The Grand Canyon Is So Big It Made My Eyes Water

[Grand Canyon Tours]

kerr- rak! the lightning lit up the sky and the flash bounced off the walls of the canyon reflecting the different colours. in an instance there was white, grey, green and red - and then it was all over. the display probably only lasted a few seconds but it was one of those magic moments when nature exerts her power and was something i know i'll never forget. i was at the grand canyon, arizona, usa.

arizona is a full of nature's miracles. there's a lovely story about when god created the earth. he had a group of helpers who travelled the globe handing out different landforms which they carried in their aprons. one by one they distributed mountains, valleys, streams, lakes, canyons and rivers across the globe. though the helpers worked as fast as they could time ran out at midnight on the sixth day. so they stood up and shook all of the landforms they had left into one area. today that area is known as arizona.

i fell in love with arizona, it's mountains, sunny valleys, rushing white rivers, quiet lakes, forests and, of course, the grand canyon.

the grand canyon is something special and it's so big. no disappointment here for a change! big isn't actually right, it's enormous. i thought, before i got there, that it would be a bigger version of something like cheddar gorge. silly me! just imagine this: in places it is one mile deep and varies in width from four to eighteen miles and it's length is almost beyond belief. the combined gorges and canyons stretch for three hundred miles. it brought tears to my eyes when i saw it all for the first time, it was almost beyond comprehension. as i looked over the edge the colorado river made her way through the canyon proudly admiring her handiwork as she flowed towards the sea. she's certainly done a magnificant job.

the sides of the canyon and the hills beyond come alive in the sunshine, the multi-level rock strata are full of differing colours dominated by the reddish coloured iron deposits. It's beautiful to see, nothing like I had imagined.

Some 110 miles of the Canyon is within the National Park. There is an entrance fee of $20 per car but some of the best views are to be seen here. The only problem is that you aren't alone, many other people want to take a look as well, which can be a bit of a nuisance! But in saying that it's well organised and, once inside, there are free buses taking you to different segments of the Canyon. When the lightning struck my friend, Sue, and I were quite alone, other than for a couple of chipmunks. The weather soon changed and bright sunshine followed.

At the Canyon you can just admire it as we did on foot, scrambling over rocks, and simply wondering at nature. Or you can ride the Grand Canyon Railway or fly over in a helicopter or light plane. Unfortunately our funds were somewhat limited but we were just happy being there.

Arizona is American Indian country. There are fourteen tribes represented here with nineteen reservations. It is stressed everywhere you visit about how much land the Indians have. But, from what I saw, a lot of it looked dry and dusty and of not much use. I'm not saying I'm right, just how it appeared to me. I found it sad to see Native Americans selling their bits and pieces by the edge of a dusty road. In the north east of the state it's possible to visit the reservations of the largest tribe, the Navajos, and the oldest tribe, the Hopis. The Hopis make lovely traditional blue corn piki bread, try it if you get there.

This is very much the Old West with old mining towns with typical saloons and gambling halls. Names from the past can be seen, such as Tombstone's famed OK Corral, Boothill Cemetry and underground mines. Cowboy films come alive here. The pioneer spirit lives on and you can trace the footsteps of settlers, cowhands and prospectors. It's a place for 'real' men, well so I was told! Under the watchful eye of the mountains they go shooting, hunting and fishing and perform their tricks at rodeos. The guys looked OK (big of course!) but, as I don't really like all that macho killing, it left me a bit cold.

Arizona is a mixture of sights, with so much to see. There's the Hoover Dam that seperates the State from Nevada and is also a time change zone. Again the word big comes to mind. It's over 720 feet high and when built in 1936 created the biggest (again) man made lake (Lake Mead).

The Petrified Forest National Park has, erm, a Petrified Forest and other fossil deposits. This is wood that has turned to stone but the original shape and structure can still be seen. Interesting? Very. You can visit Fort Apache and also London Bridge! Yes, this is the original London Bridge, purchased by the Americans, and reconstructed at Lake Havasu City.

The major towns in Arizona are Phoenix and Tucson. Phoenix is the capital, all mod with skyscrapers and is a popular winter resort because of its dry climate. It is now a centre for information technology and the manufacture of computers. One hundred years ago it was a mud hut and dirt road village. Tucson was founded back in 1775 by the Spanish and was originally built to withstand Apache attacks. Today it's all high rise buildings, haute cuisine and well worn jeans. The cowboy is always there in the background.

The historic Route 66 disects Arizona and passes through Flagstaff which is a popular stop off for visitors to the Grand Canyon. The town was named because a group of army scouts raised an American flag on a tall pine tree back in 1876. So there you go!

To me though Arizona is the Grand Canyon State, it's what will be imprinted on my mind for all time. Oh yes, and the American Indians. It's full of wonder. The original settlers were the Hohokam. They were farmers who grew cotton, beans and corn in the Verde Valley way back in 600 AD. A little later came the Sinagua, who inhabited the foothills, and have left behind their five story dwelling built into a cliff one hundred feet above the valley floor. This is known as Montezuma Castle and is another 'must' visit. And then there is ...

Well there's much more, this is just a taster. If you are passing pop into Arizona and visit where God's helpers left all of those landforms. You won't be disappointed. I loved it, everything was so, well big ...

Paradise Found Tours maintains a website for The Grand Canyon at http://www.paradisefoundtours.com. The site provides information for Grand Canyon tours, special news, fees and other pertinent information.

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