(Grand Canyon State Park, AZ) - One of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Grand Canyon did not disappoint this weary traveler. 4 excruciating hours on a cramped flight to Las Vegas, a 4 hour bus ride to the South Rim of the canyon, cold and snow were still not enough to dampen the magnificent views I was able to take in once I finally reached the canyon. I had no illusions that the photographs of the canyon I had previously viewed would actually do the canyon justice, but now after seeing my own photos the point is really driven home. You must visit to the canyon to experience the canyon!
Before booking my trip, I did plenty of research on the internet and decided the South Rim was the only way to go, even though the trip was twice as long from Vegas as going to the West Rim. You can do your own research and make a decision but everything I read led me to believe the South Rim had the views that would make my trip worthwhile. There are many ways to reach and tour the canyon including by car, by bus and air. I, however, chose a combination of bus and Jeep. I booked a $79 bus trip through CanyonTours.com from Las Vegas to the South Rim and switched to a Pink Jeep Tour to actually see the canyon. Turned out to be a great idea! Not only was my guide, Lucy, knowledgeable, friendly and funny, she took us to all the right view points at all the right times.
This particular day only managed to get near 40 degrees and there was still plenty of snow on the ground from a previous storm. The roads were closing and the tour was in jeopardy of being canceled. Luckily, the temperature rose just enough for all the snow to melt, but still stayed cool enough for a bit of challenging site-seeing adventure. Unfortunately, I was not prepared clothing-wise for the temperature and wind. I really didn't take into account the distance from Vegas and the increased elevation. I took it for granted it would be warm and didn't even bother to check the weather. I was obviously not alone in making this mistake judging by the many visitors in shorts and shorts sleeves who undoubtedly froze their butts off.
Because of the chill, cloud formations rolled in out of the canyon throughout the afternoon, but Lucy kept us a good schedule that kept up with the clear views. Apparently, the people who stayed on the bus for their tour didn't get any good views at all. I'm sure they were all extremely disappointed after committing 14 hours of their day to the trip and seeing nothing but clouds. Our tour on the other hand was filled with mostly clear views of the canyon and Colorado River combined with walks around many of the canyon's viewing points that included an interesting narration by our guide of the many areas of interest and the history of the canyon.
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| Very Nice Couple From New Jersey Who Also Rode In The Jeep |
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| LUCY |
To say the Grand Canyon is definitely a must-see, is an understatement and next time I will make it a must-do by hiking, boating and maybe flying through the canyon. The size of the canyon and range of activities really makes the possibilities endless of all the things you can see and do while visiting. Start planning now!
~ safe travels ~
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