Grand Canyon

This week I am reviewing one of the most magical moments from my BlogPaws® trip to America in 2016 which includes a fabulous video.

I have not been at my best since we lost Harvey and Dot in June/July and, as anyone of you who has lost a pet will know, there are times when you just can’t focus well enough to do a post justice.

If you have seen the post already, there are some new photos, and if you have not seen it please enjoy. My video tries to capture one of the world’s natural wonders.

The upside to the post revision is that I have revamped it so that it looks much better, with the images full size, not in a slideshow. Join the B Team and Bentley and Pierre for this week’s post!

• NOTE: The images were taken on a small compact and an iPod Touch which I hope encourages those of you who do not use a DSLR.

The Grand Canyon

Visiting The Grand Canyon was top our list of places to visit after BlogPaws® and, thanks to the services of Steve Gerhart and Arizona Scenic Tours we had the perfect visit.

Steve did all the driving so Paul was able to relax and not stress about ‘driving on the wrong side of the road’. Any British readers will realise how super stressful this would be for us English folk. It not make for an enjoyable holiday break .

• TIP If you think you will never see the Grand Canyon for real, don’t be so sure you never will. The Dash Kitten crew never dreamed I would get to the BlogPaws conference but I did. The lesson here? Never give up on your dreams.

My 2016 Traveller’s Report

[Please note that I use we all the time because Dash Kitten dad Paul was with me for this trip of a lifetime.]

I will begin from our base in Phoenix, AZ after the BlogPaws conference.

The heat in Arizona in June and July can be intense, different from anything we have encountered before. As part of a two-day journey, we hoped to spend a whole afternoon and evening in the Grand Canyon area which is at a higher elevation, and not quite so hot.

The Lowell Observatory

We drove through different geographical areas as we gained height – starting with the desert, home to the astonishing Saguaro Cactus.  Although it is not an endangered species, there are strict regulations governing the treatment of the cactus. It’s bloom is the State Flower of Arizona.

We stopped off at the Lowell Observatory, as Paul is an astronomer by training.

Here, if can you believe it, it rained. Having driven high up from the intense heat of the Sonoran Desert it was welcome though and did not spoil our visit.  

In a very short time, we had climbed high enough to reach an area where rain and snow are much more common than in Phoenix, Arizona!

Visiting The Grand Canyon

We travelled on to see what is truly one of nature’s wonders.

As I say in my video at the bottom of this post, nothing anyone says can describe the impact, on a mere human, of seeing the sheer size and magnificence of the Grand Canyon.

• The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long, up to 18 miles (29 km) in width, and can be over a mile deep (6,093 feet/1,857 meters).

Thanks to Steve’s local knowledge we visited several of the best vantage points around the Canyon, and managed to avoid a lot of the crowds.

We also managed the best seats in the house for a superb sunset which you can see in the video below.  

The key we found was not to rush from place to place but allow plenty of time to see the Canyon from several different vantage points. You need plenty of time, simply to take in the scale of this most amazing of places.

Surprising as it might sound; clouds added drama and interest to the beautiful blue skies, especially towards the sunset. They also added extra depth and shade over the Grand Canyon itself.

Video of The Grand Canyon

The video is longer than our usual presentations (just over 2 minutes) because we aim to give what we hope is an impression of the size and the magnificence of this amazing place.

Please stick with it to the end – it’s worth it!

Our trip to Blogpaws helped launch the blog in a more focused way which has been a real benefit.

The trip also allowed us both to enjoy some of Arizona’s most spectacular treasures including the Heard Museum, the Observatory and Sedona.

And you know what? I have never done a full post on our Sedona trip! I guess I need to share the pictures in a post – right?