Room+7A

Noah & Nick

The Grand Canyon Our first stop on the Grand Canyon trip was a hike into the Grand Canyon down to “Ooh Aah Point.” When we got into the canyon we realized how large it really was the walls were red, green, and brown. On our way down it got really windy and dusty but at some moments during the hike it felt like the entire canyon was alive. We learned about the invasive species the tamarisk and the Piñom that many natives would use for everyday life. At some parts the canyon is 1 mile deep it also has many layers but during the hike we only went through the first three which are Kaibab, Toro weep, and Coconino. We thought that the hike was amazing because it was cool to be able to into the canyon because this was the first time for both of us.

Great View of Grand Canyon from the Rim

Colorado River Trip Our second stop on the trip was the ride through the canyon it got really cold and windy at some points and occasionally the water splashed up on the boat and it was 48 degrees. We took the ride to the middle of the canyon to a small sort of beach were we stayed for a little and played around in the water then we finished our ride at the beginning of Marble Canyon. Our tour guide new a lot about the canyon we learned that the reddish brown canyon walls are because of the iron. Also we learned that desert varnish takes 1,000 years to oxidize. The guide also told us that the river runs at 3 miles per hour in Glenn Canyon. At the end of the trip we learned about Lee’s Ferry which runs across the river also we learned that Lee’s Ferry was replaced by the Navajo bridge. We both thought that the River ride was a lot of fun and it was really interesting but it was also cold. Wall Carvings at our stop on the Colorado River Wupatki The third stop on the trip was to Wupatki national park which was a place where Native Americans once settled. Their houses were all reddish bricks which were stacked and molded together. We learned that the people who were settled there were non-materialistic people until the settled in Wupatki then they became a trading center. They left because there was a very severe drought. At the end of the trail there was a blow hole which is created by naturally occurring crevices underneath the ground. There also were ball courts that kids used to play games that taught skills like hunting. We both thought it was really cool to see building that were over 900 years old and it was also cool to see the blow hole because it is naturally occurring. Overview of Wupatki Ruins Sunset Crater Our final stop on the trip was at Sunset Crater unfortunately we didn’t stay for very long and weren’t able to go on the hike. From what we saw we saw that it was black and fluffy ash. We got very close to the cinder cone volcano. Even from the short time we were there we learned that the last time it erupted was 1000-1100 A.D. The volcano helped fertilize the Wupatkis land. The lava was able to help grow crops because it holds in water. We also learned that the cone is 1400 feet wide and 700 feet high. We thought it was cool to be that close to the volcano but it was too bad that we didn’t have enough time to go on the hike through Sunset Crater. Awesome View of Sunset Crater