Desert Landscapes
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8 / 10
Hoover Dam
Things just keep getting bigger over here. From the Hollywood Sign to the buildings in Vegas to the Hoover Dam. And that bridge in the photo below is enormous as well. While the picture doesn't show it well, it is an impressive structure!
5 / 10 (the dam)
9 / 10 (the bridge)
Matching Shirts
"Take me to your dam leader"... it's got the dam, it's got aliens (see also "Roswell" in the next post), it's got a bad pun, what else does one need. Neither of us could resist getting it. Hilarious times.
9.5 / 10
Grand Canyon Hotel
We stayed here in the town of Williams for two nights. Our room had the bathrooms at ground level and the beds in a loft; the loft got a little close to the ceiling. Katie and I tied 4-4 in the "who accidentally hits their head on the ceiling most often" competition. In the background of the photo you can also see a double bed mattress on a single bed base, with single bed sheets. And the shower was the worst I've experienced since this one a few years ago; high and uncontrollable water pressure + very narrow streams + very small shower recess = pain, like being stabbed with needles as you wash. The room also had no windows.
4 / 10
Pie
We finally found something resembling a stereotypical American diner. Booths, green and white checkered table cloths, in a small town. The perfect place to order a slice of pie - just like they do in on TV and in the movies. But yeah, good luck getting your stomach around one of these after already getting through a US-sized meal beforehand. Oh, the cream. The delicious piles of flavoured cream...!
< I would insert a delicious picture here, but it seems no one has a decent one to insert >
7 / 10
Grand Canyon
It's just a big hole in the ground, but... Wow!
9 / 10
Helicopter Flight Over Grand Canyon
It's still just a big hole in the ground, but... WOW!! Extra good times for the pilot playing a soundtrack including Danger Zone as we flew low over the forest towards the canyon, and Also Sprach Zarathustra (the "2001: A Space Odyssey" song) as we first flew over the edge.
9.5 / 10
Snow
For those who've not been to the Grand Canyon, and want to do a helicopter ride when they do go... do the helicopter flight before you go and see the canyon on foot. If you do, you're first sight of it will probably be an 11/10. We had to go back the next day because our original flight was cancelled due to snow. There wasn't enough to get the skis out, but there was visible flakes in the air and on our clothes a couple of times during out day at the big hole in the desert.
4 / 10
Tears in the space-time continuum
On Pier 39 in San Francisco, there was a place advertising a "7D" experience. We didn't check it out, but we got our own advanced-physics adventure at the Grand Canyon. Apparently it's not just a hole in the ground, but a hole in time as well. After wandering a few hundred meters along a certain track we came across this:
The phenomenon is cleverly disguised as an educational walk giving the history of the canyon, but we saw through the charade.
6 / 10
Monument Valley
Landscapes just as beautiful as the Grand Canyon, just not as awe-inspiring. Favourite shooting location for John Wayne movies (among others, including Back To The Future 3). I'm not sure what there was more of: red dirt, or Navajo Indian jewelry for sale.
8 / 10
Off-roading in a Mazda 5
The road leading among the various stone formations of Monument Valley is a dirt track. Looking out over it from the Visitor's Center it appeared to be a nice flat hard-packed dirt track. Five slow, rough, steep, rocky minutes later we reached the first stopping area... then turned around and went back.
1 / 10 (for quality)
9.5 / 10 (adventure factor!)
