Winter Heath in the Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon

Here I am. Finally made it to the Grand Canyon. I woke up really early to see the sunrise. We don't think about it, but rented cars don't come with a snow broom or a scraper. Luckily, the windshield wasn't too frosted. But the temperature was definitely under freezing point.

After the sunrise, I decided to take the shuttle to bring me to the hiking trail : Bright Angel Trail (12 miles for the return trip). And I was using the principle of clothes layers to keep warm.

Good decision, since the more you go down in the canyon, the warmer it gets. And comes a point where you don't know what to wear anymore. From the icy trail in the upper part, with its light frisky breeze, we go on to the warmer Indian Garder (3/4 of the way) and really under the sun at Plateau Point.

That one, at the end of the trail, is really a very small point when you look at the canyon from above. Had I known I would have to walk to this point, I would have discouraged myself. But in the end, when you get there, you can see condors flying.

The best, after all this, is you have to go back up. They say you shouldn't wait to be tired to climb back. Because it's like an inverted mountain. To go down, it always goes well... But to go up...

So I had to stop often before being back to the starting point. Seven hours after I started, around 10 hours after I fell from my bed, my legs were getting weary fast. I ran out of water too. So yes, one must be careful when they decide how long the hike should be. And it was winter. I can't imagine how hard it is with the heath in summer.

Too bad for the sunset, after that, I only wanted to go back to bed.

The next day, I went back to explore the South Kaibab Trauk, which was recommended to me. That time, I climbed back once I reached the middle point. Enough to see the canyon from different angles.

Note that food, gaz and others are expensive in Tusayan near the canyon. Of course! You buy there or not at all, so the prices are adjusted in consequence. On the trails, put on your best smile. The other hikers might want to stop for a chat.

Anecdote : I bought a beautiful hat with a pompon on top after loosing mine around Hoover Dam... Karma : the hat was on the ground, at my feet, in front of the driver's seat, in the car. Woot!

Dam it!

Hoover Dam, Boulder City

The road between Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon takes about four hours.

One stop you can't miss on the way : Hoover Dam, about thirty minutes away from Vegas.

Yes, hydroelectricity is everywhere in Quebec. But this dam is still impressive. They finished it two years earlier than they expected and it did cost less than expected...

Located near Boulder City, this dam brings electricity to Nevada, Arizona and California. More than two millions cube meters of concrete were used to build it.

You can visit the powerplant at the bottom and the dam itself. Since you're there...

To get to the Grand Canyon, you need to drive on highway 93. Impressive at first because of the mountains and the cliffs, it ends up making the driver sleepy, like H-40 you take to go east. The straight parts are very long.

Two things on the road.

1- When a store in the middle of nowhere (literaly) has a sign stating "World Famous Store", but nobody has ever heard of it, it means there is a marketing problem somewhere. It's not nice to lie...

2- American radios don't offer a lot of diversity. Listening to the same song 14 times a day, at some point, it gets annoying. I had brought my iPod to play music in the car, but there is no AUX plug in my Mitsubishi... Damn karma! That said, for The Lumineers, Bruno Mars, Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, Kelly Clarkson, Bruno Mars, Pink, Bruno Mars, Phillip Phillips and Justin Bieber (and Bruno Mars), it probably brings a lot of money home. Good for them, because after getting tired of their songs on the radio, we don't want to buy their albums anymore. Did I say they like Bruno Mars around here?

In the end, I reached Tusayan, about one kilometer south of the Grand Canyon national park entrance (South Rim). Little fake-village for tourists, the place has a few hotels, some restaurants and two convenience stores. But be aware that in January, almost everything is closed after 8 PM. Low season they say. Still, the McDonald's closes around 10 PM for those who are hungry.

Leaving again

Gilly is ready to go.

After a five months hiatus, the time to leave again has come.... Already? Not too soon I'm tempted to say.

They say the best way to conquer a fear is to face it. The best way to get over a trip might be to travel again. We'll see.

In a few hours, I'll be flying to Las Vegas. Not exactly an adventure like the one I lived last year. But the concept was a road trip across Nevada, Arizona and California. With an Australian friend I met traveling. That sounds more like an adventure.

But things happen and I'll go solo. Too bad! Same road, same destinations. Can't wait for others to come with you they say.

I still have some fears. Irrational ones, like being afraid of boredom and the discomfort to leave alone (!), and the more rationals, like being afraid of being a grandpa in a Vegas hostel, where other guests will probably be wilder than me. Hostel in Vegas, we'll see what it's like. With a little luck, I'll find some partners to share the road to the Grand Canyon.

Also in the plan : a detour in Death Valley, a stop in Los Angeles, where I should spend some time with a friend I met in Jordan, and a drive on the californian coast to San José, where I should reunite with a friend I met in Greece.

If I was really lucky, the Los Angeles Kings would start their season on the day I get in LA. Everybody, let's ask the Universe! Haha!

Tip

In the category "search for promo codes on Google before booking anything", I found the website broke.travel which, for now, helps me save the booking fees on hostelworld.com