There come certain experiences in life which leave you no choice but to simply stand and stare in awe. My encounter with the Grand Canyon was one of these.
I remember learning about the different types of rocks in 3rd grade. Mrs Nundee, our class teacher had shown us a picture of the Grand Canyon and told us that not only did the Canyon contain all the three main types of rock in abundance, but that the numerous layers of rock dated back to near the beginning of the Earth. The bottom most layers are as old as the Earth itself!
At that time, I had simply found this an interesting piece of information, as I ‘ooh-ed’ and ‘aah-ed’ with the rest of my classmates. I never guessed then, that I would ever be able to actually stand at the top of the Canyon and encounter the magnificent creation.
We journeyed from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon. The drive was quite an experience in itself! As the landscape melted slowly from desert to forests and red rock, my family had trouble stopping me from clicking pictures by the second and using up the precious battery and memory. As we left Nevada behind us and entered Arizona, the rocky hillocks rose on either side of the road and I could see the various colours, layers, and types of rock that made up the body of the hills. At a glance, it would seem to consist of mainly red rock. However at closer observation, one could pick out an array of colours: scarlet, orange, white, purple, and grey.
When we finally reached the Grand Canyon National Park, it was freezing! Some of us who were wearing shorts or leggings decided to pull on a pair of jeans. After all, how could we enjoy in such discomfort, shivering too much to do anything else?
The jackets and jeans we pulled on helped a bit, though it didn’t banish the shivers completely. We took a number of buses to quite a few viewpoints to get a good look at the Canyon.
The experience was truly awe-inspiring. As I stood there and looked down at the uncountable layers and layers of sedimentary, metamorphic and igneous rocks, I was speechless. I felt absolutely humbled in front of the age old canyon. I could see the lines the Colorado River had carved in the rock as it had journeyed, formed and transformed the Canyon to what it is. What amazes me is that today, even after 2 billion years, it still continues to do what it has done over the millenniums.
We had hoped to watch the sunset over the Canyon, but unfortunately the sky was far too cloudy. Nevertheless, the beauty we witnessed was not to be underestimated. We might not have seen what we’d hoped for – the crimson sun a different hue on every facet of every stone in the canyon as it set for the day. What we did see was how the shadows cast by the clouds threw the shapes and lines the Canyon could show us into greater relief. We saw the golden-orange band the sun’s light created on top of the clouds as if to say, “You guys can never conquer me completely!” We saw the orange light reflect off the edges of the white clouds towards the top. We also saw several ancient trees with branches in various interesting, twisted forms.
And even though we didn’t get to see the gradual setting of the sun, we did get a spectacular view of the fierce, burning ball of gold seconds before it bid goodbye for the day! So despite the odds (the cold and the clouds), the Grand Canyon didn’t disappoint us. It gave us a memory, to be cherished forever after.
