For years, I have always wanted to explore the National Parks that lie nestled in between the various States. The sheer diversity, colossal size and the natural rawness that those portray seemed alien to me, as I have always associated America with the two coastal landscapes that I already experienced. (Those consisted mainly of modern skyscraper architecture and vibrant downtowns of New York or Miami..)
Fortunately this time round, I managed to meet with some friends who were travelling around the United States and we ventured beyond the borders of Nevada towards Arizona and Utah. Later on we even got to Yosemite in Cali - the last few photos portray it. I am not a big fan of squashing a lot of adventures into a small time frame and I usually try to focus my trips solely on one destination within the country itself due to time limits - however, on this part of my USA trip with an effortless ease we succesffully managed to swiftly visit quite a few of the sites within a couple of days. Hence in good company, with flawless organisation and a spirit for road trip adventures, we went out to see what lied beyond the infamous Las Vegas..
Where to start? The deserted landscapes were truly breathtaking. Small roadside towns with nothing more than a petrol station really made me feel like I was in a never ending Coen brothers movie. It didn't matter whether we hiked the Angel's Landing in Zion or simply admired the view of the Horseshoe bend in Arizona, every place brought out something different within us. The scale, the geological processes and the atmosphere was just astounding. It really made myself as well as my friends feel really reconnected with the earthly side of mother nature. The stillness of it all and yet the constant change that governed these natural formations was ever so prominent. In harmony, yet at odds. All of these places really left an impression that is just impossible to forget. If you ever get the chance to travel to that part of the Sates, I urge you to explore these and really take a bit of time to truly appreciate their magnificence.
From man made structures like the Hoover Dam to weathered rocks that graced the Bryce Canion, this is my experience of those exceptionally unique locations that define another side to the United States that I have never immersed myself into, until just a couple of weeks ago..
My only pre-trip disclaimer applies to the Upper Antelope Canyon - where you have to pay almost 50 bucks per person and are told when to take photos using the chrome filter (yes! for real - I literally couldn't stop laughing). It's all a very typical 'touristy' venture and I usually try to avoid these sort of attractions but having seen photos of the sun bracing through the cracks of the canion on google images, I thought it would be worth a visit. You'd think at least you would learn something new ..Unfortunately the guides ended up knowing very little about the geology itself, so you don't take much out of this experience information wise. As you can imagine we heavily deliberated going but in the end thought it was a once in a life kinda thing. Hence it's your call but try to visit when the sun is high up in the sky to get the most out of it. Also, it's good to remember that all of the National Parks have entry fees which tend to be around $20-$30 per a 4 people vehicle.
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