Shotgun Spritualist

I’ve just emptied the clip of an AR-15 into a slanted bank of rubber pellets. I feel like I need a shower. Not just because my British gentility is opposed to these swashbuckling acts but because somewhere inside me is a feeling of thrill.

As we re-emerge into the light of day I contemplate the implications of the last hour. I’m worried that Arizona is about to be everything I thought it would be. So far we’ve navigated strip malls and 8 lane carriageways on our way to overpriced golf courses and gun ranges.

But I’m hopeful that something more meaningful lies in the vast wilderness to the north of Phoenix. That’s where we’re heading now, upstate towards horizons that curve at the edges and 20 storey pinnacles of red rock that protrude from the dirt. A familiar feeling of adventure starts to bubble in my stomach, ushering my concern aside.

Rusted neon signs, coyotes and stubborn cacti emerge from the mirage of the endless plains. We pass through wide streets littered with old Chevrolet pick up trucks and classic American Diners.

As we leave another rickety old town in our dust, a wall of textured red flickers through the trees that line the road. The sun is flirting with the highest tips of The Grand Canyon when I step out of the van.

These mile-high walls are a cross section of time. The Vishnu rock at its base is the hardened magma of a 1.7 billion year old volcanic eruption. Encrusted in the rising layers are some of earth’s earliest life forms. This structure was first stumbled upon by Spanish explorers in the 1540s but 500 years on, I’m having the exact same experience. There’s a feeling of interstellar discovery for anyone fortunate enough to soak this in. A scale so grand, its almost impossible to comprehend.

In the amphitheatre of one of the world’s 7 natural wonders I’m afforded a moment to think. I feel a level of internal stillness that only awe-inspiring natural landscapes can provide. The itchy restlessness I ingested back in the city is washed aside by a water like quiet. I’m struck by the contrasting cultural experiences I’ve had in the same place, on the same day.

It’s the contrast that defines this place, for better or worse. It might not all be for you, but you’ll find something that is.