When you go to Las Vegas, some things you just have to do come to mind; a visit to Caesar’s Palace to place a bet in the casino, a trip up the Eiffel Tower, and of course, a visit to a show are all things that are almost expected of you when you visit Sin City. One thing that often slips people’s mind is a visit to the Grand Canyon, one of the natural wonders of the world. Famed for its deep, enormous and stunning ravines, the Grand Canyon offers views like nowhere else on the face of the planet, and Jack and I were determined to experience this for ourselves when we were in the U.S.A last year. The first step was to find the best tour for our money, and we came across a tour company called Grand Adventures, which specialised in taking tourists to the West Rim to view the gorgeous sunset, as well as stopping off at some of America’s most iconic destinations such as the Hoover Dam, Seligman on Route 66 and McDonalds. At the cost of $149.00 each, the tour was too good to miss, and on our last day in Vegas we set off on an adventure…
***
06:00 on a Thursday morning in Las Vegas. Whilst the rest of the city were either asleep, nursing a hangover or still partying, we were up and stood waiting outside of our hotel. A few minutes later, we were greeted by a van sporting the name of our tour company, and driven by Louis, our friendly Peruvian tour guide. We received a warm welcome, and a small tour of the Las Vegas strip as we went to pick up the rest of the group. When all ten of us were collected, we left the city and headed into the infamous surrounding desert. Along the way, Louis shared stories with us about Las Vegas and the surrounding area, including lots of facts that were known only to locals. Our first stop along the way was a complimentary McDonalds breakfast. At home, we rarely visit this well-known establishment for breakfast, and on such rare occasion that we do, we never deviate from our classic order; a sausage and egg McMuffin… However, the vast array of different types of McMuffin available in America was breath-taking. Jack and I decided that it would only be right to order different ones each, and then sample the lot. After a very filling breakfast and an super sized ice-coffee to go, we hit the road again, only this time towards the Hoover Dam.
We approached the famous landmark down a smaller road than what was expected, and before we knew it, we were crossing the dam itself and parking up in a small car-park just on the edge of the river. Once we were out of the car, we had a little explore and took in the views and our surroundings. Louis again was great at telling us key information about the place, and pointing out things that we may not have noticed. After a quarter of an hour had passed, we got back into the minibus and headed East towards the Grand Canyon. The scenery was typically wild-western, with a never-ending sea of sand and rock in some places.
After a long drive of a good few hours, we entered the sleepy town of Seligman. The town was actually the inspiration behind the Pixar film ‘Cars’, and the one road that goes through the town is decorated by old 1960’s vehicles that have been altered slightly and given a personality. As well as the cool cars, there was a little diner where were able to grab a tasty ice-cream, and also a souvenir shop filled with plenty of different memorabilia. We couldn’t resist a souvenir and so we bought ourselves a Route 66 magnet, which now sits in the centre of our fridge at home!
After our pit-stop, we then hit the road again and drove towards the Grand Canyon. After an hour or so, we eventually reached the gates of the national park, and were given little leaflets which spoke about the local history and wildlife. After driving through some dense woodland, we finally reached a carpark, and stepped out of the van to view what we had been waiting for.
The first view was certainly one of the most exhilarating things I’ve ever seen in my life. The rocky cliffs that made up the Grand Canyon, with all the vivid colours and shadows, looked more like a mirage than a real place. Indeed, it was hard to comprehend the sheer size of it, and we just stood there, mouth wide-open. The joy of travelling is that there are moments that you will never forget, and will carry for the rest of your life, and that first view of the Grand Canyon will forever be one for me. I remember thinking that the day couldn’t get any better; I was wrong. We spent a good half an hour walking along the ridge, taking in all the scenery that surrounded us, and of course, taking some killer photos for the gram. We then regrouped, and tucked into our complimentary mid-afternoon lunch, which consisted of an exceptionally tasty sandwich, cheeses, fruits and crisps (chips if you’re American and reading this!).
After a great lunch, we set off on a two-mile hike down to where we would watch the sunset. The path was called the ‘time trail’, and shows visitors how far into the past you are as you move East along the canyon. Along the way, Louis stopped us to show where we could take the best photos. However, being afraid of heights, I was a bit nervous about getting too close to the edge. I am pleased to say that both Jack and I overcame our fear, which resulted in one my favourite photos of all time! A little further along the path, we saw some of the local wildlife when two small deer walked across the path directly in front of us, as well as spotting small eagles soaring overhead. Louis said that it was too early in the year to see an elusive condor, which was disappointing, but is a reason to go back!
At around 19:30, we reached the point where we would watch the vermillion sun set. We took our seats and watched as the shadows took over in the Grand Canyon, erasing the vivid colours that we had seen earlier, and giving way to new shades that gave the landscape a new life. The temperature began to fall quite quickly, and once the sun had set behind a large cliff in the distance, we were almost pleased to be back in the warmth of the minibus. We now had to endure a four-hour journey back to Las Vegas, and we contemplated how on Earth Louis did this several times a week! Within half an hour, the journey and day caught up with us and we began to blissfully fall asleep. A few hours later we awoke just outside of Vegas to re-fuel. Grabbing some peanut-buttercups and a Subway, we began the drive back into the city. It was nearly midnight by the time we got back to the hotel. We said our farewell to everybody, and in not-so-true Vegas style, we went to sleep whilst the city was enjoying the night.
***
Our time with Louis and Grand Adventures was certainly an enjoyable one, and we loved the experience that they gave us. As I have said, I will treasure those memories for as long as I live, and I am so grateful that I was able to see what I saw. Although the day is exceptionally long, Louis made it not seem that way, and with fun extras such as McDonald’s and seeing other landmarks, I would not hesitate in recommending them to you!
Until next time, Love V x
