Sonia loading into the plane
Flying over Hoover Dam and Lake Mead
Majestically,the Canyon opens up ahead of us..
Right over the canyon...
The Three Muskateers at Mather Point..
I have to say that we really lucked out when we chose
Papillon Heli Tours for our Grand Canyon Tour. They picked us up at the hotel ( very very early...actually,C. & V. hadn't gone to bed yet,while we had a whole 2 hours of sleep), and then took us to another station wehre we boarde a larger bus that shuttled us out to the airport.. The bus driver, who referred to LAs Vegas as "Lost Wages", kept us amused with trivia about the Vegas area , as well as a primer on the geography of the region.. while we drove to Boulder airport. After a little bathroom and coffee break ,we were given tickets with our seat number, aned then we were loaded onto a small airplane. The good news was that nearly everyone had a window seat!
The two friendly pilots warmed up the plane and then took off ,with the passengers all listening to the commentary being broadcast through the earphones we all donned.
Within a few minutes we were flying over
Hoover Dam and Lake Mead and then over more barren desert than I've ever seen in my life. Not a hint of life for miles, not even around the extensive Lake Mead. Eventually the desert gave way to a plateau of Pines and Pinon pines and we could see the tree tops beneath us.
All at once the edge of the canyon was visible,and then the whole canyon appeared,as tho, it had just been sliced away that very day.
From the plane it was awesome and huge and we were flying right over the length of it, looking down and across at the eroded rocks of the canyon's walls. It took our breath away!
Far below we caught glimpses of the muddy Colorado river...proof that a bit of rain had washed the mud right into the river to turn it red.
On the southern part of the canyon, we flew until we met the edge of the plateau, and once again we were over the PInes. In a flight of 1.25 hours, we already felt as tho we had our money's worth, however it was just the beginning.
A bus with a driver named Hi-Me (Heighme?) picked us up at Grand Canyon City Airport and whisked us off to a beautiful buffet breakfast at the Best Western . He stressed the importance of being on time, so from that moment one,w e were the first group to return to the bus after each stop.
Yes, apparently one's cell phone doesn't work in the Grand Canyon!
After breakfast,we returned to the airport, but this time we were taken to the Papillon Heli port...the only one at Grand City airport. In fact, they are the only company flying helicpoters over the Grand Canyon at in the South rim, wehre the canyon is at it's 18 mile widest point.
I was lucky to be seated by the door which was a full window to my feet! Made me glad to have secure seatbelts!
Once again we donned the earphones and were treated to some great music and a little play by play commentary. We flew back out over the pines, bu theis time it felt like you could reach out annd touch those Pinons!
Within five minutes, the helicopter dipped right over the edge of the canyon and we were flying right along the brilliant red rock walls o fthe canyon. Amazing! I was brought to tears several times as the pilot beamed us along precisely over every crevice and rock peak that jutted out into the canyon. We could see the red Colorado snaking along far below us, like a worm wiggling between the rock blufffs. For another twenty minutes, we were awed by the splendour of one of the greatest natural wonders of the world!
My eyes filled with tears as we started back over the Pinon Pines and listened to Bob Marley on our headsets singing
Three Little Birds...Don't worry about a thing...
Back onto the bus and we were off to the Park itself. Yes, there is a long lineup at the gates,but buses have a priority line,so it went fast. The driver said that sometimes it can be a three hour wait...when the line up backs up to Grand Canyon City!
The driver was very informative with stastics and information about the Hopi and Yakipai tribes and the dimesions of the canyon itself. We were let off at the Gift shop and lodge at
Bright Angel Point. Out the back of the lodge,we could see the whole canyon stretching eighteen miles across and I can't recall how many miles down... a long way!
After nearly an hour there with plenty of time to take photos and buy gifties, we then reboarde the bus and drove a few miles to
Mather Point where we got a 360* view of the canyon...after a seven minute walk, that nearly tuckered us all out,since it was uphill, and about 115* out!
( Check the Mather Point Link...almost as good as being there!)
Once again we boarded the bus and with more commentary,we returned to the airport. Unfortunately our pilots were a little late in returning ...which made the day grow long at this point. Back in the plane finally and we got a final view of the canyon and a great view of the many areas of Mead Lake, and then before we knew it,we landing back in the heat of Boulder City. Everyone dozed on the busride back to our shuttle and then back to the hotel..It was four o'clock, and we were all dying for a cold beer by the pool!
At least the tour itself was well organized and we got more than our money's worth,and it beat driving in a bus for four hours to get out there!...or worse yet, driving by ourselves to get out there! I would recommend this Papillon Tour to anyone contimplating a trip to the Grand Canyon!
