2014 U.S. Diary ( PART 3 ) - Visiting Places of Tourist Interest - pn

2014 U.S. Diary - (Part 3)  -  Visiting Places of Tourist Interest

- P.Natarajan, Camp : Canton, MI

The sky was clear on the morning of Aug 01, 2014 and we experienced a cool breeze.  The day’s schedule was to walk the ‘Trail of Time’  along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. With this thought, we first went into the dining hall of Holiday Inn Express which offers a sumptuous complimentary breakfast. We had  a heavy breakfast of bagel, cream cheese, fruit preserve, bread , butter, oats, orange juice, hot, hot cinnamon rolls straight from the oven, of course finished with a large cup of coffee. we also carried yogurt, bananas and apples which were included in our b.f menu. We needed that much calorie for the next few hours of activity.

( Aparna and Sekhar with Karthik  and Viggy after breakfast in Holiday Inn Reception - The wall hanging is one of the beautiful views of the Grand Canyon )

After loading the van we bid bye to Holiday Inn and proceeded to the G.C. village Centre for collecting information for further tour in G.C.

( Scenic View in the Reception Hall of Holiday Inn )

We parked the car in the parking lot & boarded the Orange bus to go to the Geological museum site. ( free bus ride) . There are red, purple, green buses to go to various viewpoints.

We got down at Yavapai  observation centre & after collecting the details started our Walk of Trial of Time of 2 billion years ( 2000 steps covering 2 miles).

In the trail walk area natural springs produce drinking water and facility for drinking and storing the water exist, as otherwise purchasing a bottle of water means shelling out dear money. We filled our water bottles with natural mountain spring water from the taps as each bottle of water costs $2. 
    

( Viggy very inquisitive  at the Visitors Center)

The Trail of Time on the South Rim of the Canyon National Park was dedicated on 13th of October 2010 as an event, part of the Earth Science Week Oct 10-16. The Trail of Time is an interpretive time line that focuses on Grand canyon vistas and rocks. We were wondering how to explore and understand the magnitude of the geological time and the stories pregnant in the rock layers and the landscape. The new interpretive exhibits between Yavapai Observation and Grand Canyon Village is marked by brass markers. We came to know that  every meter we walk the ‘Trail of Time’, it helps the visitors connect the rocks visible by one million years to their place along the geological time line - or to express it appealingly, " the heartbeat of Earth ",  to portray the life behind the sand stone. The Trail of Time and its exhibits were developed  due to the collaborative work between University of Mexico and Interpret Specialists of Grand canyon National Park.

We walked through the trail of time from Yavapai Geological Museum  -  a 2 mile walk up to the village. Visitors can walk back in time from today towards the oldest rock in grand canyon 1840 million years ago to the youngest rock in ‘KAIBAB LIMESTONE’, - 270 million years old. We touched the rocks and felt its pulse with reverence and admiration.

( grand canyon rocks has a geological time line in the Trail of Time Walk -  Every meter represents one million years backward.

(TRAIL OF TIME Walk - A rare experience to become aware of the heartbeat of Earth Science )

( Rocks have Hindu God Names - named by the Explorer who was fond of Hindu Mythology-

Sekhar(s) are sitting on a marble smooth 1755 million year old Rock by name “RAMA Schst” )

Vishnu Basement Rock is a name recommended for all early proterozoic crystalline rocks -1.75 billion years old. We also viewed ' Brahma Schist and similarly aged - they are interlayered with
Vishnu Schist'  

( Visitors are looking at the various Exhibits in the Trail of Time Walk )

There is also a rock formation named Hindu Amphi Theatre.

We reached the bus service point and boarded a Canyon bus to reach the car parking area.

It was late afternoon when we left Grand Canyon arena towards Hoover Dam. Aparna drove this stretch of about 150 miles. We were allowed to go inside the Dam area only after security check. It was 6 p.m. and good light was available to go around and take some pictures:-  hot wind was blowing & we found it hard to breathe for a few minutes.

( Hoover dam is the oldest Hydraulic Dam in U.S. - A Concrete Arch Type Design )

Hoover Dam once known as Boulder Dam was built in 1935 for which much efforts and initiative was taken by then President Franklin D Roosevelt but was later controversially named after President Herbert Hoover. The Dam is a concrete arch gravity design built in Black Canyon of Colorado river. The massive effort included 1000 workforce and cost more than 100 lives of workmen.

At the back you can view the top of the bridge from where Aamir khan had a fall in ‘ Dhoom 3’

Sekhar relieved Aparna and drove to reach Las Vegas and negotiated through a commercial area which looked very busy and illumined brightly with myriad of colours. The car streamed slowly into Excalibur Hotel premises.  

We checked into our rooms and refreshed quickly to go out  for dinner to Komal Restaurant. It was a Thai Hotel with a reputation for serving good veg. food. We ordered Thai Special dinner and enjoyed eating Jasmine rice and vegetables cooked in coconut milk.

( Taste of Thai Specials in the Dining hall of Thai restaurant )

and a dessert of coconut milk ice cream

On our return path, we halted at the Bellagio Hotel parking zone. It was our luck that the  musical Fountain was on at that time.

The Fountain of Bellagio is one of the most breathtaking attraction in the Las Vegas strip. The rushing water soars to a height of 460 feet, ever changing and  gorgeous and naturally the traffic gets stuck but the people would not mind.  it is not an everyday attraction but the show is on three days in a week at specific intervals of time. That is why I termed that we were lucky.

We reached the Excalibur Hotel and Casino and called it an eventful day. The view of the  Excalibur and its arena is very attractive as you can see below:-  

                                             

( Excalibur Hotel View )

Excalibur - the term refers to the legendary sword of King Arthur. It has magical powers - infact Arthur obtained the throne by pulling out the sword Excalibur from a stone, hence the term is associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. The Excalibur Casino offers a royal accommodation and is situated in the famous Las Vegas strip, a central location for shopping and sightseeing.

We shall continue our 2014 U.S. Diary in ( Part - 4 ) next after Ganesh Chaturthi Festival. In the meanwhile we wish to know whether you had found time to pursue the diary so far.

We take this opportunity to forward our greetings on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi on AUG 29, 2014.

Natarajan and Parvathy.

2014 U.S. Diary (Part 2) - Visiting Places of Tourist' Interest

- P.Natarajan,  Camp: Canton, MI

After a good night’s sleep, we got ready by 8 a.m. on Thursday, the 31st July 2014. Super 8 Hotel provides a complimentary breakfast. The dining hall was full with the visitors and we took seat in a convenient sofa and had cereal and milk, hot oats, two slices of fresh bread ,butter & jam and yogurt. We drank steaming blended coffee from the decanter and finally took apples and oranges for the way.

     ( breakfast session in Super 8 Hotel )

We vacated  Super 8 and were seated in the car after loading the luggage. Aparna sat on the driver’s seat to relieve Sekhar who covered 475 miles from Denver to Utah.

  
 (Aparna behind the wheel )
 

We visited Arches National Park. The park features the greatest concentration of natural stone arches in the world. The arches invite the tourist to explore the wilderness of countless canyons and the fantastically formed butts carved by the Colorado river, wind, and rain in the desert sand stone. Delicate Arch is a must see in the park. As many as 50 arches had burst in the previous years .In Natural Bridge Monument , we can experience the beautiful remnants of the carving power of white river. Valley of Gods is a loop extending to 17 miles with precariously balancing rocks. We crossed Dead horse point located on the scenic byway - the road offers dramatic views of La Sal mountains.

We moved on to Blanding where the Trail exhibits examples of ancestral Puebloan culture.  Bluff was the next point which is in the center of Four Corners region-it offers the visitor a desert highway and shopping for fine arts and native craft. Four States, Utah, Arizona. New Mexico and Colorado share a single point viz ‘Four Corners Monument’ - only place in U.S. where four states come together in this manner. Mexican Hat which we crossed has been named for the inverted stone sombrero, has a colourful history behind. In the last century 400 people looked for gold, oil, uranium here. The Town is popular for adventure on the San juan River.

Some of the pictures which we were able to shoot are placed below, which are self explanatory. When you happen to see them physically, the sight would be awe-inspiring.

( pn is pointing out the massive sandstone rock in Bluff )

( Arches formed by power of Water rubbing the stand stone rocks)

( archeological view of Mountain rocks in Blanding)

( It seems Rocks have eyes - Nature’s Art Work )

( Delicate Arch - a must see in National Arches park )

We moved to Navajo Nation Park in Four Corners Zone in Kayenta, AZ.  and stopped at BURGER KING for lunch at 2 p.m.  It is not uncommon to discover little treasures in the most unusual places. A classic example is the exhibit about ‘Navajo Code Talkers exhibit’ in the Burger King. The Navajo people are the largest federally recognized tribe in USA. Navajo Nation is an independent govt. body managing the Navajo Indian Reservation. The exhibits in several walls explain how 400 locals fluent in Navajo, an undecipherable language without a written alphabet, volunteered for W.W.II secret tactical “code talkers” unit to evade NAZI and JAP code-crackers. Navajo people are masters in weaving wool carpets dyed with indigo. Their tapestry art is world famous. Another area they are well versed is in silversmithing - an art in silver like making a ‘squash blossom necklace’.

( Burger King Exhibits in Walls the Exhibit of Navajo Code talkers, their art works and silversmithing)

  

( Squash Blossom Necklace- a product of Navajo people-price $1400 )

( Exhibit in Burger King displays ‘know-how’ of Navajo People to extract dye colours from plants )

( Coming out of Home of The  Whopper in Burger King after Lunch

We crossed the Utah’s Canyonlands and, after tasting veggie Burger at Burger King point, started our journey towards the historic Grand Canyon which is at a distance of about 450 miles from Utah. Pl. know that we had already covered half that distance when we had stopped the vehicle at Burger King for lunch

The drive from Navajo Nation was scenic but Aparna encountered two problems while driving, one was the weather as it started raining some what intensely and the other was driving through very steep usp and downs of the mountainous route for sometime . She maintained a good balance between speed and steadiness and found no difficulty in driving her known vehicle.

The vegetation was scanty  except for some short cacti & thorny bushes. We were travelling through  sandy desert & sighted oil fields once in a way.

 ( Picture shows an example of steep ups and downs which Aparna faced while driving on the highway towards the Canyon )

It was about 4.30p.m. when we reached the Desert Park View at Grand Canyon. We had to reset the clock by 1 hour backward as per U.S. Time Zone changes. We gained more of daylight which allowed us one more hour of going round the South Rim of the Canyon in Arizona. We approached Grand canyon from the east side.

What makes Grand Canyon Grand - a million dollar question?

The Canyon could never be captured by pen or brush. The great chasm can not be successfully exploited commercially or artistically. We were awestruck with the stupendous adorable scene of the Canyon and were convinced that it is an abode of God. It looks like a pagoda architecture which rises with projecting buttresses, rows of pillars, recesses, hanging gardens, and so on. Grand Canyon is a grand natural attraction with five million visitors in a year which includes 8.5 lakhs from outside US. Most visitors are from U.K. We started journeying from South Rim which is at about 7000 feet above sea level where activities like rafting, hiking, running and helicopter tours are popular. The floor of the valley is accessible by foot, muleback or raft from upriver. Camping on north side is

( View of the Grand Canyon & Colorado River flowing - without the river there is no Canyon )

generally restricted. All overnight camping below the rim requires a backcountry permit . 30000 requests are received each year by Grand Canyon National Park . 13000 permits only are issued and close to 40000 people camp overnight. The earliest a permit application is accepted is the first of the month, four months before the proposed month. People wishing for a more vertical perspective can board helicopter in Las Vegas.

VISITING THE CANYON:-  Lipan Point is a promontory (a high point rock) located in the east of the Canyon Village along the Desert View. We parked the car in the lot for the

( One of the View point in South Rim of the Canyon - Viggy is discussing with his dad & mom - Karthik stands attentive

visitors who care to drive along the bus service that routinely stop at this point. The Trail Head to the Tanner Trail is located just before the parking lot.Lipon Point shows a wide array of rock and strata ; the Unkar Creek in the inner Canyon.

!956 air disaster involving mid air collision of United Airlines and TWA above the Canyon resulted in the wreckage falling near the confluence of Colorado and Little Colorado rivers, killing 128 passengers and all the crew members aboard.

Federal protection :-  U.S.President Theodore Roosevelt  established the Grand canyon Game Preserve in 1906  and redesignated the Preserve as a U.S. National Monument in 1908. President Woodrow Wilson signed the Act of Congress to reclassify the Monument as (17th)’U.S. National Park’ in 1919.

Canyon Formation :-

Given Enough Time Nothing Is Changeable Than Rocks.

The Massive Rock Formations in Grand Canyon  may Seem Unchanging.

But Everyday Small Changes Slowly Alter The Landscape.

SOLID ROCK CRUMBLES INTO SAND, CLAY AND SOIL

AGENTS OF EROSION SLOWLY TRANSFER THE SCENE

I remember these lines written in one of the pictures which summarises the Canyon formation in an articulate manner.

( View of the Canyon from one of the viewpoints in South Rim )

( Desert View Watchtower located in the South Rim of the Grand Canyon)

The Canyon carved by the Colorado river in the Arizona State is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide, and attains a depth of  over a mile. Nearly TWO BILLION YEARS of Earth’s geological history have been exposed as the Colorado river and its tributaries cut their channels through layer after layer of rock while the Colorado Plate was uplifted . The recent EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THIS HAD HAPPENED 17 MILLION YEARS AGO.

The Desert View is a scenic route on the South Rim for 25 miles to the East of the Canyon Village. There are 6 fully developed Canyon view points and 4 picnic areas and 5 unmarked pull outs are accessible for private vehicles.

Desert View Watchtower is also known as Indian Watchtower at Desert View. It is a stone building four storied and of 70 feet high and located in the South Rim. The interior contains murals. It has resemblance to ancient Pueblo Peoples Watchtower - at the top the space is decked over in large glazed windows. Number of Reflector Scopes (black mirrors) are mounted to provide alternate views of the Canyon to the visitors. We could watch the canyon from the top floor-there were many paintings depicting the natives of that region-we bought calendar (2015 and after) with pictures of the canyon & shot glasses as collectibles. ( It is a practice in our family to collect shot glasses for each of the states or important spots we visit in US. During this trip I had collected as many as 7 shot glasses plus other curios)

As we were having the South Rim View by stopping the vehicle at various viewpoints, it became dark & we hurried to our vehicle when we heard  loud thunder & saw  streaks of lightning - hence our hope of watching the sunset was washed out. We proceeded to Holiday INN Express Hotel where accommodation had been booked. We left for the IMAX Theatre very close to the Holiday Inn to see a film titled ‘ Grand Canyon - The Hidden Secrets’. The film brought out the secrets of Canyon discovery by various groups of explorers some of whom came in search of gold. It also highlighted the life of the Condors ( huge birds) around the Canyon which are at the point of extinction. After the revelation of ‘ hidden secrets’, a state of tranquility prevailed in our minds. We had dinner at a Mexican restaurant which had advertised a ‘great vegetarian’ food. The food was not up to our expectation. We retired to bed by 10pm because the next day was a long day for us.

Tomorrow is after all another day and we ( including the Reader(s) ) will continue the exploration in Grand Canyon in Part-3 of our U.S. Diary .

( Part 3  to be Continued )

Natarajan and Parvathy

2014 U.S. Diary - Visiting Places of Tourist' Interest ( Part 1 )

2014 U.S. Diary - Visiting Places of Tourist’ Interest ( part 1 )

-  P.Natarajan, Camp: Canton MI

I am calling the tour as great as it was a complete family unit of Natarajans & Sekhars making it mostly by road and partly by flight and naturally the tour would stay in the memory for a long time to come. Long distance travelling in a convenient eight seater vehicle in the company of children and grandchildren is something special and dear to the parents. Further the  places visited are of importance and best known for the beauty and uniqueness. Aparna and Sekhar & Ajay and Ritu had meticulously planned the itinerary by way of selecting the places, reserving accommodation for stay, booking air tickets, etc., even before we left Bangalore in June.The plan  worked out well with God’s grace and we had a wonderful time together.

It was around 11A.M. we started our fortnight journey on July 30,2014 from Denver. We were seated comfortably in the Odyssey - a short puja for the vehicle was performed at start - Sekhar, our son-in-law took the wheels. Parvathy and Aparna started preparing the food stuff for the journey right from 5A.M. which included puri, potato, methi masala, puliyodharai, curd rice, papad, sandwiches, avocado and mint chutney. Sekhar got a new roof carrier ‘Thule’ fixed to the top of the vehicle and loaded the travel bags comfortably inside it. The house was made tidy before start. We drank vegetable juice along with a light breakfast before boarding the van. We had placed  lemons below the tyres as we do in India when we embark on a long journey, the boys (Vignesh & Karthik our grandsons) were curious to know the reason. We explained the same & after chanting ‘vanamali Gadi sarangi’ three times we started our road trip braving the heavy downpour .

(  Loading the luggage at start in the new roof carrier ‘THULE’  )

It was raining for at least 2 hours continuously on the highway.The road and traffic were orderly and Sekhar drove on for 180 miles non-stop at 60 to 70 miles per hour. We reached the first sightseeing location Glenwood Springs by 2.45 p.m. after crossing Eisenhower tunnel (built as early as 1979). and Silverthorne Mall. The Eisenhower Tunnel has the reputation of being the highest vehicular tunnel in the world with an elevation of 11158 feet above the sea level and 2,72 k.m. long.

In 2002, during our first visit to Denver, we purchased a travelling bag from this outlet mall which we were carrying during this trip. A coincidence!! There is another tunnel  Johnson Tunnel built around the same time which is used for return journey. Both Tunnels serve one way only

( Canon shot shows the vehicle passing through the “E” Tunnel )

Glenwood Springs was named  the ‘Most Fun Town’ in America by ‘USA TODAY’ -  its original name was ‘Defiance’. It was a camp of tents, saloons in 1883 when unhealthy practices were prevalent - a place where gamblers and gunslingers used to gather often. The scenario changed in the years to come and famous personalities like Teddy Roosevelt had spent an entire summer vacation in Colorado Hotel in Glenwood Springs. The G.Springs was one of the first places in U.S. to have electric lights. It also has a reputation as one of the most walkable towns in U.S. The area surrounding the Springs is contoured on all sides with numerous caves. We travelled through a scenic route through the mountains between Denver and Glenwood Springs.  Further the great Colorado river was flowing all along in line with the route which was a treat to the eyes.

 ( Colorado river flowing along the route was a treat to the eyes )

The Glenwood Springs is situated at the confluence of Colorado river and Roaring Fork river. Aspen and Vail which are famous for the scenic settings are near Glenwood Springs and naturally the place gets enhanced weightage for Tourists’ delight in U.S. Outdoor recreation opportunities abound the Springs include White Water rafting, Kayaking, Caving, Cycling, Rock-Climbing, Horseback Riding and so on.

We visited the Glenwood Caverns Adventure and Amusement Park - that is fun for all ages.

The park includes a roller-coaster & a giant carry-on swing which swings the riders out over the edge of Glenwood Canyon looking down the Colorado river @ 1300 feet below. We boarded the 4300 feet Gondola Ride at  Iron Mountain Station located in Glenwood Springs. The Tramway has a state of art of European gondola design, one of the first ever installed in U.S.  We experienced towering panoramic view of the spectacular Rocky Mountain Scenery as we skimmed over the tops of the trees up to the top of the Iron Mountain and the entrance to the Glenwood Caverns & Historic Fairy Caves. The tramway carries 6 riders in a fully enclosed Gondolas fitted with large clear glass windows for viewing the beauty of Nature and we enjoyed looking at the expanse of the clear blue sky. A point needs mention here that even motorised wheelchairs are accessible inside the gondolas.

(  picture showing us on the top of the Glenwood Springs - the spectacular Rocky Mountain View is behind. Karthik , Aparna’s younger son Karthik, seen holding the rails  in joy on the right. Others in the picture (L to R ): Parvathy, Natarajan and Aparna.  Glenwood Springs catalogue is in P’s hand. )

( What a view to behold  - cheese!! Sekha &, Vignesh are also seen in smiles in this picture.)

( Riders inside the Gondola)

After the thrill drive in the tramway, we got down from the Gondola and reached our car. We started driving till we found a fuelling station as we had to travel a further distance of about 250 miles to reach Moab in Utah. We had there ‘Java Ridge Arabica Coffee- its label read:- “You are holding one Feel Good cup of joy-getting a truly great brew”. Vignesh and Karthik opted to see a movie and Aparna switched on the DVD in the car, as we were sipping the brew coffee. The sky became more clear and Sekhar drove comfortably. It was about 8p.m. when we reached the Super 8 Hotel in MOAB (Utah) for our stay that night.

(  P, V and K are in a carefree mood after reaching the Hotel Super 8 in MOAB, Utah  )

We unpacked the food packets in the dining area and relished the delicious homemade  food items( which we were going to miss the next 10 days) with a ravenous appetite.Though we were planning to go for a stroll it was very hot - so we called it a day and retired to  bed reminding ourselves to be ready by 8 A.M. the next day for the onward journey to our next destination.

(.. to be continued ..) .

Natarajan and Parvathy