Grand Expectations

Everything about the Grand Canyon is grand, indeed, including the prices charged by the state park authorities and entrepreneurs within the distance of roughly 50 miles. The Canyon has been named the greatest tourist attraction in the US, which ensures a constant influx of visitors and makes businesses assume they can ask highly inflated prices without offering exceptional quality. Why should they care if tourists are about to keep coming there anyway? The Canyon itself is impressive in its size. It seems to be meandering endlessly along with the Colorado River. The visit consists of a couple viewpoints replete with Asian tourists snapping a dozen pictures from the same angle. Of course, one may argue that there are picturesque hiking trails nearby but not too many holidaymakers are actually into hiking, especially here, where nearly half of the population are far too obese to get out of their car, let alone taking a hike. In order to fully appreciate the vastness of this landmark, it would probably be necessary to find oneself at its bottom and raft along the river. Unfortunately, this is something the vast majority of visitors will never get a chance to do. Upon seeing the ‘first view of the canyon’ sign, sophisticated and blasé tourists (yup, I’m talking about myself) frown and contemptuously say: ‘Awesome. There’s also going to be the second, the third, …’ Hardly comparable to Yellowstone, where one could spend a few days and still not manage to see nearly everything the park has in stock. Moreover, the organization leaves a lot to be desired. When you enter the Grand Canyon State Park, its workers are eager to take your admission fee but won’t bother to mention that road works will leave you stranded in your car for half an hour, cursing vigorously. The peaceful holiday spirit is guaranteed to evaporate quicker than French hopes of another World Cup medal. The Canyon is an amazing place but human interference, especially on the part of local authorities and businesses, has made visiting it less than a desirable experience. I left the park vexed, wishing to smash that ‘we hope you had a pleasant stay’ sign.