• A Grand Sunset…

    I would guess that most people go to the Grand Canyon with, well grand expectations – I suppose I was somewhat the opposite of that – my expectations were actually reasonably low having previously been to the similarly massive Copper Canyon in Mexico, which I was able to get to easily by public transport and had to share with only a handful of tourists. The Grand Canyon on the other hand is somewhat busier and instead of the $5 it cost me to get to the Copper Canyon, my tour from Flagstaff cost $85…

    Sunrise

    The sun rises as the South West Chief pulls into Flagstaff from LA

    It was though, totally worth the money. Whilst the weather during the day was not fantastic, with a frequent layer of haze in the air compared to the bright blue of my Mexican visit, which resulted in much of the famous colour of the canyon looking rather washed out, the magnificence of the size of the canyon was still very much apparent. I also got to see it from multiple places thanks to the tour and it was also nice to travel in a group for a change. There were 4 of us on it, and we had all met for the first time that morning and this seemed to be just the right size of group to enable lots of conversation but still feel like we were travelling independently. There was even a girl from NYC who was in the middle of crisscrossing the states on Amtrak! (Although despite her professed train fandom I did note she wasn’t rocking a train related T-shirt which is what all the cool kids do)

    A grand view...

    A grand view…

    Looking up at canyon walls

    Tour included a mile hike down into the canyon. Maybe one day I shall go back to do the full thing!

    Our little tour group

    Our little tour group

    Another advantage of being in a group of course is no need for selfies!

    Me standing by the edge

    Long way down…

    Me spraying myself with water

    Well it was hot, and its not like I normally get a chance to take stupid photos when they have to be selfies!

    Comfy chair, good view. Sorted

    Comfy chair, good view. Sorted

    I took the tour through the Grand Canyon International Hostel, signing up for it soon after I stumbled through the doors after my early morning arrival on the train from LA. They run it 3 times a week and on Tuesdays, which was the day I took my tour, they run it a few hours later in the day in order to catch the sunset. And let me tell you, if you get a chance to see the Grand Canyon at sunset you definitely should!

    Me looking out to the canyon with sun setting behind me

    Not a bad seat!

    Colours changing on the rocks as the sun sets

    Pretty pretty colours!

    Grand canyon with tree to the right

    Yep, even if you have seen one massive canyon system alleady it still takes your breath away!

    As the haze cleared, we took a gently walk along the rim, beer in hand, admiring the glorious colours of the rocks and it was truly difficult to think of any other place I’d rather be..

    Alas it was all over so quickly before I had to head of to my next destination. My year around the world has seemingly involved painfully little outdoors exploration, due both to the lack of time and the fact that I don’t really have the equipment for it. America’s National Parks however, much like the mountains of Georgia, have certainly inspired a desire to revisit one day with a tent and plenty more time…

    sun sets

    Goodbye sun! Please come back tomorrow!

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