Arizona - Grand Canyon & Horseshoe Bend
After three hours of travel, we finally arrived at the entrance to the Grand Canyon. It was late afternoon and the sun had almost completely set. We got out of the car and were immediately overwhelmed by a gust of cold air. Even with our heavy coats, scarves, hats, and gloves, nothing could protect us from the cold.
We managed to reach one of the points from which to admire the landscape. Step by step and beyond the protective railing, the overhang appeared on the void before us. Our eyes was lost in the valley with no end in sight. The opposite side of the Canyon was barely visible, and the light was beginning to get low.
We tried to take some pictures but the conditions were not the best, to say the least. Every time I looked at the shots on the display of the camera I realize that it was impossible to make out of the vastness of the landscape in a simple photo - even more so if the light has gone and everything seems flat and without dimension.
We were about to leave disconsolate - we had to be in Las Vegas the same evening and we still had a long way to go.
But being in front of one of the most majestic wonders of nature in the world, and leaving without seeing it properly, would be a real shame. We realized that our ticket was valid for two days, and as luck would have it, we were able to find a room for the night in Flagstaff, the only town near around. Without thinking twice, we booked a night in the motel and warned our host in Las Vegas that we would arrive a day late.
The next morning we returned to the park as restless as ever - we hadn't slept in a real bed for several days. When we got out of the car the wind didn't attack us like the day before. The first lights of the morning illuminated the valley, drawing patterns with the shadows of the rocks. Now the greatness of that imposing landscape was completely visible to us.
At each observation point it was possible to see kilometres and kilometers of deep gorges and distant valleys. You could even see a very small ranch in the distance if you looked closely.
It must be a breathtaking sight to be there in the middle of the canyon, surrounded by rock walls that stand out towards the sky. It's still amazing to me how all this was created by nature. The tireless force of the water that creeps into the hard rock and digs its way with no uncertainty.
We left early in the afternoon after several hours spent exploring every corner that we were met with during the journey. We are sure that there is still a lot to see. One day is enough for just a small sample of such majesty, but our couch in Las Vegas had been waiting for us for some time. It was time to get back on the road.
