26th Day - 08.03.2022

Due to the time difference, my mailbox is overflowing overnight. My mother is the first one to congratulate me. I take it all very joyfully, but I don't make a big deal out of my birthday. It's actually my mother who should be celebrated. She had the pain. I just slipped out and don't remember anything. But again, I am naturally delighted with every single birthday wish and read them all.

I receive my breakfast in the form of a voucher for the adjacent restaurant. I can choose from three dishes or get eight dollars credited. Since I really like Biscuits & Gravy, and that's one of the three dishes, the decision is relatively easy. And it tastes really delicious. Made fresh. Not industrial goods.

So I set off, heading towards the Grand Canyon National Park. I take the 160, then the 89, and finally the 64. all very picturesque roads. On the 64, I stop right next to a Navajo stand, where a woman starts to display her jewelry. I ask her if all the empty and numerous stands are occupied in the summer. She says yes, the season really starts after Spring Break. And then there are endless car queues with tourists buying goods there. For me, that would be a reason not to come in the summer.

The road is relatively empty and I reach the east entrance of the park after a good hour's drive. I pay my $35, which entitles me to visit the park for a week. If you only want to go for a day, it doesn't get any cheaper. Not even on your birthday. The first stopping point is also the busiest. The Desert View Watchtower. Here you get the panorama of this world-famous gorge in a broadside that you will never forget. I flew into it with a helicopter four years ago. But this is something completely different. The width of this natural wonder is unimaginable. No matter how many pictures you take, you can't convey it.

Since countless snowplows are on the road to clear the sidewalks of ice and snow, I assume that it must have snowed at night. The roads are free, but in the forest you can see an almost continuous layer of snow. There is nothing to see down in the canyon. The difference in altitude determines the temperature, which allows the snow to stay or immediately melt away.

I spent a total of 5 hours in this park, two of them at a pullout where I particularly like it. Sitting there, eating and drinking, and being able to look at this natural panorama is the best birthday gift of all time. I can't remember many birthdays. But this 59th will remain. It's hard for me to tear myself away. Knowing full well that I probably won't come here again and have to burn this moment into my brain. And it is these moments that make traveling so incredibly valuable. You can't take any possessions with you on your final journey. But definitely these impressions.

The way to Flagstaff, where I am staying overnight, leads through Winter Wonderland. Here, at an altitude of 2,500 m, there is a continuous snow cover. And it looks simply amazing in bright sunshine. A sight that I am no longer used to from Germany. I can't remember the last time we had sunshine and a lot of snow.

In Flagstaff, I meet Beatrix. She is also on a road trip and I have known her for a few years and we have exchanged many experiences. She has also been to Ireland and Cornwall and loves nature like I do. It's a funny moment to meet thousands of kilometers away from home at a certain point. And to make it work.

She will visit the Grand Canyon tomorrow, while I continue west. Our paths intersect here and that's just nice, to pause for a brief moment, to exchange experiences, and in this case even celebrate a little bit of a birthday. We go to a brewery and eat something. I have chili with Caesar salad and she has a burger. Both not only look good, but also taste great.

This was truly one of the best birthdays of my life. It will stay with me for a long time. The privilege of being able to be in such a place fills you with gratitude. Since I hear the terrible news from Ukraine, I know even more how well off I am. As an Indian, I would say that in my previous life I did a lot of things right. I say, I have no idea how I deserved this.