Out West. Wednesday. 6/30/2010.

Well, today was hump day of the trip and consisted of driving, driving, driving, and some more driving. We had to get from Las Vegas, Nevada all the way to Cortez, Colorado; somewhere near a 9 hour trek. Luckily the drive was broken up some by a few pit stops, the biggest one being the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Originally, I had lowered all expectations after hearing so many people say things like "well it's just a big hole in the ground" or "that's it?..." My response? It's much more than just a huge hole in the ground. It's overwhelming. First off, it's sheer immensity is dizzying in itself. It. Is. Huge. Keeping in mind that huge is a gross understatement. When I first saw it, I was at a loss for words. It is honestly one of the most spectacualr works of nature that I have ever seen. Rising and falling cliffs and gourges as far as the eye can see, the orange, red rock glinting in the sun. Then, in hidden corners of its huge labyrinth were small visible sections of the renowned Colorado River. All that consumed my mind was how badly I wanted...needed...to hike down into it, kayak the river and explore the depths of the canyon. It's hard to explain the feeling that overtook me. Although the best work I can think of to describe it was longing, it was so much more than that. How anyone can be disappointed by the Grand Canyon is beyond me. To take a break from all the deep contemplation however, let me entertain you with a story of one of the lowest of low anecdotes of human idiocracy I think I've ever witnessed. While hiking down the trail to get a view of the canyon, I noticed there were a bunch of people clumped together in a rather large crowd making a fuss over something. It was then I heard people whispering about a lion. My first thought was that people were stupidly crowding around a cougar and were about to get mauled. However, upon a closer listening in I heard people say things like "look a little lion!," "a lion cub!" and "look at his mane." Then it occured to me that these people actually thought there was an African lion on the side of the trail. When I looked to see this freak of nature baby lion with a premature mane far from home, I was in shock of these people's stupidity for on the side of the trail was this poor family trying to give their pet dog some water. The so called "lion" was a chow with a hair cut that could have vaguely resembled a mane if you maybe squinted your eyes and blurred your vision. People are idiots. Following our canyon stop, we continued on towards Cortez, trying to keep an eye out for a place to eat amidst the streched out roads of nothingness. Not only that, but for the first time I think ever, I have had no idea as to what the actual time was all day. Actually, I haven't really known the time at all this trip and no it's not due to the fact I was so consumed with the trip that I just "lost track of time." The time zones are so confusing out here with all the state hopping we're doing. Not only that, but things are further complicated by the fact that the Native American reservations out here are often on a time schedule of their own, and let me be clear, there is no shortage of Native American reservations out here. LIke I said, there was a bit of a discrepancy regarding the true time of wherever we were at. Eventually, we finally found a restaurant called Hogans in Tuba City, Arizona. To the Navajo people, a "hogan" is essentially the primary traditional home, so we figured Hogans was probably a nifty Navajo restaurant. Needless to say, we were right. It's oftentimes the case that hole-in-the-wall restaurants are some of the best tasting, and this place was no exception. The food was beyond exceptional. Cameron got this unbelievable tasty chimichanga looking thing while me, dad, and mom got these massive burgers on Navajo frybread. Let me just say this, if you have never tasted authentic Navajo frybread, your life is seriously lacking. It was the best tasting burger I think I've ever had. Not only that, but it was quite literally the size of my head. The Navajo people don't hold back on portions. Who would have thought we'd find such a cool place out in the middle of nowhere. If you ever for some reason find yourself driving around Tuba City, Arizona, it's definitely worth your while to stop off there. The rest of the drive after dinner consisted of a quiet highway bordered by painted sky darkened tints of sunset. It wasn't until late that we arrived at the Best Western Turquoise Inn in Cortez. Welcome to Colorado.