A Surprising Day at the Grand Canyon
If there is one place that perfectly fits the phrase “Pictures don’t do it justice”, it is the Grand Canyon. It is just impossible for a picture to capture the amount of detail that eyes can perceive when looking at something so immense.
Background
After having spent two days in Sedona, Paulina and I were now on our way to one of the seven natural wonders of the world. I have seen the Grand Canyon countless times on television, and it never really captured my attention. I thought it was just a hole in the ground. I mean… what could be so impressive about it? But then again… it is a natural world wonder so there must be something impressive about it.
Paulina, on the other hand, was eager to see the Grand Canyon. She made it very clear that she did not want to miss it. I’m still not sure if she came to visit me or to see the Grand Canyon… I like to think it was me…
We drove for two hours to a very nice hotel called The Grand Hotel at the Grand Canyon. It is located only a few minutes away from the Grand Canyon National Park and has a bar restaurant, an indoor pool and jacuzzi, and a modern gym. The gym is typically something I enjoy using if time allows. The room we received, on the other hand, was a little awkward. It had the handwashing sink outside the bathroom and the layout itself was a little strange. We really enjoyed having a delicious blue moon beer with a slice of orange at the restaurant’s bar after being all day outside.
Grand Canyon National Park
After leaving our stuff in the room, we made our way to the Grand Canyon National Park. We encountered a short line of cars to enter the park. During the five-minute drive to the parking lot, we saw lots of elk on the side of the road.
Not knowing much about the Grand Canyon National Park layout, we parked on the first lot. We were not really intending to go for a long hike since we did not arrive early enough for it.
We made our way towards the direction where most people were heading. At a distance, we were able to see a fence, however, we could not really make out what was on the other side. But the closer we got, the clearer the image became of one of the most impressive sights we had ever seen in our lives.
The Grand Canyon was in no way just a hole in the ground. For me, it was a humble reminder of my diminutiveness in the world. Its gigantic and impressive cliffs created a scene like no other. They provoked a similar sensation to when thinking about the universe’s immensity, except here, the Grand Canyon’s immensity can be captured with your own eyes.
After having realized this was not a dream, something else began grabbing our attention… So many people were dangerously risking their lives taking selfies near the end of cliffs. We stayed mostly in the paved and fenced areas unless it looked safe to walk near the end of a cliff.
We walked, talked, and rejoiced the southern rim’s different perspectives of the canyon. At some point, we became hungry. Luckily, there were a few restaurants in the park. After eating, we concluded our day watching the beautiful sunset.
Final throughts
Our day at the Grand Canyon was simple, yet very fulfilling. That same night, however, something unprecedented happened in the country. The U.S. president announced that the country was officially closing its borders to curb the spread of Coronavirus. Paulina became concerned since she was not in her home country and our time together was barely starting. This moment, unfortunately, marked the beginning of a very challenging time. For us, it meant that she could not visit me in the U.S. until the country reopens its borders.
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