As you already know, I often seek out places that make me go “Holy S…!” (hence the name of the blog Holy Smithereens). But every once in a while, there are those rare places that I never really expect much of, yet ended up giving me the biggest Holy Smithereens moments.
Such as The Grand Canyon.
It was Zombie’s idea to visit the Grand Canyon while we were in Las Vegas. I didn’t think it was a bad idea either , however the thought of the long drive put me off. Even if it’s a half-day tour, I still try to avoid long drives if I can. I’m glad Zombie insisted.
You see, I’d been to Hoover Dam years and years ago. And the only thing I loved about Hoover Dam was that a.) my dad took us there and b.) “Fools Rush In”, one of my feel-good movies, gives Hoover Dam a big role. Other than that, Hoover Dam made me snore.
And so I foolishly thought that The Grand Canyon would be a similar experience. You know, the kind that requires a Long tedious drive , yielding ho-hum results. How very wrong I was!
First off, we encountered this on the road:
And funnily enough, the Grand Canyon Tour we signed up for was a 2-in one. (See 2 places for the price of one!) Hoover Dam is sort of on the way to the Grand Canyon (coming from Las Vegas). So I said Hola! to Hoover Dam once more 🙂
If you remember the movie Fools Rush In, I think this was where Isabelle always went whenever she needed to think things through, and always threw a lucky penny in the dam.
The decrease in the water levels is so obvious. I wonder how long it will take before they will all be the same colour.
Soon we reached the famed Grand Canyon, and Holy Sh**, I kid you not, I jumped off my seat when I opened my eyes. I was dozing in the van (as I always do on long drives) then I saw this:
The Eagle! It’s so majestic and so unreal. Again my imagination worked to think that those wings made of rocks will suddenly disengage and flap, and this giant rock eagle comes flying at you….
And exploring the grounds of The Grand Canyon was just as breath taking:
The Grand Canyon is so vast and huge, we were only able to go to the West Rim. And even then our half day wasn’t enough time to cover all of the West Rim.
Walking along the grounds and seeing just how majestic the entire place is, this was truly one of those moments that I saw with my own eyes that Nature is still the best architect ever.
Can you see the profile? Looks like a lion to me.
I’m afraid that these photos still don’t do any justice to how truly breath-taking this place is in real life. I don’t gush over big cities and skyscrapers. They just make me feel claustrophobic. Open places like the Grand Canyon make you realise how small man really is compared to the wonders of mother nature.
And unlike modern man-made structures and architecture built by professionals who spent years crafting the skill, these natural wonders were formed slowly, naturally and without any effort or goal to look attractive or make money.
These are places that make me go HMMM..hmmm..hmmm. (C + C Music factory, holla!)
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Do you love nature’s architecture too? Or do you appreciate modern structures more?
that’s exactly what i said when i saw your grand canyon!
Your pics do do justice! Do you mind sharing what camera you used? Thank you!
Hi Honor, thank you! 🙂 The camera used for these photos was a Canon Powershot D10. Perfect for travel!
Growing up in a fairly desert-y part of California for a short period of my childhood, I had to learn how to deal with rattlesnake encounters. It’s kind of the same as earthquake drills: you have to practice for them. If they’re slithering along, walk away slowly and don’t look back. If they’re coiled up, don’t move. Oy vey.
Love your photos! The Grand Canyon is awesome! =)
Hi Nicole! What a nice place to grow up in. Oh my, so the rattlesnake we encountered was on attach mode then! Whew 😉
So love your website and thrilled to see your travels took you to our beautiful state of Arizona!! The grand canyon is beautiful indeed!! you did a beautiful job showcasing it! if you make the return to arizona, you should consider Havasupi next time. will be a new reader to your site, thanks!!