Before I actually visited Arizona, I never pegged it to be one of those beautiful places that would go down on my list as a favorite. Call me ignorant, but every time I heard the word ‘Arizona’ all I could picture was lots of sun and heat. The mental image I had was probably close to that of a desert. Until one of my friends visited and could not stop talking about the beauty of the canyons.
So a close friend and I decided to take a trip to Arizona and check the beauty out for ourselves. Being working girls, we had only a two day weekend to do that. We planned a power packed trip, determined to soak in as much of the beauty as possible. Luckily we visited in early April, which was when the tourist season for the canyons was just about to begin.
We left work and flew into Phoenix, Arizona from different cities one late Friday night and geared up for the two-day journey. Early next morning we set out on our drive to The Grand Canyon National Park. This of course after a long battle with the rental car stereo to figure out how to play our music (FYI, we lost and had to listen to the radio all through the trip) followed by a quick breakfast.
The drive to Grand Canyon from Phoenix, Arizona was about 3 and a half hours (Crazy scenic and makes you wish you weren’t driving). We made it in plenty of time to explore the park. We spent all evening just taking in the enormity of it all.
Something about the canyons sends you into a trance trying to digest the realization of how tiny you are compared to the vast universe. A little reflecting and a lot of photo sessions later, we finally left the Grand Canyon National Park to make our way to Page, Arizona because the next attraction on our list was the Antelope Canyon.
Somehow when we left the Grand Canyon, we ended up taking a route which drove us through the Canyons, out to Page. What started out as a simple wrong turn, ended up being the most breathtaking drive. As we drove out of the Canyon and moved closer to Page the sun set and suddenly it was pitch dark. All we could see was the road in front of us (thanks to the headlights of our car) and the stars shining brightly up above. We had no clue if it was water, land or mountains on either side of the road.
In the rush of our corporate city lives, we often don’t know what we are missing until we find ourselves at such places, where the beauty of nature is so overpowering that we are blown away. That drive to Page, Arizona was one such experience to me. We arrived at Page quite late that night and once we checked into our hotel, we turned in almost immediately.
The thing about Page that I could never forget was how I felt the next morning when I finally stepped out of the hotel room ready to explore the new city. Having arrived at night, we had limited visibility and so everything was basically pitch dark. Page looked like a small town that one would usually stop over at during a long drive. In the light of morning though, Page is absolutely stunning. Surrounded by canyons that were practically invisible the previous night.
It was Sunday morning and we set out to see the Antelope Canyon. (PRO TIP: Carry cash for the tours. We didn’t and had to drive back out to a nearby Walmart for cash) This particular Canyon is one of a kind. I fall short of words to describe what the experience was like.
To say it in a few words, the tour was a dusty jeep-drive on the sands to reach what I would call a cave with a sunroof, followed by an end to end tour through the cave, which is the Antelope Canyon and lots of pictures during. The tour guides even prep you on camera settings before entering the cave/canyon and they also give you famous photo ideas inside.
It was a one of a kind experience. We planned to visit Horseshoe Bend next which was about 20 minutes away, but couldn’t manage to cram that into the trip due to other commitments. For those of you who have the rest of the day before flying out though, Horseshoe Bend would be a great stop to add. If you are actually planning a longer trip, be sure to stop by Sedona for some star gazing as well. I will have to go back to experience that some day.
We flew out late Sunday night in perfect time to be back at work Monday morning. A hectic but refreshing weekend with memories to keep forever. The beauty far out-shined the stress of our jam packed travel schedule.
A trip to remember. Which would you pick for a quick getaway? Water, Mountains or Canyons? Let me know in the comments below.
