Fun facts and souvenir, Grand Canyon!! :)

• 446 km long, 29 km wide and 1.83 km deep.
• 3000 different types of birds is found in Grand Canyon!
• The Grand Canyon was formed by erosion from the Colorado River.
• At the top of Grand Canyon you can find rocks that are 2 billion years old!!
• Took 3 to 6 million years to form!

As you can see, The Grand Canyon is a very special landmark!
Anyway, here is one of our souvenirs!

Indians and a little rafting in Grand Canyon!

We are saying hi from Grand Canyon! This region reminds us a little about New Mexico because it's hot here too. It was also cool to see some people that were working near the Grand Canyon dressed as Indians, because Indians used to live here.

After we've explored the amazing view from the Grand Canyon with our little tourist group, we decided to do something more exciting! So we took a little risk and went rafting and wow what a rush! On the picture you can see some of the other tourists that were there. We had so much fun, even though it seemed scary in the beginning!

When we got back to our hotel and took a little rest, we felt like we wanted to eat something. The food wasn't maybe as good as in other regions, but we survived!

Some facts about Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is 277 miles (446 km) long and up to 18 miles (29 km) wide and attains a depth of over one mile, so it is pretty big!
The Grand Canyon is contained with the Grand Canyon National Park which is one of the oldest national parks in the United States, established in 1919. In the Grand Canyon National Park you can find 1737 known species of plants. The Grand Canyon is also a home for dozens of endemic plants that can't be found anywere else in the world.
34 mammal species is found along the Colorado River corridor.
Grand Canyon is one of the world's most famous natural attractions, attracting about five million visitors each year! 83 % of the visitors were from the United States and 17 % were from outside the United States.
Now what can you do in The Grand Canyon then? There is many activities like casual sightseeing, rafting, hiking, running and helicopter tours is popular activities.
In October 2010 an ultramarathon was started in the North Rim. The Grand Canyon Ultra Marathon is a 126 km race over 24 hours! Sounds very tough..
If you want you can also board helicopters and small airplanes in Las Vegas, Phoenix and Grand Canyon National Park Airport for canyon flyovers!

Aerial view of the less visited lower Grand Canyon

Guano Point - a popular vantage point for tourists

Breakfast time!

On our way to our hotel near Grand Canyon we got hungry so we visited the Pine Country Restaurant to take some breakfast. After a long time looking at the menu we decided to eat something new and typical for the United States. So we chose oatmeal, which is ground oat groats or a porrige made from oats.

It wasn't the best thing we ever tasted but it was okay, it's important to taste new things too!

Oat meal is also very healthy, there has been increasing interest in oatmeal in recent years because of its health benefits.

Oatmeal with blueberries, very healthful and a pretty good breakfast!

Arizona, here we come!

We're now on our way to Arizona! We are very tired after exploring Hollywood, but it was worth it!
When we arrive to Arizona we're of course going to visit the world famous Grand Canyon which is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River.

Amazing view!

Before we leave Hollywood and California..

Before we leave Hollywood; some facts, history and a souvenir!

Hollywood is a district in Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and stars, the word "Hollywood" is often used as a metonym for the American film and television industry. Today much of the movie industry has been spread into surrounding areas such as Burbank and the Westside, but most of the industries (such as editing, effects, props, post-production, and lighting companies) remain in Hollywood.

Many historic Hollywood theaters are used as venues to premiere major theatrical releases, and host the Academy Awards. It is a popular destination for nightlife and tourism, and home to the Walk of Fame that we visited.

When Spanish explorers first entered the area, Native Americans were already living in the canyons of the Santa Monica Mountains. Before long, the Indians had been moved to missions and the land which Hollywood now occupies was divided in two by the Spanish Government.

By the 1870s an agricultural community flourished in the area and crops ranging from hay and grain to subtropical bananas and pineapples were thriving. Within a few years many wealthy Midwesterners bought lots in the Paved Prospect Avenue (now Hollywood Boulevard).

Other quick facts:

• Hollywood is 24.96 sq mi (64,6 km)
• Hollywood has millions of visitors every year from the whole world.

We bought some souvenirs as we always do (take a look at our past blog posts for more souvenirs!) and one of our favorites you can see on the photo. We will never forget Hollywood!