Grand

Grand Canyon, Arizona---Drifting along the Colorado river looking at the rock indentations on the side of the canyon that the guide was pointing out felt a lot like finding figures in the clouds as a kid. “Don’t you see it? It’s a coyote howling at the moon. It's at 11 o-clock. See the nose is pointed up.”

“Oh, now I see it.”

It had been a long day and we were barely half done with the 13 hour excursion called “The Canyon River Adventure” that I had spent 2 days debating over doing. Since I am traveling alone, on a strict budget and only have one full 24 hour period at the Grand Canyon, I really wanted to do as much as possible. I knew that driving around to different points was not going to cut it. So I decided that IF they still had room on this one tour on the one day that I would be there I would go. They did.

And after the very first leg of the trip; a 160 mile flight over and around the canyon, I knew I had made the right decision.

The day started by meeting a driver in the lobby of a canyon lodge. There he drove us to the Grand Canyon airport. There were nine of us, and as it turned out two couples were from Australia one from Texas and the other couple from North Carolina…and me. 

One nice benefit of traveling alone is you are forced to talk to other people and not default conversations with a travel partner. The group made great companions for the full day of adventure. The other benefit, as it turned out, was that as a single, I got the co-pilot seat on the twin engine airplane, something I have ALWAYS wanted to do.

Getting to the Grand Canyon on this Coast to Coast adventure was my first big mile marker. Since I had not seen it before, it was one of the things that I visualized prior to leaving: to just sit on the side and look out at it.  I will admit, Jo from the Ghost Town of Jerome, Az was right about right about it when she said it’s so vast that it is hard to get your mind around it.

But as the plane flew over the forest surrounding it, got to the edge and swooped down into it with a perfectly timed slight dive, I felt a part of it. Following the river below the pilot pointed out various aspects and highlights along the way. The flight was incredibly smooth. The pilot; funny yet had a commanding presence that made you feel safe. Our destination; the dam that holds the water back from Lake Powell. Since we had a tail wind, we got the bonus of some extra time over the lake itself then landing in Page, Arizona.

At this airport we were met by a Native American guide. She would drive our open air 4-wheel drive vehicle through land owned by the Navajo Nation to Antelope Slot Canyon and then guide us through it.  Only being there can truly explain the beauty. The narrow passage is a quarter mile and the layered tones of red along the hard sandy rock sides. The texture feels like the finest sand paper available. The winding path has cuts, curves and shapes naturally made in the sides, as well as rock formations that were all exaggerated by the shadows cast by the sun shining down from the top.

From there, she drove us to a pick up point where we loaded a bus to be driven to the base of the Glen Canyon Dam. This is the only way anyone can actually drive under the dam through the tunnel. Due to this, our bags were searched prior to boarding. And the very cute driver did not think my question if a power drill would be allowed or if how is tax return looked was as funny as I did. Note: I had announced to the group that I was not gay but single and still taking applications so the tax return question was an inside joke among our small group, again although he kind of fake chuckled, he didn’t think I was that funny.

We popped out the other side of the dam where we clamored down a metal series of step to the edge of the Colorado River.  I had been told that the top of the Canyon would be cool but at the bottom would be hot so everyone had layered. But the temperatures at the top had been a warm 85 degrees meaning the bottom was summer hot. Thank goodness I had worn some cotton khakis that I picked up in South Africa for just this type of thing.

When you hear about rafting trips down the Grand Canyon most people think white water. There is plenty of that but when you go as far up as the dam, you have a float trip. Which, although I have loved the whitewater experiences I’ve had in Alaska, Arkansas, and Minnesota, relaxing surrounded by the canyon a top a comfortable raft for about 4-1/2 hours was almost hypnotic. Along the way we saw animal life but most of alla vision I will never forgot: wild horses running along the river’s edge.  

Wild Horses Running

Look VERY closely, the tiny sticks at the top edge are people at the top looking down on us.

The water under us was 47 degrees. All parts of the Colorado River in the Canyon are 47 degrees. We had two stops along the way. One to take a short hike and look at Petroglyphs, which are defined as images scratched, etched, or pecked into a rock surface.  At this stop several of us stood barefooted ankle deep in the water. It was so cold that I could only stand it for a short time. But at the next stop with more time in the heat diving in was more tempting. Lead by those crazy Aussies, five of us eventually dove in. It was amazingly refreshing but you did not linger in the water! You were rushing back to shore as soon as you surfaced. Fully clothed, it did not take long for our cloths to dry.

The “smooth-water”rafting ended at Lee’s Ferry, which is actually the launching point for multi-day whitewater trips. After this, we boarded a luxury bus for the 145-mile return trip to the Grand Canyon South Rim with one stop in Cameron at a trading company full of Indian art and a ton of tourist souvenirs. I bought some pepper beef jerky that was so terrible I had to throw it out. I had been spoiled by some Ostrich and Beef low fat jerky that my Austin friend had introduced me to on this trip.
The long ride home gave us yet another perspective of this national treasure.  It is no surprise why the Grand Canyon is one of THE seven natural wonders of the world.  And even though it was an action packed day with multiple experiences and views of the Canyon, I still can’t help feeling like I have barely scratched the surface.