by Keith Mattingly

Created on: January 20, 2008   Last Updated: November 24, 2008

"You're going to the Grand Canyon alone? Are you crazy?" was the essential scowling dismissal I received from friends when I stated my plan to see and explore the Great Southwest in the five days of my college's Fall Break. My preliminary template, which I crafted based on little knowledge or logic besides a glance at an atlas and some pictures, was to visit Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Zion National Parks, and everything in between. I knew what they were thinking, and I used to think it too traveling or doing anything alone is the sign of a loser with no friends. I decided I no longer care about that. I'm 21, and it was time to put the adolescent hyper self-consciousness and social anxiety to rest, and leave it to the producers of high school teen movies.

I didn't really want to go with my friends, anyways. I am not of a normal breed I've never obtained the utter excitement from playing 30 straight hours of video games that my peers always have, and I have an appreciation for nature and natural beauty that is perhaps considered abnormal for a young male. I was never into Power Rangers or Ninja Turtles as a kid, and rarely watched cartoons. I am often more into simply seeing rather than doing things granted, I love activities like four-wheeling and kayaking, but I'd just as soon go on a short hike and admire my surroundings tranquilly. Most importantly, however, I have a tendency to stop every ten feet at every single vantage point for a photo opp, which would surely have prompted my friends to push me off one of the many colossal cliffs I visited.

And so, while my comrades went their separate ways to see their families or hang out with friends at other colleges, I decided to follow through with my bold but exciting plan. Here's how it went:

Day 1: Claremont, CA to Williams, AZ

As expected, I slept in late, put off packing, and neglected to consider minor details like maps, knowing where to go, and accomodation options. Nevertheless, I was on the road before noon and had a very nice and uneventful drive across the border into Arizona. I decided to make a pit stop in Lake Havasu City, which was admittedly not what I had pictured, but interesting nonetheless. The city is known for London Bridge an actual piece of Britain's monument, awkwardly placed across a channel against an arid desert backdrop. Delightfully tacky.

I rolled into the old Western town of Williams around 6 pm, as darkness was settling in. The town instantly struck me as cool though I am a sucker

• 1
• 2
• 3
• ...
• 8
• Next Page >>