Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon - A rugged beauty and a remarkable record of Paleozoic Era. This post is about our trip to this beautiful place. I remember this place as shown in "Hai Rabba" song from the movie Jeans. To cover this place by car would take 4 days; so we decided to take a flight to Las Vegas, stay there and then take a tour arranged by http://www.grandcanyon.com

We started on a friday night and reached Las Vegas in an hour by flight. We had to stand in queue at the McCarran Airport for a taxi as Vegas is a very happening place and crowded, not to mention on a weekend. The taxi charges were pretty high. Our hotel was near by; we checked in and had a good night's sleep. The next day, after having breakfast at the hotel, we left for a nearby resort where the Tour bus would pick us up.

At 10 am, the bus took us from the resort to the Boulder City Municipal Airport, where we had a mini flight (which can carry up to 14 members) waiting for us. This flight was 30 min long and we could see Lake Mead very well. My husband and I got seats 2A and 3A; adjacent to the window. It was awkward to board this small flight and settle down; too small that one couldn't even stand up straight.

After we were dropped at the Canyon Airport, we were guided to a helicopter which took us for a flight into the Canyon. It was a beautiful experience to watch the majestic Canyon from a higher altitude as well as near it; this being my first helicopter ride (I got the front seat besides the pilot - an added excitement), I enjoyed it a lot. You can see the different shades of colours on the Canyon and its minute layerings formed by the river along millions of years - simple soil erosion yet so beautiful.

The helicopter dropped us near River Colorado. We walked down to the river where a boat was awaiting us. The boat ride was pleasant. It was serene atmosphere except for the occasional helicopters flying around. From the boat, we saw the highest point of the Canyon which is about a mile deep i.e. this is compared with the 3 times the height of the Stratosphere tower in Vegas!

The Canyon is occupied by the native tribe Hualapai and you could see signboards mentioning - "No trespassing- Hualapai Nation". The Hualapai people believe that the rivr water brought luck, our boat driver gave a bucket of river water and asked us to apply afew drops on our cheeks. The river water was cold and refreshing.

After the boat ride, we walked back the small path from the river to a slightly higher place to board the helicopter. Then the helicopter dropped us back at Airport from where we took the bus to The Eagle point. It was named so as there is a formation on the Canyon in the shape of the eagle. The majestic Skywalk is the major attraction here because :

It can withstand the weight of 71 fully loaded Boeing 747 airplanes
Can survive an 8.0 magnitude earthquake within 50 miles
Suspended 4000 ft above Colorado River on the edge of the Grand Canyon
Immune to winds in excess of 100 miles per hour

The floor of the Skywalk is made of glass alone and when you walk over it and look beneath, its a thrilling experience. The Canyon is a natural wonder ; along with it, the Skywalk stands as a man made wonder.

After that, the bus took us to The Guana point, where you can see a different part of the Canyon; it is another view point. Then back to the Airport and to Las Vegas. What we covered was the West Rim of the Canyon. There is the South Rim of the Canyon too to be explored.

You can stand in the Canyon and keep viewing it and it will never be enough; such is the beauty of it with brilliant colours, its sheer majestic size and the layered patterns. You get a different experience in different point and rides - the boat, helicopter and by walk. It was never enough for me, however we had to catch the flight back to Vegas and so had to leave. The Grand Canyon - beautiful indeed and a must see place!

More pics here