This next update has taken time to come along. That’s because I’ve barely had a chance to reflect and write about my travels. It’s perhaps a function of having a lot of people in the group with just enough time to get in some sleep in the plan, leave alone writing. But a lot of ground has been covered, literally and metaphorically in the past week or so for which I’ve been on the road. I’m on my way to St. Louis, MO right now. In the time since the last blog I’ve seen a lot, starting with the Hollywood sign in LA. I’ve been amazed by the spread of LA as seen from the Observatory opposite the Hollywood sign. One road in particular seems to just travel straight to the horizon seemingly never taking a curve. We also went to the Hollywood boulevard and saw the stars on the walk of fame as well as the Chinese theatre – not a part of the trip I really cared about so much. LA also had many Indian buffets; we had lunch at one. That was it for LA – we went on to the Santa Monica beach and enjoyed some beach volleyball till it got dark. Then it was time to drive to Las Vegas for the night. All this was on the 28th of December.
Vegas was just a layover for the night so that we could rest
and be ready for the drive to the city of Page, AZ the next day. This is Canyon
country; close to Page is the Antelope Canyon system that reminds you of the movie
127 hours. We did a tour of the Upper Canyon and clicked some fantastic pics.
What I also remember is how cold my feet were since I went into the cold Canyon
with just my floaters on having decided that I didn’t want to wear my heavy
hiking shoes on such a beautiful day! The tour operators take you along a dry
and dusty river bed that leads to the mouth of the canyon from where on the
guide helps you navigate the narrow canyon as she talks about the canyon’s
history and shows you a naturally carved sculpture that weirdly approximates
Abraham Lincoln’s facial features very well. There is occasional flooding that
results from heavy rain higher up; this can fill up to 30 feet high in the
canyon.
After traveling back on the rickety, diesel-fuelled,
tarpaulin-walled pick-up truck that we sat in the back of through that same
dust road, I had sand in every open pore of the body. For a small town such as
Page –established in 1957 - there was a great Mexican restaurant right next to
the tour operator’s building. There was even an Indian/Thai place that seemed
to be closed. Someone mentioned that it had been shut for 3 months. We ate
Mexican; the salsa that came with the complimentary nachos was so good that I
was half-sated by the time the meal itself came. I think I had a cheese
quesadilla with something else that I can’t remember. Then we went to see the
Horseshoe bend.
The Colorado River has achieved some magnificent geological
feats. It has carved many canyons including the Grand Canyon. At this location
near Page, it takes a 270 degree bend in the Glen Canyon with a 1000 feet drop
to the river. It is simply a stunning scene. The river snakes around the huge
rock face in almost a perfect horseshoe shape. The landscape is desolate all around
with three tall smoke chimneys close to the town in the distance being the only
sign of civilization discounting for the trail that leads to the bend view and
a single shed at the head of the trail.
Taking in that beautiful scene at Sunset I was done for the
day. While some guys went out bowling in Page, I stayed in and had pizza for
dinner. The Grand Canyon beckoned the next day.
