It was fun to have a look around all the alien memorabilia, and there is an abundance of museums here, but if you have to go out of your way to visit this place then it's not really worth it.
Our stop for the night was in the city of Santa Fe. It was really cool to see the Adobe architecture here, which has a strong Spanish/Mexican influence. We wandered around the stalls looking at the gifts and souvenirs, but if you wander up to the oldest church then you can get some really cool photos of the scenery.
That night we stopped at an authentic Mexican restaurant (we were in New Mexico after all), and stayed in a motel for the night.
After a very long and bumpy 8 hours of driving the following day, we finally arrived at our next destination: Monument Valley.
The scenes here were breathtaking, and it snapped you from reality into the middle of a Wild West scene. A lot of Western films have been filmed here and you really feel like you are in a movie set.
We took a jeep tour with a native Navajo guide around the protruding rock formations, and got to climb them as well as look at a traditional hut that the Navajo tribe would sleep in. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't on our side here, and it started to rain which made the jeep journey very cold. It was a lot of fun still and made for some great pictures.
We settled in for the night at a very local motel, which had the best view of the surroundings! Seriously, when I opened the door in the morning, the surrounding rocks looked fake! As we began the next part of our journey, we stopped at the famous Forrest Gump road.
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| View from our hotel room |
If you've ever seen the film, then this is the scene where he is running and suddenly stops and says 'I'm tired. I'll think I'll go home now.' Naturally, we filmed ourselves recreating the scene and running up the road!
The next destination was one I was most excited about seeing: The Grand Canyon!
I have always wanted to experience the Grand Canyon, and oh my, it did not disappoint! Just driving in is breathtaking enough!
Our tour leader blindfolded us and lead us to the edge, before telling us to open our eyes. This was definitely a highlight! I cannot even describe in words how amazing the grand canyon is. The pictures here just do not do it justice. You simply have to experience it for yourself to understand what I am talking about. I recommend that people go to the Grand Canyon at least once in their lifetime, you will not be disappointed.
We stayed in a nearby village in the Red Feather Lodge hotel, which was actually my favourite hotel of the whole trip. No idea why but I just found it really cosy!
The next day we woke up at 4am to prepare for our hike into the Grand Canyon. This hike is dangerous stuff, and people die from the extreme conditions in the canyon! The heat can be unbearable, and it is so easy to slip and fall off the edge, so I was feeling a little apprehensive about it.
Luckily, we had good weather conditions where it was overcast at first and then it rained. It just meant that we didn't have to battle with the heat and dehydration.
Seeing the sunrise is an experience I'll never forget, and even if you just venture a little into the canyon, you will experience the vastness of this natural wonder. Once inside, the views are breathtaking and you can escape reality to appreciate plant Earth and what has formed. Our hike was the Plateau point, which is 6 miles down and 6 miles up. I didn't hike the whole way because it started to rain at the bottom which made me worried about getting out of there!
As the rain became heavier, the rocks became more slippery and it did make me worried about rock slides! At one point, the clouds were so low that I couldn't see more than 10m in front of me, which is a little worrying considering that one step could send you plunging down the edge!
We finally made it to the top though, and it's safe to say we were very sore and freezing! The hotel was perfect to come back to a hot shower and a comfy bed. I got straight into comfy clothes and just rested after an impressive hike.
Of course the hike is optional, but this is called Trek America and it would be a shame to miss out on this experience. Even walking a little bit is worth it.
After an intense day, I had one of the best sleeps of the trip. Maybe that's why I loved the hotel so much.
Stay tuned for my next post which features a helicopter ride over the canyon, Vegas and San Diego!
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