Grand Canyon: 9 Reasons You've Got to See It

Putting together a list of vacation options? Add the Grand Canyon. The National Park has tons of incredible trails, abundant wildlife, and rustic lodging that's steps from the edge. Not enough to get you over there? Here are nine more reasons why you've got to see the canyon:

1. Incredible sunrises and sunsets. Nothing beats the Grand Canyon for watching the sun start and end its day. For sunrise, go to Yaki Point or Mather Point. For sunset, go to Hopi Point. Some of the best times to watch are right after snowfall and during a summer Monsoon.

2. The disabled can enjoy it. Handicapped-accessible bathrooms, campsites, showers, parking lots, and guest rooms are just a few of the many amenities suited for travelers with disabilities.

3. Really cool events are held there. The canyon plays host to a number of unique festivities including the Native American Heritage Days on the North Rim in August and the Grand Canyon Music Festival in September at the South Rim. The holiday spirit kicks into high gear during Halloween and Christmas.

4. It's fun for the entire family. The canyon has a fantastic Junior Ranger program wherein kids can go on nature hikes, capture insects, go rock hunting, and more. Park Rangers also give free talks on digital photography, the California Condor protection program, and Park history/geology.

5. The fresh air. The South Rim in particular is a great place to have your olfactory system (a.k.a. the nose) stimulated by the scents of Ponderosa Pine, Fir, and Aspen trees.

6. It's one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. An honor it shares with Mount Everest, the Paricutin Volcano, and the Great Barrier Reef.

7. It's a Mecca for travelers. Five million people visit the canyon annually. Now that's an endorsement if there ever was one.

8. Perfect for photographs. There are no bad views at the Grand Canyon. Make sure you bring extra batteries and memory sticks for your digital camera.

9. It's the quintessential American experience. Grand Canyon National Park is the among the oldest in the National Park system, and is recognized as one of the West's most iconic landscapes.

This is not an exhaustive list. For that, I recommend picking up a free copy of "The Guide," a free publication produced by the Park Service. It includes an updated calendar of events and a map of the shuttle system. This free guide, which is only available at the South Rim, can be found at the main entrance gate or inside most of the lodgings and shops inside Grand Canyon Village. It's can be downloaded from the Park's website at:

http://www.nps.gov/grca/parknews/newspaper.htm

If you are looking for activities and sightseeing opportunities, Grand Canyon National Park is the ticket. It also makes the perfect day trip from Las Vegas, Phoenix, and Sedona. Tours include helicopter, bus, airplane, and river raft. And, when it's time to relax, there are plenty of restaurants, accommodations, and easy walking trails from which to choose. No matter what type of adventure vacation you are looking for, the Grand Canyon's got it.

Travel journalist Keith Kravitz writes exclusively about the Grand Canyon. If this article inspired you to see the canyon, check out Kravitz' Grand Canyon tour reviews at: http://www.GrandCanyon123.com

How Grand National Started

Watching the Grand National race has become a favorite past time for millions of enthusiastic fan. The Grand National is the most popular National Hunt racing in the world. It is also one of the most exciting and controversial races due to the high number of injuries and death of the horses while competing in the race. To date, a jockey had died from injuries that was sustained during the race.

The event is a Grade 3 event for horses that are above 6 years old. It is usually conducted on a Saturday, in Liverpool. The circuit requires the horse to jump over a total of 16 fences. Only The Chair and the Water Jump will be jumped over once. The rest of the fences will be jumped over twice. The circuit is dangerous to negotiate because of the severity of some of the fences. It is while jumping over those fences that accidents happen. However, in recent years, due to immense pressure from animal activists, the severity of these fences have been reduced.

The beginnings of the Grand National dated so far back that it was unclear when it actually started. Some argued that the first race took place in 1836, while others insisted that the race started in 1837 or even 1838.

Over the years, the Grand National had produced many spectacular stories. In the 1950s, the National Grand was dominated by a certain Irish by the name of Vincent O'Brien. Vincent was a horse trainer, and he successfully trained horses that won the National Grand in 1953, 1954, and 1955.

Year 1967 was also an interesting time. Rank outsider, Foinavon, managed to came in first at the odds of 100 to 1. It was ridden by Johnny Buckingham. What happened was that two loose horses managed to put off the leading pack. The horses either stopped or refuse to continue, and had to be remounted. Foinavon was so far behind that he managed to avoid the incident altogether, and overtook 17 horses to come in as the winner.

The most famous horse of the Grand National was undoubtedly Red Rum. It is the only horse that won the Grand National three times. It won in 1973, 1974 and 1977.

The Grand National is a rather unpredictable race. From history, all kinds of unexpected or unforseen circumstances can cause even the best horses to lose the race, or the unpopular horses to win the race. Perhaps that's why millions of people are hooked to the Grand National. Even highly accomplished jockeys like Terry Biddlecombe, Stan Mellor, and Jonjo O'Neill never won the race.

The unexpected twists and turns of the Grand National provide tons of entertainment for its audiences. Even mares (female adult horses) can win this race. To date, a total of 12 mares managed to become a winner. Who would have expected that?

For more Grand National thrill and excitement and Grand National Odds, please visit our website.

The Irish in the Grand National

The Grand National is one of the most famous steeplechases in the world, and it was two Irish fox-hunting men, Edmund Blake and Cornelius O'Callaghan who came up with the name 'steeplechase' in 1752. They did this by running from steeple to steeple in Co. Cork, so it is fitting that Ireland have the greatest 'foreign' impact on the Grand National, a race that is run over approximately the same distance as the original steeplechase from St John's Church in Buttevant to St Mary's Church at Doneraile. So great is the Irish influence, that the Grand National has become a distinctly Anglo-Irish festivity.

The Irish have been competing in the race since it was first run in 1839, with owner Tony Ferguson bringing over three horses to compete that year - Daxon, Rust and Barkson. Ferguson himself rode Daxon, but fell as did Barkson, but Rust proved such a worthy contender that the course was invaded by opposing punters who brought him to a halt. Needless to say, it didn't put the Irish off - the following year half of the contenders were Irish with one of them giving name to the second brook - Valentine, so good was his handling of it.

In 1847 the Irish won the Grand National for the first time, with Matthew, a joint 10-1 favourite. Three years later they won again with Abd-El-Kader who went on to become the first horse to win successive Nationals. Since then, even though many are English trained and owned, the majority of National winners have been bred in Ireland - including Red Rum, the Nationals only triple champion; Golden Miller, who is the only horse to have won both the National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup in the same year; Cloister, twice runner up before winning by a record 40 lengths even though he weighed in at a huge 12st 7lb; Manifesto, who ran in a record eight Grand Nationals, winning two, coming third twice, and fourth once.

As well as excellent horses, Ireland has also produced brilliant trainers and jockeys with Henry Eyre Linde, Willie Garrett and Michael Vincent O' Brien to name but a few of the former group. Things stepped up a notch for Irish born jockeys when four brothers - the Beasleys, rode in the National in the same year - 1879. None of them won that year, another Irishman did, but it didn't stop them coming back again and again with Tommy winning in 1880, 1881 and 1889 and Harry winning as rider and trainer in 1891.

Since 1995 no fewer than ten of thirteen National winners have been ridden by Irishmen, and they are recognised as a dominant force in the National Hunt. 2006 saw a record number of Irish horses entered for the National - thirty eight. Twentyone made it to the 40 runner line-up, and they took first, second and fourth places , while the third and fifth finishers, though England-based, were both owned and trained by Irishmen, JP McManus and Jonjo O'Neill.

http://www.grand-national.me.uk gives you unrivaled coverage of the Grand National horse race.

Buick Grand National For Sale

General Motors introduced the mid-sized Buick Regal in 1972 for the 1973 model year, and it mostly flourished through four vehicle generations before GM ceased production of it in 2004. Production in China, which had begun in the 2003 model year, continued despite cancellation in the US. In 2008, GM launched an all-new Buick Regal based on the Opel Insignia in China. A year later, they announced that the model would be returning to the U.S. market for the 2011 model year.

In 1982, during the Regal's second generation, GM introduced a Buick Grand National for sale. In 1981 and again in 1982, Buick had won the Manufacturers Cup. The model is named for the NASCAR Grand National racing series, was their way of celebrating and cashing in on that success. The first of the Grand Nationals were charcoal grey, quite different from the all-black motif for which it would be famous. These early Grand Nationals were just Regals off the line that GM would then send to a subcontractor, Cars and Concepts in Auburn Hills, Michigan, for the conversion.

They intended 100 units, but sold 215 in the end, and received far more buzz than they had expected. Despite that excitement, the 1983 model year came and went without a Grand National in the Regal lineup, but it was back and in black for 1984. This new Buick Grand National for sale boasted refined sequential fuel injection and a turbocharged 3.8-liter engine, which produced 200 horsepower at 4400 rpm and 300 pound-feet of torque at 2400 rpm. Buick produced only 2,000 units this year.

The Buick Grand Nationals for sale in 1985 and 1986 each got minor performance increase, and by the 1987 model year, performance was up to 245 horsepower and 355 pound-feet of torque. With the drop of the T-Type Regal package, sales were up over 27,000 units, and of these 27,000, approximately 1,500 were the WE4, a lightweight Turbo T option package. The differences between the standard model that year and the WE4 were the badges, wheels, and interior trim package.

However, even sales as high as 27,000 units was not enough to offset the cost of production. The niche market had just not grown large enough fast enough, and it was destined to be short-lived. For that final model year, Buick introduced a Buick Grand National for sale called the GNX. Buick marketed the GNX, which McLaren and ASC produced for GM, as the "Grand National to end all Grand Nationals", and the list price was nearly $30,000.

That was an astonishingly high price for that period for a car of this nature. Was it worth it? Over the stock GN, it included a Garrett turbocharger, a low-restriction dual exhaust, a specially calibrated Turbo Hydra-matic transmission, a custom torque converter, a transmission cooler, and a host of other features that amounted to 276 horsepower and 360 pound-feet of torque. For visual style, the GNX came with special tires, 16-inch black mesh wheels, and a slew of minor styling cues that combined for great effect.

The good news for enthusiasts is that despite limited numbers, they can purchase a Grand National that requires work or has high mileage on the engine for several thousand dollars. However, if you want one in better condition, prices rise quickly, and they range as high as $50,000 and beyond.

Dan Legal is a member of the web team that runs the website LemonFree.com. LemonFree is a car search engine which currently has over 2 million new and used cars for sale. If your trying to locate a Buick Grand National; trust LemonFree to help you find your next car today!