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Published: February 19th 2010
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On our second day in Las Vegas we decided to take a trip out to the Grand Canyon. Seeing as though it is so close (well, compared to many other places we are visiting) it made sense to visit whilst we were here. It was an early start and we were off and away on the bus at 6am. We took a trip down the strip picking the other people up (only 12 in total which meant two seats each on the bus) and we then headed south east towards Arizona. To what I think was the north we could see the Spring Mountains and Mount Charlston (where you can ski, just over an hour form the strip). We began heading out of Nevada and we started heading towards the Grand Canyon which would eventually take us up to 7,000ft above sea level at the South Rim. The grand Canyon started appearing in literature around about the 1500s when the Spanish did not write to favourably about it. They saw it as an inconvenient obstacle on their travels across America in search of the seven cities of gold (as described by the Aztecs). It was mentioned later again around the time of the American Civil War and onwards. We reached the Hoover Dam not too far into the journey. At a depth of 7264ft and a width of 1244ft it really is one huge dam! A new free way bridge is being built over it and it is nearly complete. The amount of water held behind it is incredible and the overflow channels are actually quite scary to look at! As we passed through the Mojave Desert we saw Lake Mead (result of the creation of the dam). The dam played a big part in the development of the area. In 1931 there were hundreds of men working on the dam and the state took the decision to liberalise full scale gambling, alcohol and divorce laws to keep the works there, spending money and contributing to the local economy. The Railroad Pass is the first and oldest casino in the area. As we travelled through the desert the guide told us all about the animals living there including; one of the world's two venomous lizards (the name escapes me), four types of rattle snake (most probably hibernating), the California Condor (massive bird with a 3m wingspan), black bears, elk, antelope, kyote, links, fox and wild bore. There was rugged landscape all the way and we saw the Black Mountains (volcanic rock) on the journey. As we got up to Williams there was about 2ft of snow and it got colder! We hopped onto Route 66 for a little bit as well. The Grand Canyon is (compared to other structures around the world) a relatively new geological phenomenon (6 million years old). Formed by tectonic plates and the Colorado River the Canyon is marked by several layers of rock. First there is limestone (containing fossils), second there is sandstone (rich red colour due to the iron content) and then shale (which erodes slower, forming the regular sloping banks in the Canyon). Limestone then appears again and the layers repeat themselves. At the very bottom, the Colorado River is eroding (at about 1cm a year) a tough metamorphic rock called Vishnu which is dated at roughly half the age of the planet. Once we arrived at the Grand Canyon we walked out to Mather Point and walked the Rim Trail around the south section of the Canyon. The views were absolutely stunning. It was a crisp day with clear blue skies and 2-3ft of snow around. You could see miles and miles into the distance and the whole Canyon was perfectly visible. I just could not get over how big it was! The pictures really do speak for themselves as I am struggling to describe just how breathtaking the views were. The trail takes you right up to the edge which is daunting but provides the opportunity for some awesome photos. The walk took just over an hour and a half and each time the track changed, a new impressive view came into shot and you could see the Canyon in a completely new light. The main thing that got to me was just how deep it was. We could hardly see the bottom as it was so so far away. Apparently it takes over 8 hours to get to the bottom (or near it at least) on horse back so walking would take the best part of a day. After only having ever seen photos of the the Grand Canyon it really was amazing to see it in real life. A totally unbelievable work of natural beauty and I now know why everyone speaks so highly of the trip to see it. I sat on the wall at the end of the trail for a little bit and not only did I eventually come to terms with the fact that I was actually looking at the Grand Canyon, I realised just how amazing a structure it is in terms of size, shape, colour and beauty. After spending a few hours taking in the views and catching some great photos (simply because the weather and visibility was so good!) we started the long drive back. On that drive back though, I managed to stay awake to see another absolutely brilliant sunset. Being my new favourite thing, any sunset would probably rate highly in my book but after such a great day, this one was extra special. The whole sky lit up bright pink, then orange then red. I got one photo but even that did not do it justice. Well worth the money spent on the day out and if you are ever close to Arizona make the effort to go because even tough a day trip will cost you a lot of money, the views and the photos you get, assuming the weather is right, are literally priceless.
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