As a resident of the Southwestern United States, the Grand Canyon is a must see. Seeing as I plan on getting out of here soon (in hopes of traveling!), I figured that I might as well see it while it’s fairly close by. So, on a rare and oh-so-fleeting free weekend, we decided to pack up the ‘Silver Bullet’ (my ’02 Mercedes C230 Coupe . . . lamest road trip car EVER) and drive down to the Grand Canyon’s south rim.
The Grand Canyon
The trip was fairly impromptu, but we managed to leave at 8am on a Saturday morning. Our first stop was our local Starbucks to get our much needed caffeine fix. Then, with me at the helm, we headed out on the open road. Our first major landmark was the Hoover Dam, which (for those of you who don’t know) is actually the marker between the Nevada and Arizona borders.
Hoover Dam
Entering Arizona was fairly mundane. It looks similar to Las Vegas – desert, shrubbery, and blue skies. As we entered Kingman Arizona, the Vegas radio stations began to fade and we hooked up the good ‘ol iTouch to the stereo and listened to the sweet soothing voice of Adam Carolla.Shortly after passing through Kingman, the scenery began to change from desert to something similar to a prairie. After a few more hours of driving we hit Williams, AZ – the Gateway to the Grand Canyon. For us West Coasters, Kingman represented a frightening look into Americana.Williams was about an hour from the Grand Canyon, and we were lucky enough to come on the one day that the entrance was free. Armed with a free map we entered the park and could not find parking. I ended up basically tossing the Silver Bullet in a ditch as the BF wandered into the forest to pee.We then reconvened along the walking trail along the Southern Rim of the Grand Caynon. The Caynon was huge, and hard to take it. I was infatuated with the ravens that occupied the area and flew so effortlessly over one of the largest gaping holes on this planet.
The BF took a liking to video taping squirrels and the like who inhabited the edge of the canyon. After walking along the trail for a while and checking out the viewpoints, we decided that we might as well head back so that we could return to Las Vegas at a reasonable hour.
Overall, I’m glad to have seen the Grand Canyon. Road trips with the BF are always fun and am also proud to say that this time I pulled my weight and drove 50% as opposed to my usual 25% . . . ok . . . 20%.
