Date:
2 weeks of July 1999

Participants:
Ireneusz Szpot and Igor Czajkowski

Distance covered by bicycle:
approximately 500 km

It wasn't exactly a bicycle expedition, because the time we had at our disposal (about two weeks), and the distances between interesting sites in the vicinity of the Grand Canyon, caused us to revise our plans. We decided to rent a car in order to travel faster between selected locations, and spend more time in each place, taking intense trips with luggage packed in small backpacks. Moreover, the two weeks were made shorter by two days, because we had to wait for our luggage – a few panniers and a bike – which got lost during a flight to Las Vegas.

There were many interesting places on our way. We reached the bottom of Havasu Canyon (branch of the Grand Canyon) with our bikes, which amazed tourists travelling on foot or on horseback.
Later we saw Monument Valley and Bryce Canyon, which I regard as on of the wonders of the world. Finally, we took a few trips around the Grand Canyon. During one of them reaching our car proved beyond our strength, while another one ended with such a somersault that I was miraculously lucky to escape with just a sore fingertip. These are just a few examples proving that bad luck did not abate for the entire expedition…