Corkscrew Canyon, czyli Kanion Korkociagu!

Lower Antelope Canyon, 2012

We arrived to the most-visited and most-photographed canyon in the U.S.: Antelope Canyon.  Did anybody watch the "127 hours" film about a mountain climber who becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive? This is the place (Lower Canyon) where this true story was filmed. This part of canyon is also known for a flash flood accident in 1997 that killed 11 tourists. Since then the entry to Antelope Canyon is restricted to guided tours led by Navajo guides.
The canyon is located on Navajo land near Page and includes two separate slot canyon sections: Upper Antelope Canyon (The Crack) and Lower Antelope Canyon (The Corkscrew).

Upper Antelope Canyon is called Tsé bighánílíní, "the place where water runs through rocks" by the Navajo. It is the most frequently visited by tourists, due to two considerations. First, its entrance and entire length are at ground level, requiring no climbing. Second, beams (shafts of direct sunlight radiating down from openings in the top of the canyon) are much more common in Upper than in Lower.

Lower Antelope Canyon, called Hazdistazí, or "spiral rock arches" by the Navajo, is located a few kilometers away. Prior to the installation of metal stairways, visiting the canyon required climbing along pre-installed ladders in certain areas. Even following the installation of stairways, it is a more difficult hike than Upper Antelope—it is longer, narrower in spots, and even footing is not available in all areas. At the end, the climb out requires several flights of stairs.

Dzisiaj dotarlysmy do najczesciej odwiedzanego i fotografowanego kanionu w Stanach Zjednoczonych: Kanionu Antylopy. Czy ktokolwiek ogladal film "127 Godzin" gdzie mlody alpinista podczas samotnej wedrowki zostaje uwieziony w rozpadlinie skalnej w niedostepnych gorach Utah i jest zmuszony do desperackiej walki o przetrwanie? To wlasnie w dolnej czesci tego kanionu zostala sfilmowana ta tragiczna aczkolwiek prawdziwa historia. Ta czesc kanionu znana jest rowniez z wypadku w 1997 roku, gdzie pod woda zginelo 11 turystow.
Od tamtej pory wstep do kanionu odbywa sie wylacznie pod nadzorem Indianskich przewodnikow Navajo.

Kanion Antylopy znajduje sie w poblizu miejscowosci Page i dzieli sie na dwie sekcje: wyzej polozony zwany "Upper" badz Szczelina i dolny kanion zwany "Lower" badz Korkociagiem (ktory jest znacznie trudniejszy do przejscia i mniej dostepny ze wzgledu na waskie szczeliny a czasem i brak gruntu pod nogami, co wymaga wspinaczki po zainstalowanych metalowych schodach i stopniach).

Pictures of Corkscrew by Iwona

   

In The Heart Of Red Rock Arizona - Grand Canyon!

Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

What a day? Grand Canyon National Park - one of the Earth's most powerful inspiring lanscapes - overwhelmed our senses. Its unique combination of size (446km long, 29km wide and 1.6km deep), colors and dazzling erosive forms inspired our spirits. We have seen a fascinating variety of plant and rocks, from the desert next to Colorado River deep in canyon to montane forests atop its North Rim. It was a breathtaking journey through this immense and spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Site where we met Navajo Indians and visitors from around the world.
(Pictures below!)

Co za dzien? Park Narodowy Wielkiego Kanionu - jeden z najbardziej inspirujacych krajobrazow na Ziemi, ktory zainspirowal dzisiaj i Nasze zmysly. Unikalna kombinacja jego rozmiarow (446km dlugosci, 29km szerokosci i 1,6km glebokosci), kolorow i olsniewajacych terenow erozyjnych w pelni zasluzyla na wpisanie parku na Liste Swiatowego Dziedzictwa UNESCO, obecnie domu Indian Navajo i miejsca odwiedzin ludzi z calego swiata. Jako ciekawostke wiemy iz ustanowienie Wielkiego Kanionu parkiem narodowym zapobiegło budowie na jego obszarze zapory na rzece Kolorado. Zapora ta ostatecznie powstała w jej górnym biegu, zwana Glen Canyon Dam, która zalewając Glen Canyon utworzyła sztuczne jezioro Powella, ktore widac jak na dloni z tarasu Naszego pokoju hotelowego w Best Western Hotelu w miejscowosci Page. Nie moglo byc bardziej bajkowo :-).

Cowgirls on Route 66

Kisses from cowgirl!

We made it to Arizona and Williams, Gateway to Grand Canyon! Williams is a mountain town with Historic Route 66 (Mother Road) as the Main Street. Walk Main Street and you’ll find vintage neon on buildings that are preserved to their original character, lots of fun shops with Route 66 merchandise, restaurants that have the character of the Route 66 heyday of the 50’s, coffee shops, internet cafes, and fine dining.  Cowboys swagger through downtown and a gunfight breaks out every night :-)

Udalo sie! Po dziewieciu godzinach jazdy po bezdrozach upalnej pustynii Arizony dotarlysmy do celu, urokliwego miasteczka kowbojow, Williams! To juz Nasz ostatni przystanek przed Wielkim Kanionem. W miasteczku, polozonym przy legendarnej Route 66 znajduje sie najstarszy hotel w stanie Arizona.  To wlasnie tutaj, w Grand Canyon Hotel spedzamy dzisiejsza noc, w jednym z pokojow urzadzonym na styl z 1891 roku.

Arizona Desert / Pustynia Arizonska

In the middle of nowhere (in Arizona)

Ooops! Saguaro Cactus!

Grand Canyon Hotel and our beautifully decorated vintage room!

Grand Canyon Hotel, Williams, Arizona.

The oldest hotel in Arizona, centrally located on "Route 66".

Iwona in Grand Canyon Hotel.

Williams, Gateway to the Grand Canyon on Route 66.

The strangest salad ever! :-)

Life As A Cabrillo's Lighthouse Keeper In Old Point Loma, San Diego!

It is a reminder of different times: of sailing ships and oil lamps and the men and women who tended these isolated coastal lights. It was a demanding job. A dedicated keeper was on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with no vacation. In 1851 U.S. Coastal Survey selected this headland as the site for a navigational aid. The crest stood 422 feet above sea level and overlooked the bay and ocean. At the time it seemed like the ideal location.

Kasia kissing Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, the first European who set foot on the west coast of what is now  the United States. His expedition brought Spain's first great era of exploration to a close.

Builders completed the lighthouse in 1854, and in 1855 installed a Fresnel lens, the best technology of that day. At dusk, November 15, 1855, keeper James P. Keating lit the oil lamp for the first time. For the next 36 years, except on foggy nights, the light welcomed sailors to San Diego harbor. 

San Diego and Marilyn Monroe

San Diego jest miastem z pogranicza w ktorym widoczne sa wplywy zaczerpniete z sasiedniego Meksyku. Tymczasem slynaca z ekstrawagancji i snobizmu dzielnica milionerow Coronado, oddzielona od reszty miasta wodami zatoki, laczy w sobie amerykanski rozmach architektoniczny z luznym latynoskim stylem zycia. Coronado wyglada jak wyspa chociaz jest polwyspem polaczonym z ladem waskim pasem ziemi oraz majestatycznym mostem Coronado Bay Bridge.

Przejazd do tej ekskluzywnej dzielnicy jest jak przekroczenie progu innego swiata. A juz zupelnie jak z bajki wyglada HOTEL DEL CORONADO, najstarszy drewniany budynek w USA. Dyskretny urok tego miejsca dzialal kojaco na slynna Marilyn Monroe. Probowalysmy wyobrazic sobie ta platynowa blondynke w labiryncie misternie udekorowanych wnetrz i okwieconych ogrodach.

San Diego's Coronado District, famous for its extravagance and snobbery millionaires, amazed us with its imposing Coronado Bay Bridge (pics above). Coronado looks like an island but it's a peninsula connected to mainland by a narrow strip of land.
As a National Historic Landmark, the Hotel del Coronado has a rich and colorful heritage that sets it apart from neighboring Coronado hotels. From Marilyn Monroe to Charles Lindbergh, from state dinners to the ghost of Kate Morgan, The Del is an American treasure with more than 120 years of fascinating stories to tell.

Conorado Hotel, San Diego

Conorado Hotel

Lunch time in Conorado Hotel

1500 Orange Avenue, Conorado Hotel