We started our journey to the Canyon by boarding the small plane shown in the picture. It was the first time that any of us three flew aboard such a small plane, and thus the air trip was an awesome experience in itself.
We flew over Hoover Dam and it took us around half an hour to get to the West Rim of the Canyon. Once we got there, the views from the plane were simply amazing, as was the feeling of freedom that emerged from realizing that we were flying above this natural wonder; where eagles dare, no strings attached.
Speaking of eagles, our first stop after the landing was Eagle point, an observation spot located right in front of a rock formation with the shape of an eagle (hence its name).
This is also the location of the recently created Grand Canyon Skywalk, which is some kind of futuristic loop-shaped bridge with a glass bottom that lets you literally walk above the Canyon while enjoying the exhilarating view beneath your feet.
Both the Skywalk and the land around Eagle point belong to the Hualapai nation, a tribe of native American Indians. Several samples of their shelters and old-days architecture can be found in the area, as you can see in the pictures below.
Our next stop was at Guano point, another place which overlooks the Canyon and the mighty Colorado River while offering stunning views of beautiful landscapes.
After a quick lunch, we got back into our plane and returned to Las Vegas with a bit of a sunburn and a bunch of memories that are likely to remain forever in our brains and souls: our first visit to the Grand Canyon turned out to be a grand experience indeed !
If you want to check out some more pictures of our day at the Canyon, you can find them here.
