An iconic view: the West and East Mittens and Merrick Butte
In October of 2016, we visited a few National Parks in the southwest of the United States. We started our tour in Las Vegas where we arrived on October 8, and after visiting Zion, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Arches, Monument Valley, and the Grand Canyon, we were back in Las Vegas on October 15. The trip yielded a large number of photos, only a few of which are presented in these pages. This is the third of a three-part series; it highlights our visit of Monument Valley and Grand Canyon National Park. From here, you may also access part 1 and part 2 of the series.
On October 13, we drove from Moab, Utah, to Williams, Arizona. About 150 miles (240 kilometeres) into the drive, we stopped at Monument Valley. This is not a National Park but an area that is managed by the Navajo people. Everybody has seen pictures of Monument Valley: the landscape is amazingly familiar from countless movies. At any moment, one expects to run into John Wayne or the Marlboro Man... We spent a little time at the Visitors' Center before embarking on the scenic drive. This is a 17-mile (27 kilometer) drive on an unpaved and incredibly bumpy road. Visibility was hampered by the fact that the wind blew very fine sand across the path so that it was hard to make out the potholes. On a number of occasions, we bottomed out our rental Nissan Altima. Still, the various views made it all worthwhile. After our visit, we drove the remaining 200 miles (320 kilometeres) to Williams, Arizona where we had booked the Quality Inn for two nights.
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An iconic view: the West and East Mittens and Merrick Butte |
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The two Mittens |
View from the Visitors' Center |
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View from the Visitors' Center |
Rock detail |
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Merrick Butte |
Formation |
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Camell Butte |
The Three Sisters |
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View from John Ford's Overlook |
Totem Pole |
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Mistaken identity? |
Elephant Butte |
View from Artist's Point |
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View from Artist's Point |
View from Artist's Point |
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View from Artist's Point |
The Hand |
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A last look from the Visitor's Center |
On the way to Williams, Arizona |
The south rim of the Grand Canyon is roughly 60 miles (96 kilometers) from Williams, a straight drive north on Arizona Route 64. The sheer size of the Grand Canyon is unbelievable. It defies both words and photographic evidence: only by standing on its rim does the enormous expanse begin to register—sort of. For geologists, the Grand Canyon offers incredible variety; the oldest rocks at the bottom of the canyon are some 1.2 billion (yes, with a 'b') years old! Contrary to what most people claim, it is possible to see the Colorado River from the rim (photographic proof below). We spent the entire day exploring the various vistas before heading back to Williams.
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On the Rim Trail near Mather Point |
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Mather Point |
View from the Rim Trail |
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View from the Rim Trail |
View from the Rim Trail |
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Barren tree |
At Pipe Creek Vista |
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Mather Point |
View from the Rim Trail |
Tree at Yaki Point |
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View from the Rim Trail |
Taking a closer look |
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By Yavapai Point |
Zooming in on the Colorado River |
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At Pipe Creek Vista |
By Yavapai Point |
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View from the Rim Trail |
By Yaki Point |
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Back at Mather Point |
Hunter's Moon on Route 64 back to Williams |
On October 15, our Canyon Trip came to an end and we drove back to Las Vegas, our starting point. It would have been silly not to stop at the Hoover Dam since it was on the way and didn't even necessitate a detour. Hoover Dam is what formed Lake Mead, the largest man-made lake in the United States. When full, it contains enough water to cover the entire state of Pennsylvania to a depth of one foot (30 centimeters)! On either side of the dam, spillways allow water to flow around the dam; each spillway can handle an amount of water equivalent to Niagara Falls. The last time the spillways were used was in 1983. Between 1988 and 2015, prolonged draught caused the level of Lake Mead to drop 150 feet (46 meters).
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Hoover Dam |
The view downstream |
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Part of Lake Mead |
Looking toward the Visitors' Center |
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Event Center |
Walking on the dam |
The photos on this page were taken on October 13, 14, and 15, 2016.
These and a few more images of our Canyon Trip are also available in several Web galleries. Check them out!
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