Seeing The Americas My Way by Tony Giles

Author:Tony Giles
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tony Giles
Published: 2016-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10: Crossing the American Country

The dry dusty expanse of road stretched out before me as I lay across the front seats of the Greyhound on the long, largely uneventful journey from Mexico City to Flagstaff, Arizona. My first bus change was in San Diego, Southern California. Between Mexico City and the border was little apart from hot dusty desert and the occasional city or town; a traveller’s dream! I had approximately forty hours to sleep, eat, piss and contemplate love and life as I bumped, rolled, jerked and sped through the day and night. I alighted only once to urinate beside the bus at some ungodly hour– the air felt cold. My one brief moment in the Mexican desert before continuing the endless journey to the border and beyond.

I crossed into US territory without incident, having destroyed all items that might betray my visit to Cuba. Immigration officials barely inspected my documents and I was allowed to remain aboard the bus due to my disability. Upon arrival in San Diego I enquired about the next bus to Flagstaff, Arizona. You usually have to name the state to the ticket clerk because many places occur more than once in the US. For example, someone travelling to Portland could end up in Oregon instead of Maine!

After a fifty-six-hour journey involving several changes I finally arrived at my destination. It was around 6.00 am and once again my backpack had mysteriously disappeared. It had been boarded with me in San Diego but must have been mislayed during one of my transfers. A hostel had been booked in advance, realising I’d arrive near the end of May, the beginning of the tourist season. Flagstaff is permanently busy because of its close proximity to the Grand Canyon. Booking in advance meant I was collected for free on my arrival - a bonus. I visited both Grand Canyon and DuBeau Route 66 International hostels owned by the same company as the staff were unsure which hostel would be most suitable for me.

I arrived at the second hostel around 7.00am and, after checking in, an English guy asked if I wished to join a day trip to the Grand Canyon. Having had no proper sleep in sixty hours, I figured why the hell not!

The canyon trip was a one-and- a-half-hour journey by van with twelve backpackers, mostly English and Australian. Our driver-guide was cool; he looked after me all day. We arrived at Grand Canyon Village around mid morning. The first stop was at the historic Bright Angel Lodge directly on the canyon’s south rim - designed in 1935 by architect Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter. Once through the lodge the group gained their first glimpse of the canyon. Whilst the group gasped in wonderment I simply absorbed the cool clean air of the wide open expanse before me.

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona is one of the world’s premier natural attractions. It’s a steep sided canyon carved by the Colorado River; 277 river mi (446 km) long, up to 18 mi (29 km) wide and 1 mi (1.

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