Canyon Tour

The first picture of the Grand Canyon I saw, was in my Class 5 social studies text book. I was taught what a Canyon is, long long ago! While mugging up answers for the exams, never even I dreamt that one day in my life, I will really visit this wonder of the world!

“Ganga Miss”, my teacher, defined the canyon as a gorge, which is a deep valley between cliffs, often carved from the landscape by a river. It was so hard for me even to imagine a huge land mass being separated into two by a river. I used to visualize the river flowing near our house doing the same mischief to the adjacent land. ;-)

My first look out over the Grand Canyon is a sight which I will never forget in life! The first thing that gets you is, its big - really really big - as in huge, enormous and massive! It is also beautiful and gorgeous! Words can’t describe the colors, the shapes, the vastness. I stood and observed for hours, surprised… just staring! The sight of the canyon is never the same - even from day to day or hour to hour! Every passing cloud and every change in the position of the sun recasts the whole!
The Grand canyon sits on 1.2 million acres of land - a showcase of geological wealth. It was created by the Colorado river over a period of 17 million years! Nearly two billion years of the earth’s history have been exposed as the river and its tributaries cut their trenches through the layers of the rocks. It may not be the longest or deepest canyon in the world; but definitely, it is the grandest - truly a timeless treasure!!! To go down into the canyon is to go back in time, layer by layer. You, by contrast, are forever young!

But, what I do not understand is how water can have such an acute impact, considering that the Canyon is basically located in a desert. May be, the soil here is scorched by the sun and cannot absorb water. Any ways, let me not dig too deep to grab the roots of the Canyon cos I realize nothing is insignificant in nature - above all - nothing seems impossible.

1 comments:

*~D~* said...

I completely agree Shal, its that overwhelming, colossal feeling that hit me too when I first viewed the Canyon; and I'll never forget one of the best sunrise I've ever witnessed in my life there. Nice write up.. keep em coming ;)

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