Aussie Mick Debreceny shares tips and photos on Grand Canyon Visit
From Landscapes and wildlife to history and adventure, what’s the one thing about the Grand Canyon that has intrigued you?
The fact that it snows in the desert! Living where I do, I had never had the opportunity to see snow first hand. The very first time I ever saw snow falling was at the Grand Canyon. The snow laying about the place just added to the awesome beauty of the Canyon and surrounds!
If this your first visit to the Canyon, what is motivating you to visit? If this a revisit, what’s your reason for wanting more?
I have visited the Grand Canyon twice now, both times in winter. The first time was in 2004 with my brother, I was so in awe of the place, that from that day on, I was determined to visit again, so my wife and children could experience it’s beauty as well. So Christmas 2011 saw us brave the cold, in order to hold the rail with frozen fingers and watch the sunrise from the South Rim.
What are five things your Backpack to the Canyon must contain?
My Nikon Camera
Binoculars
Your trusty guide map.
A bottle of water
Several packets of Jerky, so when you get to Hermit’s rest and discover that there is no food there, you’ll have something to stave off the Hunger!
What according to you is the best way to get to the Grand Canyon – By Air, By Road or By Rail?
Both times I went to the Canyon, I hired a car at Las Vegas and made the run up Route 66, stopping at small towns like Seligman and the likes, to experience some American small town culture.
What is travel to you in one word?
enlightening
What are three tips for an awesome budget trip to the Grand Canyon?
Do your homework.
Check out deals at the Hotels in Tusayan as they are cheap, yet clean and welcoming.
Use the Park supplied map to guide yourself around the sites.
Make it your business to see either or both, a sunset or a sunrise. God provides them for free and nothing can compare!
On your travels, what would you choose a book or a camera, and why?
I take both, but working at a newspaper sees me carry my trusty camera most places. If I had to chose, it would be my camera, you can read a book at home and a with a camera you can relive great memories forever!
What surprised you about the Grand Canyon?
The enormity of it all and the fact we found ourselves alone at many of the lookouts. It also surprised me how cheap it was to visit, compared to other National Parks I have visited around the world.
As a travel destination, how would you rank the Grand Canyon from 1 to 10?
10
Did you visit the Visitor Center? Did you see the IMAX movie, Grand Canyon: Rivers of Time? What did you think?
We saw the IMAX movie after visiting the Canyon, I didn’t want my wife to see it before visiting the Canyon as I thought it may pre-empt the visit proper. I needn’t of worried, as nothing can compare to standing at the rail and experiencing it first hand. A great production non the less, I haven’t seen a bad IMAX movie yet!
Tell us a little about yourself! This will be included on the web site. What brought you to Grand Canyon? Where are you from? What do you do? What are your influences?
I am 47 years old and I am from the east coast of Australia, where I work for a small town newspaper (400km’s North of Sydney), I had always wanted to visit the Grand Canyon, ever since I saw it as a youngster on the Brady Bunch in the 1970’s.
Mick Debreceny
New South Wales
Australia
