TBJ TRAVELS USA 8: Grand Canyon Tour + Hello Arizona

It's always a sad time when you have to end a vacation; in this case, it's always sad to end a travel blog post series because that means my reminiscing is somewhat over LOL. But we have to get back to regular programming now and that is BEAUTY!

For the last day of our USA 'tour', let's go to Arizona and visit the Grand Canyon, dubbed as one of the most scenic natural wonders in the world, plus some of the top spots on this side of Arizona!

GRAND CANYON- one of the most iconic natural wonders in the USA. Mostly located in Arizona, this sprawling ecosystem of rocks, rivers, valleys, and streams run for 277km long, 18 feet wide, and 6,093 feet deep. It was carved and perfected by nature for the last 70 years and despite research and advancements in geology and natural science, a lot of scientists are still baffled as to how this magnificent land mass was formed; the agreed semi-hypothesis is there used to be channels of water running on top of what was once a bulk of land and overtime, water eroded the land downwards and formed the canyon that we know today.

HOW TO GET TO THE GRAND CANYON FROM LAS VEGAS

I ain't going to advise like a seasoned, bargain hunter traveler and advise you to patch up your Grand Canyon visit as you go; I'd suggest BOOK A TOUR. It's the easiest way not to mention the safest because it's a long trip and once you get to this side of Arizona, it's pretty much desert land and it will be hard for you to find help in case you need it.

I booked our Grand Canyon tour via KKDay; it's a luxury day trip to the South Rim complete with snacks, stopovers, and transfers to and fro Las Vegas. South Rim is located at Kingsman, Arizona and they say this is the most scenic portion of the canyon; Las Vegas is the nearest state to this side of the Grand Canyon, take note, so don't miss it when you visit.

We left Las Vegas at about 7am and travel time is three hours including stopovers at some of the best spots before reaching the canyon.

FIRST STOP: HOOVER DAM

If you have seen one of the movies of Transformers, this spot may be familiar to you; this is Hoover Dam, the largest water reservoir in the USA.

After 40 minutes of traveling, we finally crossed the Nevada-Arizona state line and arrived at our first stop: HOOVER DAM.

Hoover Dam is both an engineering marvel and a pretty sad event for nature. Built in the 21st century to tame the raging Colorado river, it's amazing to know that those who built this gigantic water reservoir have made it happen with little advanced tools and just a sheer amount of determination, will, and passion. 

However, just like all dams, this is unnaturally placed; the controlling and redirecting of the Colorado River by the dam has caused the formation of Lake Mead, a man- made lake that serves as a water reservoir for Arizona, Nevada, and other neighboring states; dams can have a negative impact on nature because aside from massive land use, it creates more bodies of water than a landscape should have that can lead to changes in temperature and affect its ecosystem.

One of the USA's tallest bridges as well can be found on Hoover Dam; it's called the Hoover Dam Bypass. The engineers of the dam before wanted to put a bridge between these two rocks to cut down travel time on both sides of the dam; a lot said that it's pretty impossible to build a straight bridge between two unevenly- shaped rocks.

But they did! Our tour guide said that the solution to this bridge was inspired by a science class project of an egg and a spoon; forgot the details of this one because I was just marveling at all the structures and zoning in and out of his talk, but one thing's for sure: it's an engineering marvel!

Vehicles pass by the bridge and that's what our bus driver did; however, vehicles can't stay on the bridge for too long because as you can see, it is slim and not designed to carry a lot of vehicles unlike major highways and thoroughfares.

We passed the bridge for a bird's eye view of the dam and to see this beauty:

The Great Colorado river! I swear, this is more majestic in person! And we were so high up the dam! What a marvelous feeling!

SECOND STOP: ROUTE 66

Not really a stop, but more of passing; on the way to the Grand Canyon, we passed the historic Route 66.

What's so historic with Route 66? 

Because it was the symbol of a developing America. Established in 1926, Route 66 is a long highway that used to host millions of vehicles for people traveling between the West and East Coast (California to Chicago). It is also called the "Mother Road" because it stretches for 3,940kms and was once the major highway in the United States (this is why road trips are popular in the US!). The unveiling of Route 66 also signaled change for far flung communities as it ran through a lot of states, giving people access to a first major highway as well as more opportunities. 

However, Route 66 is no longer the major highway as it used to be since the improvements in mass transportation, but it still remains as one of the longest highways in the US and we can't deny the many advancements it has contributed to US mass transportation.

In pop culture, Route 66 was mentioned in The Grapes of Wrath by novelist John Steinbeck, singer Nat King Cole's (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 song, and a namesake television series by CBS.

And the best part about Route 66? No traffic!

THIRD STOP: COPPER CART

Copper Cart is a drive-by garage that has a store, soda fountain, and car sale located along Route 66.

Also in here, you will find Historic Seligman Sundries, a vintage soda fountain shop, gift shop, and museum; what's so historic about it is housed in one of the oldest buildings along Seligman, Arizona  built in 1904!

Another cool fact about Copper Cart? This is the place that inspired the hit Disney movie, Cars! Check out this old Ford truck; reminds you of Mater of Cars', right? I believe the cars here are not for sale anymore; they're just for display.

FOURTH STOP: WESTFIELD LILO'S

5 minutes away from Copper Cart is Westfield Lilo's, dubbed as one of the best restaurants along Route 66.

We stopped by for refreshments and to pick up their highly- recommended Carrot Cake that the tour guide has charmingly teased as "a slice of cake that's as big as a wedding cake" and I couldn't agree more.

You know what? This carrot cake is AMAZING; super rich cream cheese icing with just the right sweetness and buttery, chocolatey, carrot cake base. One of the best things I have eaten in the US! Also one of their best- selling cakes is the Coconut Cream Pie.

FINAL STOP: GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK

Finally, after three hours of traveling, we have arrived at our main destination: GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK.

The Grand Canyon Tour activity goes like this: the driver will drop everyone off at the starting point and everyone has to hike for about 2 miles all the way to Angel's point, the end of the walking trail where the bus will pick everyone up. We were given 3 hours to complete the trail. We got there at 1PM and the guide told us to be at Angel's Point at exactly 4PM for departure to Las Vegas.

You have the option to book a guided walking tour on the day or just proceed with a self- guided tour. If you don't want to walk as well, you can inform the tour guide and they'll just take you all the way to Angel's Point and wait for everyone to arrive. My mom and I went for a self- guided tour.

The Grand Canyon is massive and majestic! I literally cried the first time I laid eyes on it! It was more beautiful than how the books painted it, and it was also such a memorable moment for me because ever since I was a kid, the canyon has always been on my must- visit bucket list. It was a dream come true moment for a girl with humble beginnings like me.

The walking trail was fairly easy and comfortable; the trail was paved, there were enough trees that offer shade, and there were benches scattered everywhere so you can take a break from all the walking. My mother, who hates walking, was able to finish the walking tour; it's testament to how comfortable the entire tour is. Halfway along the tour, you'll get to Yavapai Information Center where you can take a break, take a leak, and have some refreshments.

17 people died in the Grand Canyon just this year mostly because of human error; despite warnings, tourists would still come close to the edge of the canyon, take selfies by the rim, hang by the cliff portions, and do jump shots by the edge all for the sake of that instagrammable shot. Most deaths were caused by falling off the edge, tipping over, and being swept up and into the canyon by the raging winds that go around it.

You have to take care of yourself when you are visiting natural wonders; the Grand Canyon is not an exception.

Also, please follow Grand Canyon National Parks' rules; do not litter, do not smoke within the vicinity of the canyon, dispose trash properly, do not deface property and any part of the canyon, do not destroy natural fauna around the canyon, and do not harm or get close to wild animals living in the area.

The Grand Canyon is beautiful. It is free for us to enjoy. But we must treat it with utmost respect because it is only one of its kind and we should take part in preserving it for the many people and animals that depend on it.

By 4pm, we reached Angel's Point. We were also blessed to see a wild Elk drinking at one of the fountains. Btw, the fountains produce fresh spring water and they said that it's potable!

TIP: Do not get close to wild animals because you can get seriously hurt!

By 7PM, we stopped by In N Out along the way for dinner. By 9:30 PM, we were back at Bally's Hotel to rest and prepare for our flight to Manila the next day.

The Grand Canyon tour we booked with KKDay was amazing; the driver and tour guide, charmingly called Cruz and Carlito were very professional, funny, and they made sure every one was taken care of. I'll surely book with them again, but I hope KKDay would provide the name of the operator upon confirmation because we almost missed the bus at the beginning of the tour!

And that marks the end of our travel blog series in the USA. I hope you enjoyed it and found lots of useful tips and insights; most of all, I hope its has inspired you to finally plan that West Coast trip!

Check out my USA itinerary:

TBJ TRAVELS USA 1: Hello San Diego California + Places to Visit

TBJ TRAVELS USA 2: Dining and Shopping in San Diego

TBJ TRAVELS USA 3: Hello Los Angeles + Places to Visit

TBJ TRAVELS USA 4: Shopping and Dining in Los Angeles + Travel Guide

TBJ TRAVELS USA 5: Hello Las Vegas + Free Things to do in Las Vegas + Travel Guide

TBJ TRAVELS USA 6: Dining and Shopping in Las Vegas

TBJ TRAVELS USA 7: Disney California Adventure + Maxpass Tips