Whilst holidaying on the West Coast, there was no way that we could miss out on the opportunity to visit what is generally considered to be the place you have to visit, the Grand Canyon.
Ideally, we would have liked to combine a the possible views by with both a flyover and ground-based trip, but due to our time restrictions we had to choose one of the available options.
In the end, we opted for the coach journey (with Vision Holidays) and so departed the Luxor at around 6am for the five-hour journey to the South Rim.
On route, we drove past some amazing desert scenery before we came upon Lake Mead (man-made as a result of the blockage of the Colorado River) before we arrived at the reason for the blockage ... the Hoover Dam!
This was a very impressive structure that was built in the 1930s and allows cities and farmland to flourish in one og the hottest, driest and most inhospitable places in the world! It is simply massive and took four years to complete!
The engineer in me would certainly have liked to have taken part in one of the tours, but unfortunately being on a tight schedule, we had to keep moving towards the Grand Canyon (though we did have time for a quick photo stop!)
A short time later (after lunch and a quick change of driver!) and we arrived at the Grand Canyon National Park. We were due to see the Canyon at two specific viewpoints, where we were given the opportunity to spend a brief amount of time.
The first glimpse we had of the Grand Canyon was as we walked out from Bright Angel Lodge. No amount of briefing prepared us for the sudden change in landscape as we exited the lodge ... it was simply breathtaking!
It somehow didn't seem real, almost as if someone had painted a two-dimensional picture and fastened it to a wall some distance away from you ... definitely surreal! It was no wonder you were left with this impression as at its widest point, the Canyon was EIGHTY miles wide!
At our second viewpoint, we were given a slightly different aspect where it was possible to see the Colorado River, the main reason for the Canyon's existence.
We had plenty of opportunity to take loads of pictures and even Jame and Oscar got in on the act!
After what seemed like a disappointingly short period of time, it was necessary for us to start the long trip back to Las Vegas (where even more unfortunately we would need to depart for Heathrow the following morning!)
All in all, the trip was one of the most amazing we have ever experienced. The stunning beauty and scale of the place really brings nature's power it home to you and definitely leaves a mark!
Hopefully, next time we visit, we may have more time to explore, but it is without doubt an experience we will never forget!
