Heading to the East, heading to the North
I’m a little bit behind schedule, my two companions keep me well entertained. Nevertheless enjoy this post, the next will come soon enough =)
Hoover Dam
After two short days in Vegas we started the road part of our road trip. Our first stop on the way to the East was at the Hoover dam. The most stunning thing wasn’t the size of the dam itself nor the resulting lake but rather the missing water.
There are two massive constructions that prevent the dam from overflowing. The last time they have been in use was in the 80’s. Since then the water level decreased significantly and the Lake Mead behind the dam is now filled to 41% of its capacity. The lines indicating the maximum water level are way above the current level. One reason more to visit Las Vegas as soon as possible. There might be no water left in a few years =).
Williams AZ
Shortly after we hit the road again we drove through emptiness. A completely straight street for miles and miles. And no sign of civilization on the right and left. From time to time there were gas stations and small houses/huts in sight. You can only imagine how those poor souls must have felt when they had to ride on their horses through those plains and finally reach the next hills after days just to see the next few days of riding in front of them. Much more comfortable with a car =)
Our next accommodation was a Motel in Williams AZ. Williams has about 3000 inhabitants but is one of the largest villages for dozens of miles. The historic Route 66 passed right through the village and they dedicated a part of the village to this heritage. A few blocks in the village center still look like in the 60’s and 70’s, even some of the cars parked there look like they traveled forward in time.
Grand Canyon
North of Williams lies the Grand Canyon National Park. After some waffles, coffee and toast in the morning we drove right to the cliff of the canyon. We spent the whole day hiking and driving along the rim with breathtaking views behind every corner. Help yourself to some of these views in the gallery beneath.
SLC
After our second breakfast in Williams we most probably started our longest single-day drive. First we headed to Flagstaff in the east before we left the Route 40 to drive north on the Route 89. This road took us through a desert we saw yesterday from the Desert View viewpoint at the Grand Canyon. The landscape on the remaining road to Salt Lake City could have been straight out of a “western”. A lot of wide and open flats covered with brown bushes and grass surrounded by small mountains. After a 9 hour drive we arrived in Salt Lake City, but this city will be covered in the next post…. =)
