GRAND
CANYON
 Brian
Comerford visited Las Vegas in February 2009.
One of the great advantages of
Las Vegas is its
proximity to other recreational facilities.
Little more than 30 minutes away in one direction are
the ski and snowboard facilities of the
Sierra Nevada
Mountains and in the other direction the water sports
facilities of
Lake Mead.
The greatest attraction of all is that a full day trip
from Las Vegas can leave an unforgettable impression of
the Grand Canyon, one of the
Natural Wonders of the
World and located about 120 miles east of Las Vegas. This is Brian's account of what you
can expect to see in the course of an action packed day
trip from Las Vegas.
" I booked my excursion with
Sightseeing Tours, one
of the longest established Tour Operators providing
tours from Las Vegas.
I opted for the
West Rim Tour
as for $33
extra a
visit to the latest attraction, the Skywalk, can be
added to the tour.
The total tour cost (including the Skywalk) was $297.15 (€240.02)
Try to avoid Fridays as the inwards traffic to Las Vegas
via the
Hoover Dam on the homeward leg of the excursion
can sometimes lead to long delays.
I booked a Thursday. This was an ideal day
for the trip. As a general rule, Tuesdays,
Wednesdays and Thursdays are always a good choice.
Pick-up time from your hotel is approximately 0630.
So that you won't oversleep Sightseeing Tours ask for
your room number and make their own wake-up phone call
to your room about an hour before pick-up.
This is an excellent back-up facility to the usual hotel
wake-up call that you may already have arranged.
Sightseeing Tours have an assembly depot south of Las
Vegas, where you form a line based on the tour booked.
Check in is quite efficient and after that a light
breakfast snack is available before departure.
A fabulous new double-decker coach was used for this
tour with excellent views from the upper-deck.
Again, because it was midweek, the tour was just
comfortably filled.
First transit on route is
Boulder City.
Boulder City grew from the construction of the nearby
Hoover Dam. For visitors with their
own rental car it is worthwhile considering
accommodation in Boulder City at busy weekends as an
alternative to Las Vegas, if Las Vegas weekend prices
exceed your budget. This is not unlike opting to
stay in Naas should prices in Dublin be out of range.
Hotels in Boulder City and Las Vegas can be booked
through the Expedia link at the top of this page.
Bear in mind that there are no casinos in Boulder City!
Gambling is not a state-wide activity in Nevada.
The Hacienda Hotel Casino is outside the County line. Each County has considerable autonomy.
Next stop was the
Hoover Dam. Like the
Shannon Scheme in Ardnacrusha the construction of the
Hoover Dam was an economic lifeline during the
Depression era. Unlike Arnacrusha the
electricity generators are outside, therefore the water
levels have to be carefully monitored. There
is also a very friendly, but thorough, security
presence, as, following September 11th 2001, a chemical,
biological or structural attack on the Hoover Dam could
deal a major blow to the United States or the US
economy.
About an hour further on we stopped at an isolated Gas
Station (with no gas!) to change to smaller coaches.
This was because our journey to the West Rim involved a
26km trip on a dirt road, which was not suitable for our
double-decker.
Grand Canyon West is not part of the Grand Canyon
National Park. It is part of a
North
American Indian Reservation controlled by the
Hualapai
Tribe (pronounced WALL-uh-pie)
Grand Canyon West Airport is just an airstrip for light
aircraft and helicopters.
At check-in we were weighed individually, assigned our
seats and required to view a 10 minute safety video.
I was fortunate enough to be assigned the number 1 seat
beside the pilot, which gave me the opportunity to take
some of the truly memorable photos featured on this
page. I had unobstructed vision in
front and to starboard.
The helicopters usually seat seven passengers.
As two of my fellow passengers were a Northern Ireland
couple on their way home from a Gap Year in Australia,
it was surprising to note that almost 50% of a random
complement on a helicopter trip to the Grand Canyon
Basin were from the Island of Ireland!
February is an ideal month to visit the
Grand Canyon
Basin. When we were briefed before the
helicopter ride we were warned that it can be very hot
at river-level, but I noticed no discernible difference.
In Summer, however, that would not be the case as the
Basin becomes like an oven,
the highest recorded
temperature being 132 degrees F (55C). The
helicopter trips are suspended when the Basin
temperature exceeds 126 degrees.
As will be seen from my photographs, the path to the
jetty is very rough ground. It is important
to wear suitable footwear and to watch your step.
This part of a visit to the Grand Canyon presents huge
obstacles for anyone who is physically disadvantaged.
The boat trip on the Colorado takes about 30 minutes and
involves a trip upriver and coming back to the jetty
downriver. The boat capacity is for about 12
passengers, so there is ample capacity for the seven
passengers from a helicopter.
There were just two boats plying the river that February
day so we did not feel that we were intruding on Nature.
There is a portaloo at the Grand Canyon West Rim Basin
and drinking water supplies are available in five gallon
drums. As I said previously, February was a
good choice for a visit as I did not notice any
difference from the cool temperature at the rim and did
not feel that I needed the drink of water that was
kindly given to me.
Once the helicopters have taken off with returning
passengers and gone above the Rim,
those who have
arrived notice the profound silence. Many
living in our frenetic age might love to bottle this
silence.
I saw no wildlife during my brief visit and as is clear
in the photographs the only vegetation is scrub.
The helicopter trip to the Grand Canyon Basin is just
over approximately 15 minutes each way, but the memory
lasts for a lifetime.
A buffet lunch is provided after the helicopter trip and
is not to universal taste. I would recommend
bringing a packed meal.
The West Rim Skywalk
is the latest visitor attraction at
the Grand Canyon.
The illustrations advertising the Skywalk on the
sides of buses in Las Vegas are somewhat misleading.
These show the Skywalk with what looks
like windows above carved out of the rock face.
That may well have been the original concept.
In fact, it is a semi-circular glass balcony set just
above the Rim and the area looks somewhat unfinished at
present.
It is an advantage to be part of a tour as a bar-coded
wristband is supplied, and this means that you have
priority over any queue that may have formed.
It was not busy the day I visited, so this did not
arise. All cameras and mobile phones have to
be surrendered before the Skywalk and are put away in
lockers.
As I have a problem with heights from the fourth rung of
a house ladder, I was somewhat apprehensive about this
experience.
The central corridor is clear glass and the edges have
an opaque coating...this is called the "chicken-path".
Plastic overshoes are supplied so that soles and heels
do not scratch the glass.
The view through the clear glass is down 4,000 ft to the
bottom. I have no doubt that when this was first
installed it must have been terrifying.
However, the underside is now a little smeared with red
dust droplets and the glass is also somewhat scratched.
Therefore, I still had the impression of a surface under
my feet.
Interestingly, it was men who were most nervous on the
central corridor.
Clearly, the Skywalk is still a work-in-progress.
I was told that a gantry is due to be installed to clean
the underside and that the glass...which came from
Germany... may be replaced.
Even though it was a quiet day there was a traffic
holdup at the Hoover Dam on the return journey to Las
Vegas. The road is a single carriageway and
was adequate in the 1930s.
A four lane
highway to bypass the Hoover Dam is now under
construction. When this is completed the
view of the Hoover Dam and to the other side will be
spectacular. The bridge is being built
outwards from both ends and the hope is that the
Engineers will have got their GPS readings correct when
the arms come to meet in the middle!
Our arrival back in Las Vegas was at approx 7.30p.m.,
making it a long but very memorable day.
There was also the bonus of seeing, from a distance,
the Las Vegas illuminations at night.
I would recommend that anyone considering booking a show
in Las Vegas on the evening of this tour should opt for
the later evening productions which are usually from
9.30p.m. onwards."
Read also:
NEW YORK |
Brian on the Grand Canyon Skywalk
Book flights to Las Vegas
Grand Canyon Panorama
Book flights to USA
The underground Tour Lobby at the Bellagio Hotel
- with marble floor!
Travel Insurance to the USA
This was our double-decker coach.
Another quotation for Travel Insurance
The Hoover Dam
Car Rental in Nevada and Arizona
The Joshua Tree - no sign of U2!
The rental car driver's worst nightmare!
View of boat on Colorado River
Brian at the West Rim Basin
Jetty for the boat trip.
Colorado River mid-point
There was one other boat on the river that day.
View of Grand Canyon and Colorado River from the
helicopter.
Bring strong footwear as the ground is rough.
Base Camp
Helicopter landing.
Another helicopter returns to the rim.
Dry river bed.
This member of the crow family got most of my
supplied lunch!
Artist's impression of the Grand Canyon Skywalk.
The actual appearance of the Grand Canyon
Skywalk at present.
The Hoover Dam By-Pass under construction.
Read also:
LOS ANGELES
SAN FRANCISCO
CALIFORNIA COAST DRIVE
LAS VEGAS |
