Tour in Arizona

We enter the State from Nevada crossing the bridge over the Hoover Dam, the great dam on the Colorado River. We stop in a rest area to admire the barrier from above marked by two towers then we continue south in a stony desert where we encounter very little traffic despite the wide roads and in excellent condition. In Kingman we take the detour for the famous Route 66, once the only connecting road between east and west so much so that it was considered the backbone of the States, now it is semi-abandoned and frequented almost exclusively by tourists who move between Chicago and Los Angeles. Many travelers travel this long road entirely which crosses numerous States, we prefer to have a short taste of it in the stretch that leads to Peach Sprigs and then return to the more comfortable Interstate 40.

On Route 66 we see abandoned gas stations and rest stops, a dusty road surface and little traffic. We stop in a service area survived for tourist use, it still has the old gas pump, numerous relics of its glorious past and some vintage cars. Inside the emporium are displayed autographed photos of Hollywood actors in memory of their stop here. A register is made available to travelers to leave a trace of their passage and so one of my companions leafs through the pages and finds the signature of his daughter and her boyfriend who arrived here a few days earlier. We continue on Route 66 looking for a rest stop, some signs would seem to indicate them but when we approach we discover they are abandoned places. After a few kilometers we finally find a place where it is possible to have lunch, the environment is spartan but the ladies who run it are very sociable.

With a full stomach we continue our journey returning to the easy Interstate which we leave at Flagstaff to head for the Grand Canyon. Before reaching the destination we stop at the two small airports of Tusayan to get information on the plane and helicopter flights that fly over the canyon, but the first departures will be the next morning and the cost is high so we give up. At the entrance of the Park we buy from the Ranger the small pass that will allow us to visit without further payments a good part of the natural attractions of our trip. After a few minutes we are on the edges of the Grand Canyon which we admire from above, the fracture is however so large that it is difficult to understand its real dimensions even if the formations that open below us are very beautiful. We wait for the sunset, the moment when the canyon constantly changes shades of color.

At the end of this spectacle of nature, having verified that the accommodations of Grand Canyon Village are full, we leave the Park and return to Tusayan where we find a place in a very decent motel. Before going to bed we go out to have dinner in a characteristic western-style Steackhouse, quite expensive but with a nice atmosphere. In the West the most typical dish is a tall rare steak served with a whole potato cooked in the oven and crumpled in a sheet of aluminum foil, sometimes they even put a roasted ear of corn on your plate. We return to the Motel for the overnight stay.

The next morning we have an abundant breakfast in the hotel then we return to the Park to see the canyon under the morning light. Near the village a rubber-tired little train leaves that leads to some of the most interesting panoramic points of the canyon without however arriving at the end of the road because a part of it is closed for works. After various intermediate stops at each of which you take the next little train we return to the Village where we make a quick visit to the Visitor Center and the Museum. We take back our car left near the railway line traveled by an old-style train and leave the Park taking the East Rim Drive which offers further panoramic points of the canyon from different angles.

From above you notice the trails traveled by hikers who with a long walk reach the bottom of the canyon which is an Indian reserve while a helicopter flies over the numerous crevices much more easily. In the locality of Tusayan, not to be confused with the homonymous place where we slept, there are the remains of an Indian village and a small museum that preserves furnishings of the Native Americans. Shortly after we leave the Park and continue to Page, a small town near Lake Powell where we get information to visit Antelope Canyon which is however already closed. We skirt the lake entering the Glen Canyon Park. Powell is an artificial lake created by a dam on the Colorado which with its waters has covered the bottom of a canyon forming a surreal environment with ochre and pink colors.

On the shores of the lake there is a small harbor where numerous houseboats used by tourists are moored. Back in Page we take lodging in a motel and have dinner in the nearby steackhouse which offers in addition to large steaks the possibility of a self-service salad. With our stomach filled we return to the Motel to sleep.

The following morning we return to the Steackhouse, this time for breakfast, but we don't find it as good as the evening before and the staff is unpleasant. After eating we go to one of the many agencies specialized in the Antelope and we leave aboard large trucks. Two of my companions find a place next to the driver while I with the other friend travel on the open truck bed. Traveling along a sand road in the middle of a desert of ochre stones where the wheels of the vehicles move quickly we reach a narrow crevice in the rock, the Antelope Canyon. On foot we walk following the guide inside the narrow canyon among stones that seem to twist one into the other, the sunlight filters with difficulty illuminating with strange effects this environment halfway between an enchanted landscape of a fairy tale and a surrealist painting.

The Antelope is not large but it is certainly particular, the cost of the excursion is high because it can only be done with a guide and a part of the ticket is in favor of the Indian reserve to which it belongs. We return to Page and having taken back our car we continue in the direction of Monument Valley. After having traveled almost 100 kilometers one of my companions realizes he has forgotten his cell phone on the window ledge of the motel room so we return to Page to look for it but it will be useless because the boy in charge of cleaning will have presumably already appropriated it. Adding insult to injury, 200 kilometers round trip traveled more and no phone. Near Kayenta a strong downpour surprises us, we prefer to wait for it to stop in a McDonald's.

Once the rain is over we reach the entrance to Monument Valley in full Indian reserve so since it is not a National Park we have to pay the ticket. The monoliths of Monument Valley are also visible from the highway but passing beside them is a whole other thing, among other things our SUV allows us to easily tackle the dirt road of the Park. These large characteristic stones are very familiar because we have seen them in numerous western films with John Wayn. Those films were directed by John Ford to whom one of the most beautiful observation points is dedicated. It seems to be catapulted as if by magic into one of the many films of this genre and we admire these truly monumental monoliths. Leaving the Park we wait for the sun to set on Monument Valley from the road that as soon as we exit enters Utah (also part of the Monument is in Utah).

For the record, on the way back from Utah and before re-entering Nevada we traveled a short stretch of road in Arizona territory traveling the 15 near Littlefield. Here we also exited in search of a rest stop but the only place found seemed rather gloomy to us so we returned to the highway continuing the journey. A truly lost corner of America, a frontier village in a desolate place. Perhaps in the U.S.A. there is still a bit of the Far West!!