Torkjel's travel blogs:
- Saipan and Tinian of the Northern Marianas,... 2006
- Vietnam, rich in history, beaches and delecious... 2005
- Guam, a perfect getaway from the madness... 2005
- Living in and travels in Japan, from... 2005
- Visiting my friend Erik in Stockholm. 2004
- My long way home after three years... 2004
- Around the world trip from November 2003... 2003
- Arigatou, Kamsahamnida and Terima kasih. I swept... 2003
- Around the world trip from November 2002... 2002
- Trip around the Philippines July, 2002. 2002
- Visiting my friend Trygve in Newcastle, UK. 2004
- Hong Kong and Guangdong, China. 2001
- We went to Paris to see Jean-Michel... 1995
- From south to north of Norway and... 1991
- Germany 1990, the remains of the Berlin... 1990
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Grand Canyon
Entry 11 of 23 | show all | print this entry |
Hoover Dam
On the way to the Grand Canyon we stopped by Hoover Dam which is just on the border between Nevada and Arizona. The concrete wall is 220 meters high, resulting in the creation of the 180 km long Lake Mead which is popular for boating and fishing.
Do you remember the movie scenes in Superman when the dam starts breaking? No wonder Hoover Dam has become a possible terrorist target since the September 11 attacks. Only dam personnel are allowed to enter the structure and on the way, all cars are stopped for "inspection".
Joshua Tree Forest
Luckily we were allowed to pass and soon entered Arizona. The landscape is a wasteland with just a few bushes here and there. But then suddenly we enter the oldest forest in the US, the Joshua tree forest.
The trees here live up to 1500 years and haven't changed since the age of the dinosaurs. They only grow in specific height over sea level so as we drove higher they would all disappear out of sight. Some of the reason for their long-lived success is the pines which are very unappetizing to most animals.
Grand Canyon
Finally, after a 30 mins bumpy ride from The Joshua Tree Forest, we reached the Grand Canyon national park. The area is owned by Indians so you need some kind of permission to enter it ($$$). We got this at some sort of Café where we got free coffee and Indian propaganda.
Grand Canyon is the second most popular national park in America which doesn't surprise me after seeing it! The canyon is 365 km long and nearly 16 km wide, and the multicolored rock strata go down a mile to the Colorado River below.
You may think your life is complete just to stand at the edge and look down at one-third of the earth's geologic history (though from the top you can't see the 1.7 billion year old rocks at the bottom).
I am glad I brought my binoculars this day. At the bottom, what looked like a tiny rowboat was actually a bigger passenger boat, and what looked like small bushes were actually big trees. Of all the places I've been in the world, Grand Canyon will always be among the most astonishing sights I've ever seen.
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