¡Bienvenido a México!

Here I am, in Mexico! I crossed the border in Douglas/Agua Prieta on Sunday evening with Victor (who is hosting me with his wife Reyna). Here is the end of my 4-month trip in Canada and the United States. More than 13.000 km (8.000 miles) of different landscapes. But also hundreds of people, great and interesting encounters.

Now starts a new story, a new part of this great American adventure: Mexico and Central America, until Colombia where I will arrive mid-september.

On Sunday, I not only crossed a line, I also crossed a cultural border. It is another world, another culture, other realities, another context. And the first thing to do is to change my language set to spannish!

The cowboys and the Indians

We all have our own representation of the American Far West. Clichés. But not that much when they are seen through a camera.

The West is know for the cowboys and the pionniers, a bit less for the very rich First People history. You'll see in the album some Indian houses, built nearly a millenium ago, high in caves, naturally out of external danger, and close to water. You will also see some pictures of what was the gold rush, mining, and westerns.

Water in the middle of the desert

To go in the kitchen and to have a glass of tap water is almost a luxury. Access to water is a precious good. We could be multimillionaires if the scale of value was not based upon market value. Indeed more than 900 million people on Earth do not have any access to drinking water and more than 2,6 billion no access to sanitation system (leading to diseases and higher mortality).

In desert region such as Arizona can be, everyone tends to know the value of water. But it hasn't always been the case. Rivers are dry nowadays and aquifers are low. The main reason? Overuse of water for agriculture and farming, in comparison to what nature can refill them. Even earlier than that, First Nations were moving from places to places depending on drought and access to water. They were even moving on trails along the rivers.

In the 1920's, the seven States covering the Colorado basin (Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and California) negotiated share of Colorado River water. Then two dams were built: Powell for the Upper division and Hoover for the Lower division of the Colorado basin. But Arizona understood it will be difficult to provide the South of the State with Colorado water coming from Lake Mead (North Arizona, where the Hoover Dam is). It decided to build a canal to irrigate the South, in particular Phoenix and Tucson regions. The open-sky canal crosses the desert to end 336 miles (540 km) away from its source. Some 15 pumping plants help lift water more than 2,900 vertical feet (1,000 meters).

Arizona uses its water quota from Colorado River and distributes it more equally over the State. The canal, a.k.a. Central Arizona Project / CAP (which I visited thanks to Mitch), helps decrease pumping in aquifers: groundwater pumping is still allowed, even for those with CAP water – but any pumping needs to be managed to meet state laws. Approximately 1/3 of CAP water goes for population in towns and 1/3 for agriculture. The remaining 1/3 is used by Indian reservations and the left-over is stored in aquifers to renew them.

Obviously man can ask about expansion of cities. But no one dare give any figures. When will cities like Phoenix or Tucson have to say “stop! we can't have more people living in town because of water shortage”? The question (and the answer!) are highly political. So instead, the focus is put on education, rain water harvesting, less waste, recycling. For instance, Phoenix grey water directly goes to cool down Palo Verde nuclear power plant, located 50 mi / 80 km away in the desert. Tucson has more room for improvement: only 35% of its grey water is recycled nowadays.

And what about the future? The question remain to know until when cities are going to grow at the same pace. Then agriculture might have to be rethink. Hay and cotton (Arizona grows enough cotton each year to make more than one pair of jeans for every person in the United States) are highly water-dependent. Dry farming and low water needing culture are also alternating solutions.

It's hot, it's desert, it's Arizona!

In January, when I arrived in Alaska, I was posting “It's cold, it's white, it's Fairbanks!”. Four months later, it's another story...

In Arizona, temperature easily going beyond 100°F (37°C). The problem is to find shade to benefit from this temperature, otherwise it goes easily up to 130°F (55°C).

Arizona, which name is considered to come from the Spanish zona arida, is pretty desert. The humidity rate is 4%. Unbelievable for a European like me! You don't need any toaster, just leave you bread in the sun a couple of minutes. Same goes with eggs, I guess. All day long, you want to drink (water). And wildfires are all over the place. At the beginning, it's a bit scary to evolve in such an hostile environment.

As a result, vegetation is very dry. There is no grass (except on golf course!), no tree (except along few rivers), but cactus, bush, and rock. Rivers are dry and only susceptible to flow when there is a flash-flood. Otherwise, it is paradise for rabbits, snakes, lizards, bats. For once, no squirrels. I guess there understood pretty quickly they couldn't do the same on cactus than on regular trees.

To hike, you need to wake up early. I did so in Grand Canyon. I did it again in Prescott with Paul and Nina who showed me around and then kindly drove me to Tucson. In Tucson, François-Xavier (my host) and me also woke up at 4 to go hiking with Cécile and Ben. And beauty of Mother Nature is at the end of the trail.

It's hot, it's desert, it's dry, it's stiffing, but it's beautiful. As in Alaska, you're daily happy to survive in these extreme conditions. And yesterday, I met people who run the canal providing Tucson with water. A post on that very soon. And Arizona still has wonders to show me!...

Race Info

Day 116 – 11,240 kilometres (6,985 miles)

Never three weeks have been so well organized! Especially as "long" in advance! I'm surprised. This is perhaps the climate of Arizona who wants it. Anyway, let's sum this up.

Distance between Las Vegas and Agua Prieta: 1,805 km (1,120 mi)

All right, you can locate Arizona? This is your part of the job. I help you, it has California to the West and Mexico to the south. I entered the northwest corner, near Las Vegas. There, I stayed in Flagstaff for the weekend of May 5-6 at Henry, very friendly, and city with cool atmosphere.

Then came the Grand Canyon. I came, I saw, I liked it (see previous article). After five days, I returned to Flagstaff, at Henry always, to spend the weekend of May 12-13, before going on the road to the south.

Two days of camping at Cottonwood and Jerome, before meeting Paul (recently retired firefighter) and his wife Nina (graphic designer) who make me spend two days of discovery of Prescott and its region. On the menu, jeep tour on back roads, hiking, discovery of Indian culture, wine testing (yes, in Arizona!), good discussions and good food! This is Anne-Marie, a friend of Mike and Eve (who hosted me on the California coast) who, from Rochester, New York, put me in touch with them. She had already done for Marco and Sally and then Michele in Las Vegas. Anne-Marie, thank you so much for these wonderful encounters!

So much for Northern Arizona. Paul and Nina offered me a ride directly in the South, where I will be in Tucson for the weekend. I will then be hosted by François-Xavier, French, a friend from scouts of my cousin Cyrille. Again, great things in the program, in this region that looks pretty desert. Hiking in a canyon, another in the desert, meeting with friends of his, and an appointment with the people who manage the canal that supplies water to the city of Tucson. I'll love it!

Portal to the east of the state, will be the next step. Here is Ron, in his sixties, with whom I will discover the region. Ron is a bit of a windfall. He contacted me through CouchSurfing, then it's usually me who contacts people through this system that help me stay at people's place. He seems just as excited as me. It looks very “backroads”! He advised me: “have your camera and walking shoes ready!”. And on top of it, he will even come to pick me up in Tucson and drop me to my next step. Nearly 450 km (280 mi) in total, but it is his excuse to be sure I will not miss anything in the region.

My final step in the U.S. will be in Hereford with James, my age, wildland firefighter. Again it looks pretty promising. I'll be there on May 25-26, it falls exactly during his two weekly days off. And he also suggested outdoor activities, and to see the famous border fence between the U.S. and Mexico.

Then let's go to Mexico! Miraculously, Victor, the father of a friend of Cécile, my sister in law, drives not far from Hereford on May 27. He lives just across the border in Agua Prieta. He will pick me up and then he will host me a few days with his wife Reyna for my first steps in Mexico.

Thus ends in beauty the first part of my journey, one that allowed me to discover a part of Canada and the United States (including Alaska). To close this first chapter, I will prepare a small summary. But I would do it based on your questions and comments. For those who want to send me questions, you can post them in the comments of this post or send me an email (contact details in the "About me" section of this blog).

Grand Canyon

Finally, no need to rent a car to get to the Grand Canyon. A shuttle took me there from Flagstaff (150 km/100 mi away) where I stayed at Henry's. I think I should help locate us. The Grand Canyon is located in northern Arizona, neighbouring state of California and Nevada. And who says canyon, says river in the canyon. Who would have guessed that the Colorado runs through the Grand Canyon?

From Flagstaff, the road goes up to reach the Colorado Plateau, a vast and flat region, larger than the United Kingdom and Ireland combined, which covers the States of Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.

Click on map to enlarge

So here I arrived at the gates of the Grand Canyon National Park. But I still couldn't see anything. I pitched my tent because there were a lot of people, despite the early hour, and I didn't want to hear that the only campsite at thirty miles around was fully booked. The excitement grew since I am now heading to the Rim. I will not see anything until I reach the rim.

And then, suddenly, everything appears under my eyes. Like everyone, I am amazed by what it is considered to be: nothing but a gigantic hole in the ground. The majesty of it resides in its dimensions. The Canyon deserves its adjective Grand. The opposite rim is 15-20 km as the crow flies (about 10 miles). In some directions, we see more than a hundred miles around, but do not have an overview of 450 km of the Canyon. And the bottom of the canyon is 1500 meters below us. It's so cashed we can hardly see the river.

But obviously, like everyone else, I also arrived with my own representation and images of the Grand Canyon. And ultimately, it did not fit quite the reality. Here, for three reasons: visibility, colours and chaotic.

1. Visibility, because there is always a sort of veil, due to pollution coming from Southern California (to the West) or sometimes New Mexico (to the East).

2. Colours, because when I arrived on the edge for the first time during the day, there is virtually no shade and the sun is hitting the stones, giving them a uniform gray color - so as to other times of the day, you can admire the whole range from red to green through the ocher and gray.

3. Chaotic, finally, because the Canyon has not eroded uniformly across its width, knowing that in addition, rivers flowing into the Colorado have also contributed to create side-canyons.

So I made the necessary settings on my camera (contrast, brightness and saturation) for optimal shots.

When you see that, we easily understand that the Canyon is subject of much attention. The United States made it a National Monument in 1908 and then a National Park in 1919. And 60 years later, in 1979, the Grand Canyon is among the first World Heritage sites listed by the UNESCO. More than 400 Park Rangers ensure its preservation and welcome some 4.5 million people who, like me, will visit the Grand Canyon in 2012.

I spend my first day on the Canyon rim, hiking to several different viewpoints. This place is really fascinating. But I felt that I might experience more interesting stuff if I was hiking in the heart of the Canyon. I went to the backcountry information centre. Twenty minutes later, I came out with my special permit and my reservations for overnight camping. The day after I left for three-day hike.

When you stay on the edge, it changes its point of view horizontally, of course. But actually, going down offers a totally different perspective. The first image that came to mind is that of sand through a giant colander. Do not tell me that I am the only one fascinated by the slow flow of sand beach in a colander and patterns that appear gradually.

The descent is steep at first. Thank God, I'm not sensitive to the height and vacuum. Then the slopes are less steep, then steeper again. And so on according to the rock layers that we are crossing. Let's break a few moments, the time to quickly tell the story of the Canyon.

Basically there are two billion years, began a process of sediment deposition in different layers, of different composition, on what was then submerged by the ocean. Then, about 65 million years ago (when the last dinosaurs were dying), what is now the Colorado Plateau rose water, to over 2000 meters (6,000 ft). I'll spare you the theory of plate tectonics, convection and continental drift. And I jump up until 5 million years ago. There, the Colorado begins eroding the plateau of the same name and digging the Grand Canyon in the south. The rocks are of different composition, alternating softer or harder layers, erosion (due to the river, but also to rain and frost cracking the rock) makes some parts steeper than others. And thus reveals layers of different colours. From top to bottom, we find limestone, red rock (strong presence of oxidized iron, rust after all!), green rock, sandstone, limestone, and finally, schist. It has a scale of time since the rocks at the bottom of the Canyon date back 1.7 billion years, while those at the top, 230 million years.

Returning to our oven. Yes, indeed it is hot in the Canyon. The temperature is 20°-25°C (70°-80°F) up with a fresh breeze, but it rises above 35°C/95°F when you go down. And all this of course when you have the chance to find shade! Given the environment, few people venture on a hike in the Canyon. I almost want to say "good!" But there are all kinds of wildlife. These range from lizards to squirrels, from mule-deer to California condors reintroduced recently.

The view is breathtaking up the last part (the schist if you followed). It is steep, 500 meters (1500 ft) above the Colorado. Too bad for those who have vertigo and can not enjoy this magnificent view. Personally I really enjoyed it! (videos available in the previous article)

At the bottom, it passes through a tunnel that leads to a bridge over the river. The trail leads quickly to Colorado that seems peaceful and attractive. But no! Impossible to swim. The currents are deadly, and the water freezing cold anyway. So I fall back on a tributary, where is my campground. I bathe in the middle of deer grazing in the open camp. Pending, squirrels were attacking my little bag fiercely, trying to reach the mixture of nuts that they had felt. Now I'll never forget to put all my food in iron containers provided for this purpose, as they are for bears in Yosemite.

While walking in the afternoon along the Colorado, I saw a big box, by the trail. I laugh so hard when I read the message probably left the close-to-burnout FedEx guy: "Enjoy this! As of June 1st we will NOT deliver mail anymore!". Obviously he has not thought about using a mule to go down into the Canyon.

What I like about camping is that I hold much more naturally to the rhythm of the sun. Up early, sleep early. It feels great and allows you to walk in the morning when it's cooler. Second day, I began the ascent. Not too complicated, I stopped halfway up to the second camp. There I met Alex, a French who makes a road trip across the United States. Nice guy, nice meeting. We watched the sunset over the cliffs of Plateau Point. I think this is the best place in the Canyon: the tumultuous river 500 meters below our feet, and the canyon rim 1000 meters above us. We are literally in the middle of the canyon. By late afternoon, the rocks are different colours. You must love the red! We have the whole palette.

The next day I went back to the top with Alex before he resumes his way to Las Vegas and the California coast. I stayed an additional 24 hours. I met Robb, a Park Ranger, inexhaustible on the history and geology of the Canyon. In the evening I attended a beautiful sunset to conclude in beauty those few magical days.

Views of the Canyon

Before post and pictures... here are two videos..

Lights of Las Vegas

It feels slightly frenetic at the approach of this looming city. It's there, in the distance. We were approaching, after several hours driving through the desert, crossing small towns only twice. And the closer you get, the more traffic intensifies in Friday night where cars left from Los Angeles are starting to catch our bus.

I have long been reluctant to step in Las Vegas. I was afraid of being quickly sickened by this large city, nicknamed “Sin City”, only ruled by money and entertainment of all kinds... So much so everyone stop feeling guilty for all its excesses by saying: “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!”. And then I let myself be convinced by some to go and judge by myself. After all, it is on the way to Grand Canyon, so it's not as if I were a big detour.

Thinking about how I would describe Vegas, the first image that came to me is that the board game we have in France: Hotel. I do not know if many know it, but that's exactly right, life size. Las Vegas is a huge playground, covered by hotels in thematic architecture, where visitors are great kids who only think about playing and having fun, all in a joyful and carefree atmosphere.

The urge to play didn't overwhelmed me. I did not have to fight to avoid unnecessarily depleting my limited budget. The sirens of roulette, poker, craps, blackjack, slot machines had no effect on me. However, I let myself be lead by Sally (my host, also dealer at the prestigious Bellagio) in dizzying roller coaster of New York and the Big Shot at the top of the Stratosphere Tower (one that looks like an ice cream with an antenna on top). Basically, the car is driven for 50 meters along the antenna and down in free fall, all at 1,000 ft / 330 m altitude (slightly more than the Eiffel Tower). Thrills guaranteed!

I walked the Strip day and night. The Strip is a portion of Las Vegas Boulevard of nearly 7 km (more than 4 mi) and includes all the major hotels-casinos in the city: Bellagio, Paris, Caesars Palace, Mirage, Venetian, Monte Carlo, New York, Excalibur, MGM Grand, Luxor and Mandalay Bay to name the most famous. The city has hundreds of casinos. There are even slot machines in supermarkets, between the newspapers and the drugstore.

All this does not make you forget that we are still in the middle of the desert at 600 meters (2,000 ft). It is very hot and very dry. Man dehydrates in no time. Precisely, water is a particularly tangible issue. The main resource is the vast Lake Mead, east of the city, where the Hoover Dam on Colorado waters contains the tumultuous river and supplies water to southern Nevada, South California and Arizona. But the combined effect of increased consumption and global warming makes people fear of a complete drying within 10 years of the largest reservoir in the United States, now six times as large as Paris.

So I took the pleasure to discover this very special universe and unrivaled in the world. I also learned the tragic consequences has been the subprime crisis of 2008 (Las Vegas was one of the most affected cities in the US). I saw behind the scenes some neglected neighborhoods. I was finally not disgusted by big money (which we don't see – everything is in the form of tokens or gain receipts). And ultimately I made the most of Marco and Sally, and then Michele, my great hosts out there.

Yosemite before desert

Two photo albums. Two different atmospheres. Two different climate schemes.

The Yosemite National Park, created in 1890, is the second oldest in the US after the Yellowstone NP. The Park owes a lot to John Muir, naturalist in the 19^th century.

Even if the park is 3,000 km² large (760,000 acres), only 1% can be visited. The rest is designated “wilderness”. Man can already be in admiration of Mother Nature in the Yosemite Valley, in the centre of the Park, where we find El Capitan and Half-Dome, the two most popular features.

The narrow valley is surrounded by granitic cliffs. The coniferous forest and vegetation give a perfect habitat to deers, bears and other felids. Numerous water falls complete this magnificent green and grey scenery.

In the middle of this majesty, I felt very small and humble. You can also feel serenity in the valley. Visually, everything seems in harmony. Deers are not afraid of people, squirrels seem to have a lot of fun, bears are not so threatening when food is away!

I camped there two nights before I hit the road again since rain was being persistent.

Then I took the direction of Las Vegas. Leaving Central California, you enter the Mojave desert. Even if I've never been there, scenery reminds the Moon. The colour is more orange though. And you find cactus and bushes. It's a completely other world, where you feel the hostility of the environment.

It's extremely dry. You need to drink a lot (of water). Noose bleeds daily. And cities are scattered, distant and lost in the immensity.

Thanks to Marco and Sally who hosted me for almost a week, I could see the Valley of Fire. The name is self explanatory when you see the pictures...

Day 100

100 days also means:

• 3 months and 8 days
• 10,270 km or 6,381 miles (flight Paris-Fairbanks non included)
• 253 hours in transport, meaning 10 and 1/2 days non stop
• 7 US States (Alaska, Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, California et Nevada) and 2 Canadian provinces (British Columbia and Alberta)
• 7 means of transport (hike, car, ski, train, ferry, bus, bike)
• 52 drivers who gave me a lift
• 38 different accommodation
• 4,329 pictures taken
• 83°C / 148°F of difference between Fairbanks (minimum at -49°C/-55°F) and Las Vegas (maximum at +34°C/+93°F)
• 1 proxy voting
• 1 McDonalds only
• More than 2,000 visits on the blog: thank you all!

100 days also mean:

• thousand faces and people met
• great surprise when I'm invited by people instead of camping
• true emotion in front of people's kindness and generosity, or in front of stunning landscape
• decisions to be made daily on the road to take
• hours of enriching discussions
• moments of doubt and questioning
• simple joy and real fun with people, especially when there is a good vibe between us
• days when I wish I had travelling companions
• apprehension of the unknow cleared up when I landed in Alaska
• daily learning about life.