L.A., Lake Havasu, and The Grand Canyon

After a good nights rest in the AC, I did a bit of laundry, and headed off to L.A. Los Angeles is only a few hours drive from Vegas, so I anticipated getting a little beach time before meeting up with my cousin Debbie for a bite to eat. Well, plans change, and a flat tire on the way caused a slight delay in my course of direction. Getting a flat tire in L.A. can be a scary ordeal, especially when you are on the side of one of the busiest highways in the area. Luckily I was aided by a very kind tow-truck driver, and the staff at the local Pep Boys, and I was on my way in no time at all.

After my tire so undutifully gave out, I headed over to Debbie's with my tummy rumbling. She suggested that we grab some Middle Eastern cuisine, which was plentiful in her neighborhood. Just a few blocks away we arrived at a local joint called Haifa. A discrete little hole in the wall, the restaurant was not much to look at from the outside, but the food was fantastic. We ordered a falafel plate that came with huge helpings of Israeli salad, hummus, baba ganoush, and other delicious fixings. That would have been enough food for both of us, but we also got a spicy fish dish (a specialty) that was spectacular as well. It was probably the best Middle Eastern food I have had outside of Tel Aviv - a real compliment!


After a quick driving tour of L.A. (including UCLA, Beverly Hills, and some other ultra trendy areas) we headed back to her apartment to get some rest. I woke early, did a little putzing around on the computer, and then got on the road to Lake Havasu. I was surprised by how temperate the weather was in L.A., but Havasu was quite the opposite. I arrived to temps soaring over 113 degrees, which all but suffocates the life out of any normal individual. It is quite a good thing that the city is located near the lake, or the climate would be absolutely unbearable. I chuckled to myself that evening when the forecaster on the local news was predicting a big cool down for the 4th of July - all the way down to 104!

I woke early after retiring fairly expediently, and headed out to grab some pics before the heat was unbearable. After taking a few pictures by the lakeside, I jumped in the car, barely able to contain my excitement for what came later that afternoon: The Grand Canyon. There is very little that is more iconic of America than the GC, and it proved to be just as spectacular as I had expected it to be. It was packed with tourists from every conceivable nation, all oohing and aahing at the grandeur of its beauty. I couldn't help but to join them.

It took about 5 hours to drive from Lake Havasu to The Grand Canyon, and it was possibly one of the hottest drives I have ever experienced. Temperatures on the road soared to nearly 120, and even the AC in the car struggled to keep up with the heat. After arriving, I quickly parked and walked as fast as my legs would take me to the rim of the canyon. A huge smile broke across my face as I was standing before the most incredible sight that had ever passed before my eyes. There are very few words that can aptly describe the GC, but if I was awestruck by Zion, The Grand Canyon was a completely different level.

The Grand Canyon is just over a tenth of a mile wide in its shortest area, but nearly 18 MILES wide in its largest. I'm not sure how wide it was at the South Rim where I was at, but lets just say cavernous does not even start to describe it. Not only is the canyon incredibly wide, but it is also more than a MILE deep in most places! In many areas, this is a sheer drop, and the people that venture out onto the cliffs are truly gutsy. The sheer size of the GC is really tremendous, and cannot be conveyed in its full accuracy through photos (I did my best, but this is one that you have to see to believe!).  If you haven't yet, you must head over to the flickr site to see the pictures though - They are truly stunning.

Alright folks, its that time again - you are completely caught up on the journey across the states. Today I will head off to either Albuquerque or Santa Fe to hopefully camp, and devour some delicious Mexican cuisine. The next update will likely be in a couple days, but do not fret, I am sure there are lots more epic tales of adventure and breath-taking photos to come!

A.S. Bloom

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