An Unforgettable Gift for the 50th Anniversary of an Unforgettable Society

The University Explorers Club (UEC), University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka is a society that will always remain in my heart as a wonderful place that any member at any point in their life can go back to. There, you can re-live the memorable experiences that you had during your undergraduate life at UEC and also, create limitless friendships with past, present and future members of the society. It unites students from various educational fields, who currently live-in various parts of the world. The maroon and gold “Explorer” jersey has made a huge impact in each of your lives and it has travelled to many nature’s wonders in Sri Lanka up to the Himalayas in India. I believed UEC with such a rich history deserves a unique gift for its 50th Anniversary. This was an effort for our prestigious jersey to reach one of nature’s most unique creations, the “Grand Canyon” in Arizona, USA for the first time. The journey initiated with a 7hr flight from Charlottesville, Virginia to San Diego, California.

The first day began with an 888km drive from San Diego, California to Grand Canyon Village, Arizona. During the drive, I enjoyed the view of rocky Mohave Mountain range and the Colorado river which separates the states California and Arizona. I was able to glance at the reddest sky that I have seen in my entire life while driving for approximately 10hrs to reach my destination for the day. Around 9pm, I finally arrived at the picturesque camping site where I was going to stay in a cozy little RV trailer named “Dottie”.

The next day, a golden shine outside my window woke me up around 6.30am. Without hesitation, I jumped out of the bed to see that beautiful sun rising up. It was freezing cold (-1 °C) outside but that didn’t stop me from enjoying the most spectacular sunrise I’ve ever seen. I just kept staring at the wonderful ball of fire rising from the golden background, shining its light on top of this wonderful land. Since I had a long journey ahead of me, I had to start my day early. Dottie was still 54km away from the Grand Canyon National Park. After a 45min drive, I arrived at the Visitor Center. I parked the car and started running towards my destination as I was impatient to see this beautiful creation of nature. It is a true geological wonder of the world. The “Grand Canyon” is a steep-sided canyon formed due to the carving of layers and layers of rock by the Colorado River for millions of years. It spans around 448km in length, 29km in width, and 2km in depth. The Native Americans have built settlements along this canyon and its caves for many years until present. It is a heaven for geologists providing unlimited information regarding ancient rock formations exposed in the walls of the canyon. As I was walking through the path, it became clear that everything I heard about this magical place is true.

After bathing in the beauty of the Grand Canyon, it was time to travel to the next destination. It was a 172km drive to another iconic region of Colorado River’s long journey towards the sea. From geology standpoint, this is a perfect example of an entrenched meander or in other words, a sinuous curve of a river or stream. It is 300m deep, 270° wide bend of the Colorado river around the Glen Canyon creating the shape of a Horseshoe. Thus, it’s no surprise that this region is called none other than “Horseshoe Bend”. After a 2km trail starting off the side of US Highway 89, it was a magnificent feast to your eyes staring at this miracle of nature.

After being mesmerized by the beauty of Horseshoe Bend, one more trip was left to complete this wonderful gift to UEC and the maroon gold jersey. It was another 363km drive to see a living painting made by nature, right off the historic US Highway Route 66. It was the amazing “Painted Desert National Park”. The Painted Desert is a badland covering over 93,500 acres and spans over 250km. It is home to many volcanic eruptions, floods, earthquakes. Deposits of clay, sandstone, and the abundance of iron and manganese compounds stacked in nice layers along with sunlight altogether provide its radiant look just like a painted canvas created by Vincent van Gogh himself. It was painful to say goodbye after being possessed by this artistry of nature and drive 269km back to Dottie. But I was able to bathe in the beauty of stunning red sunset one last time along the way to complete my gift to the 50th Anniversary of UEC and its amazing maroon gold jersey. The most important takeaway that I got from this experience and all my past experiences with UEC is that “A Lifetime is NEVER enough to Quench the Thirst of Exploration of a UEC Explorer”

Viranga Wimalasiri

S12 Paththaaya

UEC/14/014