Natural Wonders or Man Made Wonders: What's Your Choice?.....

The phone rang at about 5:30 in the morning. "Dadeo, we landed. Can you come pick us up?" It was my daughter. She and my wife had flown home on a red-eye flight back from Las Vegas. But the airport was about all they saw of Las Vegas. They rented a car and drove to visit the natural wonders of the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park in Utah. So they went from maybe the ultimate man made curiosity, to Mother Nature's curiosities.

The Grand Canyon. What else can you say?

It got me thinking. Some people are more interested in man made attractions like Vegas, others prefer the beauty of natural wonders. I suppose there's room for both.

On the man made side we've got things like the Eiffel Tower, Pyramids, Great Wall of China, Roman Coliseum, Golden Gate Bridge, the Las Vegas strip, and all that stuff in Abu Dhabi. You also could include the whole world of art. These are all credits to the creativity and genius of the human race. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder though.

On the natural side we have items like Canyons, Niagara Falls, mountains, beaches, flowers, Giant  Sequoias, and of course sunrise, followed by sunset.

Vegas - glowing, pulsing, excitement in the desert

After a brief drive through Vegas, my wife said, "I've seen enough of that. The whole place looks so fake." "Cheesy", my daughter added. Las Vegas is the entertainment and excitement capital of the world. But I think their reaction was because of where they had just visited: the Grand Canyon and similar spectacular sights.

I had visited the Grand Canyon myself a number of years ago. Even though I knew what to expect, I was stunned by the reality of it. I had rented a car and drove up from Phoenix. That drive itself was beautiful, but mostly desolate. Anyway, after a long drive, I entered the park and caught a glimpse of the Canyon. I immediately pulled the car over and parked on the side of the road. (Not at a designated parking area.) I walked over to the edge and was in a state of shock (seriously!) Over and over in my head, and maybe out loud, I kept saying, " What the hell is this! What the hell is this! " It was like nothing I had seen before or since. The scale is incredible. I sometimes say the Grand Canyon is so incredible, it looks fake. You can't reach out and touch it. It's a mile down, and you would need a helicopter just to get to the other side.

But of course, this is God's work. The ultimate design engineer. I don't think even a master dreamer like Walt Disney could have thought of the Grand Canyon.

In Bryce Canyon, you get to be inside the canyon.

I have started to look at some of their pictures from their trip. They are spectacular. They also met a number of people from around the world that were visiting these sites as well. It made me realize how unique these natural wonders are. I don't think there's any equivalent to the Canyon lands in Europe.

But I know there are plenty of people that would be bored to death with that type of trip. They would prefer the cities, good restaurants, shows, maybe the excitement of gambling, or even the cultured life. Everybody's different. Thankfully.

Me? I'll take a little of both. How's that for a cop-out. I can certainly appreciate both. But many would have a definite preference for one over the other.

So what type are you? If you could only choose one. Would you prefer a trip to the majesty of the Grand Canyon? Or would you rather be in an electric and exciting place like Vegas?
Maybe that says something about your personality. Something good I'm sure.