We start this brand new week with a brand new state, well actually it is
a pretty old one :-). Arizona obviously is called as The Grand Canyon
State. Though we saw some of the best canyons in Utah, the
biggest of them all is in Arizona. Though it is big, we still think
its not the prettiest. Part of the reason we think is that its not
easily accessible.
To rant about Arizona there are arid deserts and colourful canyons as
always. The people here are hard working but probably not as gifted
with riches as other states are. Around Grand Canyon you are surprised
by thick vegetation and cold forests that does not belong to Arizona.
Lots of this state is protected as Indian Reservations. These
reservations are self governed and have theri own set of laws and
regulations. When travelling in the back roads of this state its a
good idea to aquaint yourself with some local stuff...
The first monument we visited here was the Four Corners
Monument, AZ. If you notice in the picture above both of us are
standing in two different states (making it four in all). The states
of AZ, UT, CO and New Mexico meet here in the God-help-us middle of
nowhere place :-)>
One of the best sites in this area is the Monument Valley,
AZ. Though this photo does not do it justice this is a place worth
visiting, particularly at sunset/sunrise.
The Grand Canyon !! One of the most visited sites in the
world. Unfortuately the haze and the distance does not allow you to
get clear pics...
More Grand Canyon !
Sun sets over the grand canyon bringing out the colours in
the rocks...
Yet another view...
This is a fort built on top of the Grand Canyon walls. Ajay
strikes a pose in this building here.
The travellers at Grand Canyon, AZ
Nevada
We are now entering Ne-vah-duh !! We guess that hardly anybody would
be knowing where the state of Nevada is... Infact the number should be
less than 0.5% of the US population. But ask them where Las Vegas is -
almost every one would know !! Well Nevada is the state that has Las
Vegas :-). What a difference Gambling does !!
Nevada continues to be the drier country. Its called as the The
Silver State. No the name does not come from the gambling fame,
but it comes because of the number of silver mining industries in this
state. Our travails of this beautiful state are limited to Las Vegas
and the like. So it will take us another trip to say anything
substantial of this state... One thing is for sure - most of the
things that happen in this state, happen after the sun goes down. If
you notice all the pics down are taken in the night !! NV could be
called as Night Life State :-)
We start with one of the most visited artificial structures
in the world - The Hover Dam, NV. This dam gest lighted up at night
and this picture was taken at twilight. This dam is one of the biggest
supplying water and electricity around this place.
Lights, camera action - This is the place where a famed
pirates show happens in the night. The Treasure Island Casino at Las
Vegas, NV
Another view of the Treasure Island
Deepa poses with Julius Caesar and Co in Caesar's palace
Casino, Las Vegas
Another of those marvels of Las Vegas, NV. This is the
Excalibar Casino - right out of the fairy tales...
The Luxor Casino. This has the speciality that its built
like a pyramid.
California
Here we come California, The Golden State. We are closing in on
our destination ! CA is one of the biggest states in the US. It is
also easily the most varied - in a distance of about 3 hours drive you
could go from one of the hottest points in the USA to one of the
coldest !! Its really amazing how so many natural things can be
sustained in one state. One initially thinks that the name golden
state comes from the pristine golden beaches on this pacific coast.
However thats not true, the name comes from the last century's Gold
Rush era.
On this trip we had not planned much site seeing in CA. We are now
going to stay in this state !! Hence all the site seeing will be done
along the year :-). However here some pics...
We start off with a pose that Ajay strikes at Badwater,
Death Valley, National Park, CA. This is one of the most famous spots
in DV NP. The elevation here is 85 mtrs (280 ft) below see level !! The
temperature then was a sizzling 42.2 degC (108 degF) then !!
The artists drive in DV is a nice 9 mile drive. These
mountains are a part of this drive. It winds around multi-coloured
mountains and formations
The Death Valley has its own version of the Sand Dunes. If
you can spot people in there then you have very good eyes :-)
One of the most famous landscapes in the desert is the
Joshua tree. Here is a nice little "forest" of Joshua trees !! They
can grow much taller than a person.
