Bad Dam Puns.
The four of us awoke fresh and chipper this morning in Las Vegas, definitely not hungover. Definitely not. We had to check-out of the MGM Grand by 11am, so that's when we finally got out the door. We stopped at a Dunkin' Donuts, and then got on our way out. Once we had put the Strip behind us and some coffee in us, everyone started feeling much better.
It was an hour from Vegas to the Hoover Dam, right on the border of Nevada and Arizona. I understand that it's a great engineering feat for our country and mankind, but it's really not much of a sight to see. We were in and out of there in 15, 20 minutes top.
We drove another 3 hours from there into the Grand Canyon. Our first stop was the view from the rim next to the visitor center. To be honest, I wasn't entirely impressed at first. The whole canyon almost looks fake, and it's impossible to put that kind of size into perspective.
The canyon became far more breathtaking once we began to descend. After filling up on water, we took a shuttle down the rim a few miles to the Bright Angel trailhead. It was around 6pm at this point, and the Sun was moving behind the rim behind us. This put the whole trail in the shade, a blessing for us.
We hiked down the switchbacks for about half an hour or so, until we got to the 1 1/2 mile break station. We had considered going down to the 3 mile station, but a Ranger advised against it since it would be getting dark soon. The steeps on the trails were incredible, and the view of the canyon as the sun set was spectacular. When we first arrived, the position of the Sun made it tough to see the details of the formations in the canyon. It was also easier to get a handle on the sheer scale and size of everything once we were down inside it.
We got back to the car after dark. We had considered camping in the Grand Canyon tonight and doing a long hike to the Colorado River tomorrow, but the campgrounds were all sold out, it's going to be boiling hot tomorrow, etc. Instead, we're starting our second overnight drive from the Grand Canyon to Irving, TX. 1,100 miles, an estimated 17 hours. We hope to arrive at my friend Jonas' house around 4:00 tomorrow for a steak dinner (!) before a Texas Rangers game in Arlington. Roy Oswalt vs the Detroit Tigers.
It was an hour from Vegas to the Hoover Dam, right on the border of Nevada and Arizona. I understand that it's a great engineering feat for our country and mankind, but it's really not much of a sight to see. We were in and out of there in 15, 20 minutes top.
We drove another 3 hours from there into the Grand Canyon. Our first stop was the view from the rim next to the visitor center. To be honest, I wasn't entirely impressed at first. The whole canyon almost looks fake, and it's impossible to put that kind of size into perspective.
The canyon became far more breathtaking once we began to descend. After filling up on water, we took a shuttle down the rim a few miles to the Bright Angel trailhead. It was around 6pm at this point, and the Sun was moving behind the rim behind us. This put the whole trail in the shade, a blessing for us.
We hiked down the switchbacks for about half an hour or so, until we got to the 1 1/2 mile break station. We had considered going down to the 3 mile station, but a Ranger advised against it since it would be getting dark soon. The steeps on the trails were incredible, and the view of the canyon as the sun set was spectacular. When we first arrived, the position of the Sun made it tough to see the details of the formations in the canyon. It was also easier to get a handle on the sheer scale and size of everything once we were down inside it.
We got back to the car after dark. We had considered camping in the Grand Canyon tonight and doing a long hike to the Colorado River tomorrow, but the campgrounds were all sold out, it's going to be boiling hot tomorrow, etc. Instead, we're starting our second overnight drive from the Grand Canyon to Irving, TX. 1,100 miles, an estimated 17 hours. We hope to arrive at my friend Jonas' house around 4:00 tomorrow for a steak dinner (!) before a Texas Rangers game in Arlington. Roy Oswalt vs the Detroit Tigers.
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