• The latter part of Grand Canyon is here.

• The stratum, that took two billion years to pile up, has upheaved up to above the sea 2,700m 10 million years ago, it is the Colorado Plateau. The Colorado River invaded it spending three to six million years and the Grand Canyon has been made. As a result, it became the crack of the surface of the earth of 446km in length and 29km in maximum width, huge one. Maximum depth to be cut down is 1,700m.
  The width of Colorado River is 90m in average, 30m in depth, and it flows at a speed of 6.4km per hour. This water current has cut  down Colorado Plateau long years.
  This time, we visited the Grand Canyon West which is close to the Hoover Dam. South Rim that is called so-called Grand Canyon is 1600m in depth of the valley, and the West is a little lower of 1200m. But we can go down to the Colorado riverbank descending 1200m by helicopter and enjoy the Colorado River boat tour because it is outside the national park.
  The Grand Canyon West is in the native Hualapai Indian reservation. Therefore, the boat tour is guided by the Hualapai Indian.
  The artificial Lake Mead was made by the Hoover Dam, it is huge, and the amount of storing water is about 40 billion tons. The amount of storing water of artificial lakes total in 2,500 dams in Japan is 28 billion tons and the biggest lake, Lake Biwa,  in Japan stores 28 billion tons, these suggest the hugeness of the lake.

• This tour can be reserved from the site in Japan of the Scenic Airlines. The fee was 404 dollars  (369$+35$ tax) including from and to the Las Vegas hotel. It contains the flight to the Grand Canyon West, helicopter to the Colorado River and the boat tour.
  Departure : LV hotel 08:10, Las Vegas airport 09:30, Grand Canyon West airport 10:00
  Return : Grand Canyon West airport 01:30, Las Vegas airport 02:00

Wing is set on the airplane body to see outside easily		Artificial Lake Mead completed in 1936 by Hoover Dam.
Water storage 40 bill tons	Rock surface continues	Desolate scenery	Change to helicopter
Colorado Plateau continues	River cut down plateau	Cutting section	2 billion stratum
Colorado River dug by 3-6 million years		Red brown Colorado River	Arrived at riverbank
1200m stratum looking up from riverbank		90m width, 30m depth River
When looking up, it is like a mountain		River water flows with 6.4 km/h speed
Invasion of Colorado River made crack of surface of the earth of 446km in length and 29km in maximum width
Water is abundant and difficult to know water flow even in the river
Plants are considerably large though they don't look like because the whole is large actually
Possible to walk around helicopter port, but it feels relieved when there is green in desolating place
It understands accumulation of stratum of two billion years, one by one. Historical Museum of the earth
Still, cutting down with long years		Roads, maintained	Departure to upper ground

2010/11/01