Since I haven't written in a few days, I'll start with today and work my way backwards.
I'll also include a new 'Where's Katie?' map.
So in retrospect, I know this next part should have been very obvious to me. After spending three days in the no-streetlights, no wifi, low-tech paradise of the Grand Canyon, I should have known that Vegas would be a shock to the system. I've been here before, so I can't claim ignorance. But I've realized now that I just don't care that much for Vegas, especially Vegas alone.
I know that's probably going to be an unpopular opinion, but there's just too MUCH here. Too much noise, too many drunk idiots, too many cars. Even the Westin, with its image of serenity, had The Smashing Pumpkins '1979' blasting in the lobby. I guess last time I had more fun because I had someone with me, but I mostly enjoyed non-gambling stuff, like the big cats at the Grand and the canals at the Venetian. I used to think that if I ever got married, I would want to elope to Vegas or something, but now I think, I don't even LIKE Vegas...why would I want to get married here?:)
The redeeming factor is that I have a lovely Westin Heavenly bed to sleep in tonight, which is to die for after days on an air mattress.
OK, so I'm getting old...rant over.
Let's rewind to more pleasant times, shall we?
Earlier today, I visited the Hoover Dam, which was awesome. It's been one of my goals to visit, ever since I saw a History Channel show on it. It's just amazing in scale...that humans built this huge thing. I took a tour to one of the spillways, one of the power generation rooms with the huge turbines, to an access tunnel about 300 feet above the base of the dam (you could see out through some louvered doors), the access stairs that span the entire height of the dam, and the observation deck that looks out over the dam. It was just amazing. And the water in Lake Mead and the river below was so blue and gorgeous. I also saw the new bypass bridge they're building to divert traffic from the dam. It's about 1/4 mile downstream, and about 300 yards above the dam. It will have a great view when it's built. And the cliffs around the lake had these huge white bands that have been bleached by normal levels of the lake, but which are now exposed due to the drought. It's all just amazing...I wish they'd been spilling, just to see the volume of water, but that's ok.
Before the Hoover Dam, I was at the Grand Canyon for three days. I know I'm overusing this word, but it was amazing. It's was hard for me to wrap my mind around the scale of it...over a mile deep and over 10 miles wide in some places. And I didn't really realize that you can't see the river from most spots...it's too deep within the canyon. It just seems unthinkable that all those huge patterned formations formed naturally over hundreds of thousands of years. And I was lucky that my first exposure to the canyon was at sunset, which was unspeakably gorgeous.
And driving to the GC from Williams, AZ, you never have any clue of what you're about to see until you're yards from the rim. It's just expanses and expanses of scrubland. It gets a little more forested near the canyon, but there's no indicator that one of the biggest rifts in the earth is just ahead.
On day one, I got all my gear set up and walked along half of the rim trail, which was a good introduction. I stopped about every thirty seconds for another picture.
The trees were all gnarled and twisted by the wind, and there were a lot of really spectacular points to look out over the canyon. But only the main outlooks have railings...otherwise, you'd better keep your eyes on the trail:)
The second day, I woke up and was gathering stuff to pack for another day of hiking, when I glanced at my passenger door, which was open. There was a squirrel sitting on my passenger seat. I thought, I did drink last night, but no hallucinogens:) Yep, that sucker was sitting there, chewing his way into a bag of cheez-its. I walked toward the car, and stood about 4 feet from the door. He jumped down, and when he saw I wasn't a threat, he jumped right back into the car and started to gnaw away at the bag again. Well, I moved closer again and he jumped down. I know you're not supposed to feed them, but this guy looked like he wasn't missing any meals, so I decided to give him a few of the cheez-its. After all, who doesn't like cheez-its? He liked them and even took one from my hand. Close Encounters of the Squirrel Kind...very cool. I even have pictures to prove that I'm not full of shit.
After that I went and hiked the other half of the rim trail... I saw some California condors, which was really cool. I saw one flying and then I saw him land about 100 yards below me on an outcropping where two others sat. The Grand Canyon village is cool...I really liked the old buildings. The Grand Canyon also has a number of shuttle routes that will get you anywhere in the park, so I liked the fact that they cut down on traffic.
Yesterday, I girded myself for my biggest challenge yet...hiking down into the canyon. I took the South Kaibab trail, which is on the east end of the main park area, down to Ooh-Aah Point, which is only about a mile from the trailhead. But let me tell you...that's a mile that falls 750 feet in gradient. It was a gorgeous hike...on the way down. I thought I was going to die coming back up. I even got passed by two trains of mules. I really don't know how I'd rank this hike with the horrendous adventure hike into Gorilla at the the Green River in NC. I mean, the gradient at the GC was probably a lot steeper, but it didn't have climbing ropes, hands-and-knees-scrabbling and bouldering like the Green. You definitely can't beat the scenery at the GC. Oh well..if you're not living, you're dying, right? Right?:)
After my near-death experience, I petted the mules at the corral near the trailhead and then took the shuttle back to the campground. I decided to visit the east end of the park, which is about 25 miles away. I had thought I might stay at the campground there, but I'm glad I was in a more accessible area. The east area was nice, with a Watchtower and a nice view of the river going into the main part of the canyon. I also saw some mule deer, just chilling in one of the forested areas near my campground.
The Mather campground, where I stayed, was quite nice. The ranger who checked me in told me that it was almost full, but I never had a sense of that. The sites were spaced a good distance apart, and I was close, but not too close, to the bathrooms. The showers and laundry were at the front of the campground... made me a little nostaligic for AU at the Ocoee when I had to pay $2 for a shower:)
There was a General Store and a cafeteria about a 1/4 mile from the campground, and they were pretty handy. The food was decent, although I would have eaten anything after all the walking.
So tomorrow I head for Zion National Park...a return to the wilderness:)
I am uploading my pix from the last few days, so check out my Flickr page.
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