Friday, October 25, 2013

Seventeen million years

Wifey: “How come you have written so many blogs about our trip but no mention about the Grand Canyon?”
Me: “Well I am coming to that. Actually there are so many photographs of the Canyon that I am still sorting them”
Wifey: “So you will post my pictures too? I mean the pictures that I clicked?” 
Me: “Why not. If they are good it will definitely find a place”


Wifey:“They are good, there is no doubt about it, after all, I clicked them with my I-pad. You should see how beautiful they looked on the screen. Put up the one I clicked of you when you were fiddling with the camera. When you post them, make sure you put the water mark with my name in a nice and decent way at a corner, and not sprawled all over the picture”

Wifey “I know you liked that one with the setting sun hitting the side of the cliff “



Me “Wasn’t it a good idea that we covered the sunset too the previous day. I remember the first glimpse we had of the Canyon”


Wifey “oh that was just something out of the world, just unbelievable”

The drive from the Hoover dam to the Grand Canyon was a long one and it was just like how I had seen in the movies.  A straight road with arid desert on both sides.

The A/C in the car kept us cool and did not give any inkling as to what the temperature was outside.


As we neared the Canyon the surroundings got more and more green.


I could see some tourists pulling up to get some good close up pictures of the elk that they spotted.


Our aim was to check in to a hotel close to the Grand Canyon so that the next morning we could be at the Canyon to catch the sunrise.
As we reached the vicinity well in advance, we thought why not see the sunset too. Were we glad that we did that.


The lady at the counter was efficient and fast in dispensing the tickets.


The first view of the Canyon:


It is really awesome when you see this wonderful creation of nature for the first time.

What we saw was a minuscule part of it considering the fact that it is 277 mile long, 18 miles wide, with a depth of one mile.
The Colorado river started flowing through this about 17 million years ago where it continued to erode the rocks and form the canyon to its present day configuration.
We went on a clicking spree and just could not stop.



Some just sat at the edge of the cliff taking in the magnificent view.


Was wondering how the rock got eaten up like this:


As the sun went down it become more and more colourful:






These pictures of the sky painted by the setting sun is directly from the camera with no photoshop enhancement (except cropping and watermark)


Some of the tourists came well prepared with tripods and high end cameras.

Finally we headed back to the Lodge (Red Feather Lodge) to spend the night.

Dinner at the Hotel next to our Lodge was a tame affair but I was impressed by the colourful ambiance.




This was at Plaza Bonita Hotel (next to our Lodge)

The next day we went to a different location to catch the sunrise.


Unfortunately the clouds were playing spoiled sport. We waited for a long time to have a glimpse of the sun on that horizon.



The disappointed look on the tourists’ face. You can see that some were sleeping right there the previous night.



While we waited for the sun, I clicked this, showing the variations of rock at different levels (with different colours)



Finally the sun made its presence felt (even though it was for a short time)



Somehow we did not enjoy the sunrise as much as the sun set.
Managed to get some pics later as the sun progressed on its way up:



A dash of welcome green with the sun reflecting off the leaves:


There were many tourists. Some hired those vehicles which were so designed that you had maximum visibility


Some came solo on motorbikes with sleeping mats



The only elk picture that I could get (I am assuming they are elks)


There are buses that run as shuttles from point to point (they run on batteries)

As the sun moved up we clicked more pics 

Some silhouettes : 



Some with backlight:



We did a small trek along the rim (Rim trail of 8.2 kms)




There were some colourful birds around. I could hear them chirping but it was difficult to locate them in the thicket:

At one point we located the flowing river:



I never knew about the blink of a geological eye till I read this:


A moment of rest before we moved on:

There is this problem of people throwing coins into the canyon. I did not see anyone doing it but this board says so.



The ancient inhabitants had a special reverence for this place.


On the way back, I managed to capture the driver and his rear view mirror – or so I thought.





39 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lovely pictures of the Canyon.
Finally you managed to capture yourself in the mirror :-)
-- Charles

Ana Mínguez Corella said...

What a beautiful place.. Great pictures and thanks for comment. Regards from Spain..

Anonymous said...

first of all, Marie I liked your photos...I know you took quite a few good ones. Joe,thanks for the info and great clicks..Cindy

Pallavi said...

Such beautiful pictures of the canyon Joe ! Loved the conversation between you and your wife :)

Indrani said...

My dream destination!
Thank you so much for the wonderful pics.

TexWisGirl said...

'wifey' did great with her pics - so did you. :) the grand canyon definitely is a true marvel to see. :)

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

You both got some great pictures. The Grand Canyon has to be seen to be believed, doesn't it? The shots in the various lighting conditions help to give a good overview of it. And I loved the "driver" shots.

fmcgmccllc said...

Love this post, the pictures are really nice but the "voice" and the story make it a treasure. So glad to find your Blog.

Stewart M said...

What a great place - my wife has been there, but not me. Time to plan yet another trip!

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

Unknown said...

Nice idea for the post. It looks like you really had a fun time.

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

Great pictures. We went some years ago and camped at the national park on the north rim.

Margie said...

I came over from Gypsy Butterfly's (Lydia) blog
Wonderful shots of one of my most favorite places.
I think I've been to the Grand Canyon at least 6 times now, so beautiful there.

Anonymous said...

Amazing pictures and good information...

Akelamalu said...

One's first glimpse of the Grand Canyon is a truly unforgettable moment isn't it? You got some great shots there.

Thanks for visiting my blog and taking the time to comment.

Optimistic Existentialist said...

Some amazing and breathtaking photos here. Wow. I must visit this place someday...

Kat said...

Wow! Those are some amazing photos! Well done! It definitely makes me want to take a trip to the Grand Canyon. I have never been! Shame on me. I bet my kids would love it too.
Thanks for sharing!!!

Busy Bee Suz said...

Magnificient!!!! One of the most beautifuul places on earth....I can't wait to take my kids there one day. Of course, I'll be far away from those cliffy edges!!!!

George said...

Thank you for sharing these beautiful photos of one of the most magnificent places on earth. We spent three days at the canyon, and could easily have spent even more.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

What a neat trip...you both got great pictures. It's really an amazing place isn't it!

Linda said...

Great trip, lovely photos.

eye in the sky said...

Funny conversation, and adorable photos. Takes us to the place like we're doing the trip. :)

Sharon Wagner said...

You really captured a lot of different perspectives. It is on my bucket list. Wow.

Paola Lauretano said...

Wow.... amazing pics and great trip!!!!
Kisses from Italy!

Catalina said...

Joe, fantastic potos! Thank you for the wonderful journey because of them. Best wishes, Catalina

Red Handed said...

MY GOODNESS!! You took me for a trip through this!!!

Unknown said...

Thanks for visiting my blog. I enjoyed visiting yours. I like the dialogs, I'll be coming back.

deeps said...

mmmm
behind every beautiful post theres a woman :)

Meera Rao said...

Thanks for a great visual tour -- brought back memories of my trip a few years ago -- The Grand Canyon is supremely awe-inspiring - feel one with the universe especially at quiet sunrise and sunset !

Reshma said...

Loved the way you took us on the trip with your words and clicks Haddock.
Nature is a wonderful artist.

Jeena R. Papaadi said...

Nice pictures and thanks for sharing the story as well.

troutbirder said...

What a great post. Some wonderful photos. One thing I'd be scared to do would be to stand so close to the edge! :)

Empress Bee (of the high sea) said...

it's amazing for sure. i had a lovely trip there with my husband before he passed away.

smiles, bee

damian said...

For such views have to pay, do not have thought about it :)

Greetings from Poland

Indrani said...

Lovely post with lot of pics, it took me time just to see them. :)

Rachel said...

My husband is always saying he wants to visit there someday!

Anonymous said...

Brilliant Post!! lovely photos as well!!

Jui
http://aaravshearingjourney.blogspot.in/
http://morecrazyexperiences.blogspot.com/

padmaja said...

Loved the way you started this post with interesting conversations :-)
Each picture looks so beautiful, some of them with abstractness that is hidden in the nature for us to explore. I went back to my memories of visiting this wonderful place, thak you for that!

ElenaTerenzi said...

Che belli questi luoghi! prima o poi dovrò visitarli!

Unknown said...

Lovely pictures! Looks like it was a great trip :)