Sunday, September 23, 2012

Arizona and Nevada

Decided I didn't like Los Angeles much, so headed out East towards Arizona. To see the Grand Canyon. Didn't book or plan or anything.

It mostly worked out. Spend one night in a small town called Needles (on the border of Arizona and California). The town was scarily friendly. Like I had to greet and talk to everyone at the pub to get a room in what was possibly the dodgiest motel I have stayed in so far. I might have freaked out slightly when I found hairs in the bed I was given.

When I went to a restaurant to get food the locals there treated me like I was some sort of cultural event arriving. The boy serving me was friendly, but couldn't stop imitating everything I said because apparently my accent is just that exciting! Then when leaving I was cornered by the a alcoholic dude that lives in the motel wanting to spread the word of god or whatever. Friendly, but in that slightly surreal, I don't know if I'm about to get murdered way. At least everyone liked my hair?

My hair back when I was in Redmond, Washington State. Just imagine it faded towards grey and more regrowth.

Strangely enough, the alcoholic dude gave me good advice. I ended up the next day in Williams, Arizona (it was on the way to where I was planning to head). It's a tiny tourist town, about the size of Manjimup but entirely tourist orientated, with the main attraction being an old train line (with renovated carriages from all over the States) that runs up to the Grand Canyon. It was pretty nice! Some decent restaurants with vegetarian options, lots of old Route 66, 'Native American' and cowboy memorabilia tourist shops.

Being 'robbed' They had horses and everything.

The day up to the Grand Canyon was pretty fun. Before the train left there was a fun wild west cowboys skit and on the way home the train was 'held up' by the same guys in a 'voluntery robbery' and chased by the sheriff. A lot of tourist trap and cheesiness, but it was a lot of fun. Also meant I could enjoy the Canyon properly instead of being too tired and sore to really appreciate it.
Squirrel! Also the Grand Canyon in the background there.

The Canyon itself was just amazing. It's one of those things you can't really take photos of, the scope is just too huge and has a presence the camera can't capture. I did try though.

Not even close to capturing how beautiful this place is.

I'm heading back inland and west. Mostly because I seem to be allergic to the Mountains and deserts. I'm sick of sneezing and blood noses. I'm at a stop over somewhere in Nevada, I'm hiding in a hotel a couple of days because I blistered my feet quite badly over the past week and I'm sick of my feet hurting. On the way here I did stop at Hoover Dam.

A big dam
I wasn't really that impressed with Hoover Dam. The tour and parking were expensive and didn't show you all that much. The speeches and movie they got you to watch didn't really put the Dam into context either. Just a bunch of dry facts with a thick layer of patriotism that I had to try really hard not to laugh at. No real humanity, which was frustrating.

The bridge and some of the structures on the otherside. It is hard to take a good photo of a thing you are standing on.
I sound harsh and it is an amazing structure, particularly when you remember that it is 100 years old... but I would have liked a little less America, the future of Modernity! being shoved in my face and more about the people and the conflict involved in such a massive engineering feat. I mean a lot of poor and desperate people died building the bloody thing, some analysis of how and why, rather than just a plaque and a vague statement of how deaths weren't properly recorded would have been good.

American flag between some appropriated Egyptian statues and iconography. Because who needs an objective view on history when you have AMERICA. (Again, at Hoover Dam.)





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