After the glitz and glam of Los Angeles Rich and I only had two more destinations on our American adventure before our flight back home, seeing the grandure of the Grand Canyon and the craziness of Las Vegas!
As we were flying home from Las Vegas we decided to head over to the south rim of the Grand Canyon first, a mere seven hour drive from our hostel in Hollywood, covering over four hundred and seventy miles and passing Las Vegas.
We did have the option to visit the west rim of the Grand Canyon but after lots of research we felt that the south rim was more for us. Although the sky walk at the west rim sounded fun, the best views are said to be found at the south rim so that was where we were headed.
“We can only say that from Grandview Point the view out over the canyon was breathtaking, truly spectacular and certainly a sight to behold.”
Our drive out to Flagstaff was long, very very long and we didn’t see a lot apart from dusty hills, road signs, traffic and road side stores. The sun was shining for us though as we took it in turns at the wheel and as the miles ticked over one by one we knew we were getting ever closer to our destination.
With such a long drive during the day we were shattered by the time we reached the Grand Canyon International Hostel and so we didn’t see a lot of Flagstaff at all before we headed to bed for the night!
The next morning we excitedly headed off to the Grand Canyon National Park Visitor Centre to get a map and find out the best route to take in the sights.
With the best views of the canyon being visible from the south rim, it was a very busy place. As we pulled into the huge car park at the visitor centre and struggled to find a space ourselves, we knew that despite the grey clouds overhead, the prospect of a little bit of rain wasn’t putting anyone off.
Armed with a trusty map and the recommendation to head east along Desert View Drive, we set off.
We can only say that from Grandview Point the view out over the canyon was breathtaking, truly spectacular and certainly a sight to behold. I was prepared for the huge rock formations, jagged peaks and deep valleys but what I didn’t expect was the vivd colours in the rock.
“I even plucked up the courage to venture towards the edge for a photo, as I turned round with my back to the canyon I could feel my legs wobble though.”
As we looked across the canyon we saw clear stripes of red and orange rock layered within the brown sandy colours. Even miles away, in the low light of our cloudy day we could see the vibrant rock colours shining through.
Looking out over the canyon it was very hard to comprehend the scale of it, that was until someone stood in front of you to put it into perspective. It’s fair to say that I was petrified of going anywhere near the edge of the lookout. Rich on the other hand seemed to have no fear and happily strode over to the edge for a photo!
I held my breath on his behalf as I quickly took a photo of him and then coaxed him to move away from the edge and come back to where I was standing. It’s not that I don’t trust myself or Rich to be sensible near a cliff edge but accidents happen to even the safest of people and I really did want to spend a very long and happy life with my husband!
From Grandview Point we continued along Desert View Drive to Moran Point. I even plucked up the courage to venture towards the edge for a photo. As I turned round with my back to the canyon I could feel my legs wobble though so I didn’t stay there long, just in case an accident happened and I ended up down at the bottom of the canyon!
“The Grand Canyon National Park is massive and we could have spent days hiking down into the canyon and camping in it’s wilderness.”
The views at Moran Point were also fantastic, looking out over the canyon for miles and miles we were reminded about how insignificant we were in the grand scheme of the rest of the world!
The Grand Canyon National Park is massive and we could have spent days hiking down into the canyon and camping in it’s wilderness but our round the world trip was coming to a close and so we headed on to our final destination with the realisation that our dream trip would very soon be over.
Lambs on the loose 