My Visual Travel Experience: Grand Canyon

I have visited Grand Canyon twice, once on a solo trip in 2005, and once with my wife in 2011 soon after our marriage. Both times, I went from San Francisco. I had to fly from San Francisco to Phoenix to Flag Staff, and then go by road to Grand Canyon. The first time I saw Grand Canyon, I was part of a tour group, and our guide made it a dramatic experience. He got us to shut our eyes and walk close to the edge. He then got us to open our eyes, and I remember saying "Wow" because the view was nothing short of spectacular. On our 2011 trip, our flight from Flag Staff to Phoenix got cancelled. In order to catch our connecting flight from Phoenix to San Francisco, we rented a car and I drove down to Phoenix and made it well in time to catch our flight. We even had time to visit the Arizona State Capitol Museum before heading to the airport! On our second visit, there was a bit of mist in the air, and that took away from the surreal experience.

Grand Canyon lies in the state of Arizona, in the western part of the USA. The canyon was carved out by the Colorado River. It is 446 km long, 29 km wide and has a depth of over 1.8 km. The canyon’s south rim is usually open all year long, and the north rim is open through the summer months. The Colorado River cut its way through the area 5 to 6 million years ago, though some estimates say it could be far earlier. Since then, it has been deepening and widening the canyon. The canyon has been inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years, probably since about 1200 BC, and the first Europeans to visit it were the Spanish in 1540. Grand Canyon was established as the 17th US National Park in 1919.

Grand Canyon has numerous memorable formations, and they have been given names for identification. These formations include Zoroaster Temple, Shiva Temple, Isis Temple and Brahma Temple. There are lookout points like Yaki Point and Mather Point from where one can enjoy seeing these splendid formations.

Zoroaster Temple seen from Yaki Point

Shiva Temple, Isis Temple, Buddha Temple, Brahma Temple
and Zoroaster Temple seen from Yaki Point

Isis Temple seen from Yaki Point

Lookout Studio dates back to 1914 and was a creation of Mary Colter. One can buy things like books, souvenirs, and rock and fossil samples.

Lookout Studio

Geology Museum at Yavapai Point has views of the canyon, three dimensional models and a relief map. The original structure came up in 1928 as an observation station. It became a museum in 2007.

Geology Museum

El Tovar Hotel was built in 1905. It lies along the south rim, and is one of the most luxurious hotels there. It has four storeys, and also contains a restaurant and a gift shop.

El Tovar Hotel

El Tovar Hotel seen from Lookout Point

Mather Point is named after Stephen Mather, who was the first director of the National Park Service when it was established in 1917.

View from Mather Point

Bas Relief of Stephen Mather at Mather Point

Grand Canyon has a lot of wildlife, including mule deer, elk, bears, rodents, many types of reptiles, birds and bats.

Deer at Grand Canyon

If one is anywhere near the west coast of the USA, the Grand Canyon should not be missed. The views are nothing short of spectacular and some of the formations are absolutely stunning! 

Phoenix is the largest city and capital of the state of Arizona, and has close to 1.6 million inhabitants. Phoenix lies about 400 kn south of Grand Canyon. The city's history goes back to 1867, when it developed as an agricultural community near the Salt and Gila rivers. It was incorporated as a city in 1881, and in 1889, it became the capital of Arizona. It lies at the northern end of the Sonoran Desert. 

Arizona State Capitol Museum is one of Phoenix's most interesting places to visit. The Arizona State Capitol was completed in 1901. Additions were made to it in 1918 and 1938. It served as the capitol till 1960, when the current house was built. The Arizona State Capitol Museum was inaugurated in 1978. It showcases the history and culture of Arizona.

Arizona State Capitol Museum

Old Senate House Gallery,
Arizona State Capitol Museum

Sculpture of a Cattle Rancher,
Arizona State Capitol Museum

Painting of Irrigation,
Arizona State Capitol Museum

Governor George W P Hunt's Office,
Arizona State Capitol Museum

We didn't have time to explore much of Phoenix. We just had a couple of hours there before heading to the airport. The Arizona State Capitol Museum is the only site we managed to see, but it was a good introduction to the state, its history and its culture.