I aim to provide my readers with accurate information, relaxing wordings, eye-popping pictures and interesting journey. Experience the trip with me while you read.
This post talks about the very first day of my one month travel.
After 3 months of hardwork, here comes the most exciting part.
01 Sept - 01 Dec 2010; Exactly 3 months working period, I have earned approximately $5k , of course some were deducted for house rental, living cost, daily expenses and $shopping$. So just assume I was left with $4k.
I didn't take note of the exact budget, but it certainly decided how fun a trip would be. :D
"No money no talk."
OK. You have $4K, 30 days, what will you do? How will you spend.
It's just like a project management: planning, organizing, executing..blablabla...
About a month before the last day of work, we had started to plan.
Budget: USD 4K
Destinations: U.S.
Participants: 5 F 1 M
Starting Date: 02 Dec 2010 (from Grand Canyon)
Ending Date: 03 Jan 2011 (from JFK Airport, New York)
Objective: Enjoy to max, experience all beautiful places!
Transportation: Possibly by air, land, water, and railway.
Brief steps taken:
1) Listed down all the desired destinations.
- LV, LA, San Francisco, Disney World(Orlando), Washington D.C., New York.
- Grand Circle - Grand Canyon(done!), Arches National Park(NP), Bryce NP, Zion NP, Capital Reef NP, Canyonlands NP, Mesa Verde NP.
- Jazz town - New Orleans.
2) Divide and conquer. Each of us in charge of diff cities. Discovering visiting sites and transportation.
3) Drafted schedule and agenda.
4) Meet and Decide. We met up few times, at place with Wifi, to settle the reservations and payments.
We love Southwest Airlines. Budget planes typically bring you to all the major cities. Low price and free 2 checked-in baggages!
**Finding #7: I have a feeling, Southwest Airlines in U.S. is so similar with Air Asia in Malaysia, low cost budget airline, get ride of unnecessary charges and both have red in colours. :D
5) In order to drive, I applied for International Driving License.To get a car, Hertz is one of the largest car rental companies.
6) Final Route Plan:
Grand Circle (Road Trip) - LV - LA - SF - New Orleans - Orlando, FL - Washington DC - New York!!
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Living in a natural wonder like Grand Canyon made us love the national parks.
So, we've decided to organize a road trip around Grand Circle. What's Grand Circle?
The Grand Circle is a beautiful, vast region located in the Southwestern United States. Encompassing portions of five states – Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Nevada – the Grand Circle contains America’s largest concentration of national parks and monuments, woven together by extraordinary designated Scenic Byways.
America's most diverse scenery can be found within Grand Circle, hw could we miss it!
Thus, here's our route plan:
Statistic:
Duration: 03 Dec - 08 Dec (a week)
Distance: 1233 miles
Driving Time: 26 hours
Speed limit: 60-80mph (97-134km/h)
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My last day was 1st Dec 2010. Kinda sad to leave, but still life gotta moves on.
2nd Dec 2010:
For this particular day, we prepared and packed things. Spent the last day with the canyon, and the locals.
Started morning with expensive breakfast in historical heritage building --- El Tovar Hotel @ Grand Canyon.
After the breakfast, I needed to travel to the nearest Hertz Car Center to get our rented car, which is in Flagstaff.
I asked for KIA Sedona SUV, but ended up I got a Luxury SUV Escalade of General Motors without extra charge!!!
WOW!
Kia Sedona - USD 25,000++
GM Escalade SUV - USD 60,000++
Damn stress when I drove this car, especially:
1) American drives on right lane.
2) My very first time driving a luxurious SUV, with auto heating function and advanced accessories.
3) A really huge and spacious SUV.
4) Driving culture total different.
I couldn't imagine what would happen if someone stole this car! LOL~!
Took about an hour and half to drive back to Grand Canyon.
Of course, we must SS a bit in this luxurious Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)!
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3rd Dec 2010:
Everything must come to an end. It's time to say goodbye.
Farewell to the natural wonder. One day, I'll be here again!
*Mixed feelings*
Majestic View from Lipan Point, Grand Canyon National Park
Filled the whole SUV with luggages and bags of 6 ppl. Almost FULL!
After 90 minutes drive, we stopped by at a scenic point along the way.
1) Little Colorado Scenic Overlook
The next destination would be Navajo Bridge. Took another 40 minutes to reach.
Along the road, there were small rocky hills with desert land. Suitable for filming. lol~
2) Navajo Bridge
Grand Canyon is divided into 2 parts, North Rim and South Rim by the Colorado River.
The first bridge opened to traffic in 1929. Traffic flow was too great in 1990, therefore a new solution was needed. The second new steel arch bridge was completed in Sept 1995, at a cost of $15 million. Original is then open for pedestrian.
The interpretive center!
And the happiest thing was, I saw the California Condor!!!!
California Condor is the largest land bird in North America, inhabits in few areas only.
As you can see, this species is rated critically endangered (CR), rarely can be seen.
I tried to spot for the condor in Grand Canyon for three months but it just didn't happen.
Finally before I left the canyon, thank god I could see it!!
There's a release site for the condor from breeding center at certain time nearby Navajo Bridge.
Maybe that's the reason I had higher percentage to bump into the condor! :D
"As of November 2010 there are 384 individuals living, including 181 in the wild."
The condor's wingspan is almost 3 meters. I found it really precious and special.
And I even took it along during my recent photography trip! :D
Overview pics of Navajo steel arch bridge.
3) Lower Antelope Canyon
It's almost noon. Next stop would be Lower Antelope Canyon, a slot canyon near Page, Arizona.
20 minutes drive from Navajo Bridge.
A slot canyon is a narrow canyon, formed by the wear of water rushing through rock. Most slot canyons are formed in sandstone and limestone rock. There are 2 separated Antelope Canyon near town of Page, which are the Upper Antelope Canyon and Lower Antelope Canyon.
Our first choice was Upper Antelope Canyon, but the entrance was closed and there's no one at the gate.
So we js gotta drive to Lower Antelope Canyon, which is just opposite of Upper site.
When the sun rises at high angles, we might be able to capture the legendary pic where light beam will peek into the slot canyon, which usually happens during summer months. Only Upper Antelope Canyon might lead you to the pic below:
---from Wikipedia.
Upper Antelope Canyon is more accessible and requires no climbing. It's more like pyramid shape with entire length at ground level while Lower Antelope Canyon is in the shape of a "V". Meaning, climbing stairs and squeezing through narrow canyon are required.
Fate led us to Lower Antelope Canyon. Not much regret since during winter months, we could hardly see the light beam peeks into the canyon.
Here's the price.
USD 14 for entrance fee, Navajo Permit costs about USD 6. Meaning, if I were going to Upper Antelope Canyon or other Navajo territorial attractions, I just need to pay for pure entrance fees, since I've the permit already.
On August 12, 1997, eleven tourists, including seven from France, one from the United Kingdom, one from Sweden and two from the United States, were killed in Lower Antelope Canyon by a flash flood.
Gotta alert of the flash flood, therefore the trip required an experienced tour guide.
Here we go!
Antelope canyon was formed by erosion of Navajo Sandstone due to flash flooding and sub-aerial processes.
Over thousands of years, the flash flood smooths the hard edge and you will see the "flowing" lines on the sandstone.
That's just so beautiful!
The same sandstone with various colours at different angles.
That's real cool!
He was playing with his Navajo musical instrument, we stopped and listened.
Sweet melody overwhelmed the canyon, it's the perfect moment.
The stairway back to the top. :D
Shit and urine will just fall into a man-dug hole.
4) Walmart Supercenter
First meal of the trip, we had our lunch in nearby Walmart Supercenter.
SUBWAY! The world's largest restaurant chains.
Not much difference with Subway Malaysia. :)
After lunch, our Escalade also felt hungry.
Trust me, that's the first time I fueled up at gas station.
Spent few minutes to search for it, I assumed it's somewhere around driver's seat, like Malaysia's car.
In the end, I gave up. I asked a guy who was fueling up his vehicle.
He walked to the fuel door cover, and he just pressed on the fuel door cover, then it's OPEN!
WTH! I expected more secured and advanced way to open it, and did not expect it was that easy!!=.=''''
I pumped the Unleaded 87 (yellow).
Honestly, I did not know which to choose. Just picked the cheapest non-diesel by common sense.
USD 2.869/RM8.60 per gallon, which is equal to 3.785 liters.
Let's say in Malaysia, RON95 1 liter = RM1.90, 3.785 liters = RM7.20.
Slightly more expensive around RM1.40 per gallon in US.
5) Carl Hayden Visitor Center
We went to this visitor center for postcard.
I've been here before, for the smooth water float trip.
I forgot to take this pic of dinosaur tracks outside of the center that time.
This time wouldn't forget.
I didn't know it's real or not. :)
6) Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam
And behind the visitor center, there's Lake Powell and Glen Canyon Dam, which I've introduced before.
Lake Powell is a reservoir on the Colorado River.
- Glen Canyon Dam, Page, AZ. -
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7) Horseshoe Bend
Next destination, the Horseshoe bend.
It's a horseshoe-shaped meander of the Colorado River.
About 5km from the visitor center, and it requires a 1.2km hike from the parking space to reach the overlook.
That's us, hiking again. :)
I had waited this moment so long, it's a significant overlook and lotsa photographers are here to capture this breathtaking scene.
..............
..........
.....
..
DA-NANG!
That's the Horseshoe Bend.
The overlook is 4,200 feet above sea level while Colorado is at 3,200 feet, making the point a beautiful 1,000 foot drop.
Have to be careful, especially photographers who crave for perfect pictures.
I had posted two pics of Horseshoe Bend before, the river level pic was taken during the smooth water float trip.
- Horseshoe Bend, AZ -
Horseshoe Bend is the name for a horseshoe-shaped meander of the Colorado River located near the town of Page, Arizona, in the United States. The bend is locally known as "King Bend." It is located slightly downstream from the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell within Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, about four miles or 6 km south of Page.
Horseshoe Bend is the name for a horseshoe-shaped meander of the Colorado River located near the town of Page, Arizona, in the United States. The bend is locally known as "King Bend." It is located slightly downstream from the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell within Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, about four miles or 6 km south of Page.
- Horseshoe Bend, Page, AZ. -
It's getting dark, we hiked another half mile back to our vehicle.
We were leaving, farewell to Page town.
Hope that I will return again.
We planned to overnight at Goulding's Lodge near Monument Valley, another 2 hours and 30 minutes drive from Page.
Way to go!
A simple dinner @ Mc D @ Kayenta, a town we passed by.
It gets dark early during winter time, around 5.30pm to 6pm.
And we couldn't really see anything at night, that's why daytime was quite precious.
Till now, time to rest. :D
See ya next day!
-End of Day 1-
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