Arrival in Phoenix. There is no better way to kick off your American adventure than by indulging in an American classic: the road-trip. You strap on your seat-belt, let loose the 60’s rock and head north towards Sedona. The red-rock formations appear in the horizon, huge landmarks that have weathered the ages. They catch the sun and become like towers of flame. No wonder the desert has inspired mystics throughout history.
After a lazy morning, getting into the rhythm of the west, you jump on a state-of-the-art Jeep for one of the quintessential off-road adventures in America. The Red Rock Park is the perfect combination of fun and dramatic scenery. The desert is your playground and the ride shakes all remnants of stress that you brought from home.
The road-trip continues as you head down the legendary Route 66. The scenery is breathtaking, and the highway is full of historic sites, both from pop-culture as well as the gripping tales of the West. From cowboys and pioneers, to the dramatic scenes of the Dust Bowl and Steinbeck’s novels. How was the West finally won? There’s no time to ponder the question because you find yourself flying over the Grand Canyon on a helicopter. The depth is awe-inspiring, the breadth is humbling. It is testimony of the gnawing power of the elements, given some time. You feel small, and yet grand.
You are in for a treat. A full day tour of the Grand Canyon takes you to the vertiginous rims, down the crevasses and the cliffs. Your guide is an expert in geology and botany. As the day progresses, a picture forms in your mind of how such a place came to be. You visit Kolb Studio, where the famous brothers, Emery and Ellsworth, pioneered the art of outdoor photography and, in a way, built the modern American identity. You stay in the historic El Tovar lodge, at the heart of Grand Canyon Village.
You have seen the magnificent topography of the Southwest from the air and from land. It’s time to take on the Colorado River. A float trip has you going over pontoons and treading the waters on a small boat. From the middle of the stream, with towering cliffs of both sides, you witness one of the most dramatic spectacles in America. As you go through Horseshoe bend you again feel small. How was the West won?
You make your way to Zion. This is a road-trip experience that makes you fully appreciate the wild grandeur of the desert. You cross the stateline into Utah, where the landscape takes a dramatic turn, and becomes, if possible, even more mystical.
A full day at Bryce Canyon National Park will have you traverse the mysterious “geological architecture” of an otherworldly landscape. The pinnacles and the hoodoos line up one after another and, were it not for the expertise of your wonderful guide, you would be utterly unable to decipher the secrets that lie at the base of such a… Martian landscape.
A lazy morning. The steaming coffee mug is gently billowing from the rustic table in the great porch, chasing away a hearty breakfast, to the easy rhythm you’ve now grown accustomed to. This is the life, the western life! You put on your aviators with a dramatic gesture, and rev the engine for a last westward rush. To Vegas, into the setting sun, and this is how the West was won.
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