The Grand Canyon and Joshua Tree

After saying goodbye to Elvis in the corridor of the MGM Casino, we drove to the Grand Canyon via the historic Route 66.  There is nothing really to see on this long (5 hour) drive except desert and dry hills.  We made a stop in the dusty town of Chloride, for coffee.  Probably laced with silver chloride, from the old silver mine nearby.

Our mission, at Grand Canyon, was a trip down into the depths.  The bus driver of the shuttle which took us to the trailhead called it “one very big hole in the ground”.  It is definitely that, at 5000 feet deep and 275 miles long.  The canyon walls are made up of multi-coloured layers of rock, mainly red, which gives the views a painted-on-canvas look. Looking over from the top at the South Rim is an awesome experience.  The canyon is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

At the trailhead, signs warn against a trip down to the Colorado River and back in a day. Apparently, several people attempting it die each year from exhaustion and dehydration. 

Risking an early demise, we dropped into the void, taking the South Kaibab trail down an eerie ridge. 3000 feet further down, we stopped at the nine mile turnaround marker and weighed up our options.  Either up or down. Dara (taking all the warnings to heart) wisely took the up option, and I took off down to the river. It is steep so it wasn’t too long before all the switchbacks were behind me and I was having lunch on the North side of the river near Phantom Ranch.  Colourful rafts and kayaks belonging to down-river travellers were pulled up on a sandy beach.  It can take 2-3 weeks to paddle down the full length of the canyon.

The uphill was a 3 hour slog, requiring several water stops.  After seeing the sun set, we rewarded ourselves with pizza and beer at the Pizzeria in Tusaya just outside the National Park. The wine list offered “Marloborough (sic) Sauvignon Blanc, from Australia”. 

Our next stop was 29 Palms, gateway to the Joshua Tree National Park. These trees and the surrounding desert inspired U2's famous Joshua Tree album.  They also look very similar to Dr Suess’s spiky trees and are not unlike our own Cabbage Tree.  Exploring the Park was a delight.  Loads of Joshua trees obviously, yukka plants, some with huge flowers, ruins from an old gold mine, views of the San Andreas Fault line, and in the distance the Salton Sea (235 feet below sea level).  For a desert it wasn’t that hot.  There was new snow on the nearby Mt Jacinto and a chilly breeze.

On the drive back to 29 Palms we drove past the Marine Corps Airborne Combat Centre.  One of the monuments on the side of the road was a large old bomb sticking into the ground!  Many shops in town have signs welcoming the troop’s home from their tours.

A long drive the next day took us back the Wine Country just north of Los Angeles.  It was not pleasant seeing the sky turn from blue to dense brown.  The pollution is from motor vehicles, power stations and industry in the LA basin. In some areas the road is bordered by a huge number of ugly oil pumps, nodding their heads like giant toy dinosaurs. We passed by a massive beef farm, thousands of cattle beasts in corals eating feed through barred fences.  Also vast acreage of orange plantations, almond and pistachio farms.  This scale of agriculture is something we’d hate to see at home.  It is not pretty.

Click here to see photos of Grand Canyon and Joshua Tree