How Grand is Arizona's Backyard?

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This year's Thanksgiving weekend was spent entirely in Arizona. We all met at Phoenix, rented a car, drove 5 hours north to the Grand Canyon, drove 3 hours west to Page, and drove back to Arizona for another 5 hours. Sounds crazy, but it was a lot of fun! Throughout this trip, we had snow, rain, and extreme heat with the best backdrop -- the red-tinged geologic formations of Arizona's canyons. I am so glad to have finally been to one of the world's Seven Natural Wonders of the World. (This is my first.)

At Phoenix, Arizona

We all met at PHX, and took a shuttle bus that whisked us to a car-rental mall. To me it was like a food court, only there's no food. (Do I make sense? Ofcourse I don't!) The shuttle bus drove along palm trees and cactus plants; and, like an innocent child, chuckled "Look, cactus!"

My friends said the person sitting next to me nodded distastefully. Who cares? I don't see cactus in "antarctic" Chicago! Gimme a break!

We rented a chevy which we intend to use for the whole 3-day road trip around Arizona, also known as The Grand Canyon State. We headed straight to a friend's house for Thanksgiving dinner. We watched movies and played Wii till my arms ached with the rowing competition and my belly ached laughing hysterically. Good times! We are grateful for their hospitality.

The Grand Canyon South Rim

Early the next morning, we ventured out into the I-17 going north. I still was not done admiring the tall and skinny cacti visible from the highway. They were like frozen soldiers standing in full attention. Those close to the city were more for aesthetics, I guess. They look like nopales in Mexican cuisine.

To contrast the very dry, desert look of the land along the highway, was snow-capped mountains that line the desert sky. As we go further north, we saw more trees that could have been decades old. The lush greens remind me of Spring, when it was already Fall.

When I told my coworker about this trip to the Grand Canyon, she said she cried the first time she saw it. I didn't know if I would have the same reaction, but I was speechless. For a moment, I did not believe my eyes. My eyes are too used to computer-desktop-backgrounds where every picture seems perfect. I doubted my eyes if what I was seeing was real! It was real. It was perfect.

I heard my friends mumble, "There's a God!"

I realize that one can spend a week in the Grand Canyon and do lots of things. Unfortunately for me, we only have a day. Maybe next time I can go to the Havasupai Indian Reservation and live there blissfully for a couple of days to enjoy the falls and its blue-green waters. Someday.

Truthfully, I can stare at the vast canyon all day. I would love to hike down to the canyon but we are pressed with time. Atleast, we are spending the rest of the day at the following POI (points of interest) via shuttle bus:


• Yavapai Point. This is where I listened to a guide (not ours) who described the foliage of what looked like shrubs from afar. He said that those "shrubs" deep below the canyon are actually very old trees more than 150 feet tall! Those old trees line the Colorado River.
• Yavapai Geology Museum.This is where we made dinner reservations at El Tovar.
• Bright Angel Point
• Hopi Point(7,000 feet elevation). They claim this is where we should get the best view of the sunset. Unfortunately, it was too cold and too windy in there to wait for the sunset so we decided to hop into the bus to get warm. Unfortunately, we ran out of time to get back before the sunset.
• Hermit's Rest
• Pima Point. This is where we ended up catching the change of colors on sunset.



I did not expect that there would be lots of visitors at this time of the year. I thought Thanksgiving should be spent at home with family but, the ranger explained that most holidays are the busiest in the park. We had to wait in line for the shuttle bus. It took about two buses before we took our turn. We were warned though that at 6pm, we have to leave Grand Canyon. "The sweep" are the last buses that pick up people from the POIs; not meant to drop off but to pick up people. The ranger said the squirrels turn into vampires at night. 😄

The pictures any of us took, even with one my friend's DSLR, didn't do justice to capture the grandeur of the Grand Canyon. No wonder most of the POIs were peppered with more than a dozen people donned in photographer's more-than-basic DSLR arsenal. I saw one who had two big cameras with long lenses!

We had dinner at El Tovar which was the first hotel erected at the Grand Canyon. It was rewarding to enjoy some fine dining after a day of sightseeing, but what's really interesting about this restaurant is that this was where Theodore Roosevelt and Albert Einstein have dined!

Now back at the Grand Canyon Village, I started to appreciate the government's effort to preserve this natural wonder. In an effort to reduce carbon footprint, they installed solar panels in some of the buildings. The designated buses are also hybrid electric/gas. This may be a little bit costly upfront but it will be cheaper in the long run, not to mention how much this is helping the environment.

Picture-perfect Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona

Early morning the next day, we hopped into the car covered with a thin layer of ice. Driving away from the heart of Grand Canyon National Park Visitor Center, we saw big deers that crossed the street. Some were just along the road, minding their own business. We also saw a gray fox!

The three hour drive along route 64 going east to Page gave us an unexpected view. It was not the usual highway lined with trees or cliffs. We realize we were still driving at the mouth of a series of canyons at an elevation of 5,000 feet! In my opinion, this route, in itself, is an attraction. I wonder why there were few very vehicles we met taking the same route. If I were an alien and I wanted to land my spaceship on Earth in the most dramatic way possible, I would definitely choose this place.

At route 89, we passed by a long stretch of red-tinged mountains about ten to fifteen miles of it. One would see layers of white, grey, and red, each representing the era they were formed (my high school science teacher could be very proud of me right now). I imagine going back to the Grand Canyon and I imagine myself trekking down to the canyon. I must be looking up at similar layers instead of looking down from the touristy spots we stood from.

Horse ranches were a common sight at this route, plus the occasional shanty stores with no items to sell, let alone a single seller. I wonder what kind of produce they could be selling in this barren land.

At 6,000 feet elevation, a power plant started to become visible from our view from the windshield. We passed by WalMart and we knew we were close to downtown Page. Our GPS brought us to a travel and tours agency that should take us to the Antelope Canyon since one cannot just go in unsupervised. Their office was right next to what seems to be the only cinema in town! A man was up a ladder putting up the letters of what was showing that night: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Showing only 3 times that day. Not surprising for a small town.

I've seen pictures in the internet of how the Antelope should look like but none of us knew exactly how to get there aside from the coordinates we painstakingly entered into the GPS. We doubted ourselves when the GPS directed us to a plain, flat area with cars. It looked like a parking lot with some three or four portalets. We passed by the "parking lot" once till we finally read the sign that said, "Welcome to Lake Powell Navajo Trival Park. Lower Antelope Canyon." Woot!

We parked our car at the "parking lot" of red soil. I feel like stepping on Mars, the Red Planet. We each paid $26 to the man on the booth. $6 of which is the permit fee. I thought the rest of the $20 goes to the government who protects the canyon until I learned from our guide that his family (or clan) owns this part of the Antelope Canyon, which is the Lower part, thereby called the Lower Antelope Canyon. The Upper Antelope Canyon however, is owned by another family. A part of me felt good that this whole area is truly owned and protected by the Navajo Indian Tribe -- the very people whose ancestors thrived here for thousands of years. These are the people who have rooted their beliefs and traditions from and into this very land. Despite my little knowledge of the American history of which the first European settlers harassed the Native Indians, I knew that whatever is left owned by the natives should be respected by its visitors -- because these Indians had shed blood to protect their land.

A short cemented structure stood by a sign that says, "WARNING! Flash Flood Area". Our guide shared with us his story when he was a teenager. He and others tried to save about a dozen European and American visitors who once entered the canyon the day after a storm. Their names were written in stone. All of them died, so we were asked to pause for a minute of silence.

Just a few feet away was a crack of moderate length. I was surprised when the guide said that's where we are going in! I would never have thought that it would lead us to the most beautiful canyon I have ever seen and touched. I realize I was not dressed rugged enough to climb down except that I was wearing running shoes. But then, there were metal stairs already built for the convenience of its visitors.

As I stood at the bottom of the canyon, it was clear to me why being trapped in the canyon with flowing water is fatal. There are smooth and sharp corners of rock that even Michael Phelps would never have traversed perfectly. One's head could easily bump into a single corner, then the next, and another -- only God know how anyone could survive that. Still imagining the flowing water, the visible layers made sense to me. I touch them and I wondered where else in this world can I see a place as beautiful as this. The sun shone through the crevice which shed different hues of red and orange. Now I understand why I would shed my own blood to protect this land if I myself were born of the Navajo tribe.

It was a good 40 minutes of photos, ohhs, and ahhs. It was not like a way in the park, though. The path was naturally formed like a "V" so we had to step over some rock formations, skip a little, and be a little bit creative to move along with the crowd. I realize all of us 40 visitors were Asians! We looked up and listened to our guide describe what seemed to be a woman's head with her hair blown over in one direction. Another was like a smiling shark. I found about two or three spots with bird drippings. Clearly, some of our feathered friends also call this home. I smile, not just for another photo, but for how closely knit we all are: Asians from across the globe -- inside a Navajo canyon -- looking at the result of a million years of erosion -- looking at bird poop.

At Lake Powell in Page, Arizona

We did not have enough time to take a boat tour of Lake Powell so I sour graped and said, it's man-made anyway. But I took it back when we saw how it complemented the clear blue sky and how it beautifully contrasted the red Navajo land. We took million-dollar jump shots against a backdrop of red and blue. Superb!

I also notice how much I don't miss the city's pigeons who fatten up at the city's train stations, dripping all over the place. Here in Navajo Nation, they have the crows -- the smartest birds we know. I've seen a couple of them at the Grand Canyon earlier in this trip. They are the coolest and most confident birds, atleast in my book.

Our photographer friend, who I give credit to for planning this trip, wondered if we could go to the Upper Antelope Canyon. My head started to spin. I feel that I've already seen the best of canyons, and here we are, going to see another one? I am such a lucky girl! Once more, we punched in coordinates and realize it was just across the Lower Antelope Canyon where we were at an hour ago. Sadly, they have already closed out for the day thirty minutes earlier. It was only 4pm. The woman in a rugged blue truck, who was part of the family who owns it explains that the Upper Antelope Canyon is shaped like an inverted "V" so the window to see light inside the canyon is shorter. It would already be too dark, thus unsafe. Understandably, we won't get the picture-perfect beam of light. Too bad, I already have in mind a yoga pose that I would like to do under that beam of light. It would make the perfect Facebook profile picture! Ever! But I choose to count my blessings. 😊

Going back downtown, we looked for a place to have dinner at. I notice that this small town was lined with churches of various religions. I find it interesting to find that many churches in such a small town. Then a cayote suddenly crosses the street (always a welcome sight). Then I also saw a sign that says, "Secret Canyon. Call."

I will remember how it felt to touch the layers of Navajo sand dunes that took millions of years to form. I will be thankful for the sense of sight that the Creator has given each of us. And I will remember the scent of roasted cumin that has lingered from dining at El Tovar in Grand Canyon to the Blue Corn Restaurant at Page. Is it really cumin? I don't know. But atleast there's one more mystery I can come back for (aside from the Upper Antelope Canyon that we missed). I hope I get chance to ask a Navajo person, what do they like about the blue corn mush? It is extremely bland for my taste. I hope that will make a good starter for an interesting conversation!

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Photos

But a small portion of The Grand Canyon
This picture and plenty others does not do justice to capture its grandeur.

Our route
Leg#1-Phoenix to Grand Canyon. Leg#2-Grand Canyon to Page. Leg#3-Page back to Phoenix.

Grand Canyon
View from Hopi Point

Passing thru a mountain
On the way to Page

Smiling Shark
At Lower Antelope Canyon

Light
At Lower Antelope Canyon

Navajo Nation Power Plant
Ancient formations meet modern necessities like electricity

Lake Powell
This is a manmade lake. The power plant is at the further end of this photo.

Blue Corn Mush and Frybread
I ordered this to have a taste of traditional Navajo Tribe cuisine.

Painting of Glen Canyon Bridge
A painters interpretation of the construction of the Glen Canyon Bridge at Page, Arizona