it. The fee is for a 7 day pass. The best part of this very popular destination is that once you get your pass you can park your car at the visitors center and take the free shuttles that bring you to all the view points. You don't even need to tip!!!  They are also walkable if you start early in the day. The other great thing is that the food in this park is super affordable. All the other canyons we visited were near tourist trap towns where everything was $$$. Dinners often cost 20 dollars. I was running out of money fast. I was happy to see a meal that didn't cost an arm and a leg that also kept you full. It's hard to find cheap eats when you go on VACA.

Below are just a few photos...

Just a generic view point (can't remember the name) but every view of the canyon looks very similar to this. Sometimes it's hard to tell how deep it is because the colors play with your eyes but if you really concentrate it gets kinda scary.

We are walking one of the trails here. While hiking along this trail we were met with many obstacles (mostly donkey poo). The trail was really well paved and consisted of long steep switch backs. This was the first stop on the trail and it had a decent view of the canyon and a nice little ledge to take a cool photo. This is not the ledge. We hiked down a little further than this.

During our hike we stopped a view point and had some lunch. The moment we opened up our snacks this little guy appeared. Against everyone's advice I shared a bit of my orange with him and I feel we became friends until he tried to open up my friend's purse and steal our garbage bag full of scraps. Later I saw a sign with his face on it saying "DO NOT FEED ROCK SQUIRRELS". Apparently people get bitten and scratched by rock squirrels everyday! And they also carry the plague... I guess I am sucker for a cute face. What else can I say?

This was our very secret and remote view point that we took through the forest path. We had it all to ourselves and about 6 other people. Very cool.

Of course we can't leave the Grand Canyon without a GoPro Groupie! What a bunch of gems to travel with.

One thing I really took away from this trip was the United States is an amazing and exciting place to explore. I travel often to the states but more often to big cities.  So to me, America represented strip malls, metropolitan city scapes, designer bags and food. It was about night life, face paced city life, outlet shopping and leisurely living if you could afford it. Now I realize that there are places in the states still very untouched, pristine and beautiful. There are places ruled more by nature than by dollar bills. It's got so many mysteries. It's a new playground for me. I look forward to my next trip. Next on my list is Zion Park and Arches in Utah! I think I might become a canyoneer!