THE GRAND CANYON IS MORE THAN GRAND

Forgive me friends; it has been weeks since my last blog! (a little Catholic humour). I have been enjoying Arizona – it is a wonderful state and I love everything about it.

I finally got to the Grand Canyon. My first view was from the helicopter ride included in the tour. I was speechless and even a little teary eyed. The view is indescribable! I took pictures and even filmed some of the ride on my pocket camcorder but even if I was Steven Spielberg, the film and photos would not do the Canyon justice. To see the Canyon, you know that it was created by earthquakes and volcanoes. But you also know that something even greater was at work making this one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. The symmetry of the Canyon is amazing. You can follow the lines in the rock formation and they could not be more perfect. An even area where rock has slid away is symmetrical as the pattern repeats 7, 8 or more times.

After the helicopter ride we went to Tusayan where we had lunch and watched the IMAX film by National Geographic (great experience but still not the real Canyon). We then were driven to the Canyon and went to the far east side of the Canyon (I pointed out to the tour operator that we have been in the van for three hours and other than the helicopter ride, we had not seen the Canyon). All that was about to change.

We stopped at the farthest eastern viewpoint of the Canyon at Desert View which is one of the highest points on the south rim. There is a watchtower that was designed Mary Colter and built in 1932. Mary Colter was an architect and many of the historic park buildings were designed by her. Our next stop was Yavapai Point which is just west of Mather Point which is the most popular viewpoint but only because it is closest to the park entrance. After some time, it was back on the bus and back to Williams. I was even more excited to spend time at the Canyon.

I went back to the Canyon several days later. This time I drove early in the morning a parked the truck in one of the many parking lots. I then got on one of the free shuttles that move people around the park. There are four different routes that loop around various areas of the Canyon. The shuttles are free and you get on and off whenever you want to get a look at the Canyon. It is amazing that one view can change so much if you move 10 feet to one side or the other. These shuttles are new, clean and the drivers tell you about the various areas of the Canyon.

I went to the far west side at Hermits Rest. This area of the park is only accessible by the shuttles. I got some water and climbed up on a large rock and sat and just looked at the view. It was a perfect spot to reflect on how blessed my like is and how very fortunate I am to be living this dream. To make life even more perfect, Lauren is joining me in Vegas on July 6th and we are driving to Bryce Canyon for a week then back to Vegas for a few days before she flies home. Not sure where I am headed after that but Yellowstone, Mt. Rushmore and other National Parks are on the agenda.

The main reason for this trip was to see the Grand Canyon and I was right – NO ONE SHOULD DIE UNTIL THEY HAVE SEEN THE GRAND CANYON!

TAKE IT EASY

On Tuesday, the sound of my own wheels was making me crazy so I decided to run down the road trying to loosen the load. I was hoping to lighten up while I still can and I didn’t even try to understand. I may lose and I may win but I will never be here again. I ought to take it easy so …………….

I’m standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona and it is such a fine sight to see.

Some of you will understand this post and others will just think that it’s just another tequila sunrise.

I also drove to Sedona – think Salt Spring Island (New Age crap) and Rodeo Drive ($$$$) but the drive and scenery is incredible. May head back down if there is time.

I had planned to drive to the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert today but there was a storm headed that way and the smoke from the fires around Flagstaff was drifting east. I will try again Sunday.

I am planning to go to Prescott Arizona on July 3rd for their Frontier Days Parade and I have a ticket to the afternoon rodeo. It is the world’s oldest rodeo and for $25 I have skybox seating (not sure if the seat is any good but $25 is the most expensive ticket). Now all I need is a cowboy with a nice smile! When Linda & I went to Merritt Mountain Music Fest a few years ago, we had VIP parking. When we showed up, there was a cowboy that told us we had to turn around and park in the low end parking. So I did just that. Linda pointed out that in the 45 years we have been best friends, she has never seen me give up without a fight. I pointed out that the cowboy had a great smile!!! Ah, memories, sweet memories!!!

I will also go to Williams Arizona for their July 4th parade the evening of the 4th. This will be a small town celebration and it should be great.

I LOVE ARIZONA AND WILL BE BACK.

BEARAZONA

This is a new attraction in Williams, Arizona that has bears, hence BEARAZONIA. It is a drive through look at the animals. It has only been open three weeks so it was not a "knock your socks off” attraction. There were mules, big horn sheep, white bison, and bears – really little bears, not scary at all bears but they warn you to keep you windows closed so that you think they are big bears, really big bears. It was only $11 so it was still fun. I will let the pictures speak for themselves except for the office hidden in what looks like a big red rock. I rolled down my window to take the picture and a voice over the loud speaker told me to roll up my window. Hope it was just a park employee!!!!

STUPID WILDLIFE

I wake up at 5 am one morning with a constant tapping on the front of the trailer just by the bedroom window. It sounds like a branch in the wind but when I look outside later, there are no tree branches that low. The next morning when it happens I figure it is kids playing around but it is 5 am and no kid is even awake.

When it happens for a third morning in a row and has been waking me up at 5 am every day, I go outside in my nightie (no one else is even awake so it seemed safe) and what do I find but a small bird sitting on the battery at the front of the trailer and pecking at the silver protection on the front of the trailer. I shoo the bird away and think that’s it. The next morning at 5 am again it starts up but there is even more pecking because he has brought a friend as I find out when I go out (in nightie again). I asked at the office if they know what to do and they suggest hanging something to scare away the birds. Smart girl like me has just the answer – I have 6 small Canadian flags from the end of the Olympics so I string them together and then hang them on the front of the trailer over the silver part.

The next morning I wake up at 5 am but there is no pecking (I am now conditioned to the 5am wake up call). I figure my plan has worked until I go out later to see that the flags have fallen on the ground. The only thing I can figure out as to why the birds have stopped the pecking is that they are still laughing their tail feathers off at the stupid Canadian!!!

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE NEEDED

For those of you who have figured out how to post a comment, please let me know how to do it so I can pass the instructions along to by technically challenged friends. I am one of them and only got this blog working with the help of Lauren.

GRAND CANYON HERE I COME!!!!

I had decided that when I got to the Grand Canyon I would take 2 or 3 different tours to get a real feel for the Canyon and then I would do day trips on my own. My first tour was a jeep tour to the Colorado River on the west side of the Canyon.

On Friday, June 5th the tour operator picked me up from the RV Park and drove into Williams. I got on a larger bus with people who were doing the same tour that day. We left Williams at 9:15 am with a group of 18 tourists. We got onto the highway and headed west which seemed odd to me as the Canyon was north. But obviously they must know what they are doing so I sat back to enjoy the ride. After about 30 minutes we headed north and drove through the small town of Seligman where the Disney movie “CARS” was filmed. The original Road Kill Café was also located in Seligman. The bus drove slowly through town with our guide, Carol, describing points of interest. Left town and sped up and now it has been an hour and still no sight of the Canyon. I was beginning to doubt the whole Grand part as I couldn’t see anything but crappy little hills covered in dead shrubs. I also wondered if I was on the wrong tour and maybe I was on the bus tour to the local hospital as the age of most of the people was over 65!

FINALLY, Carol said that the only road into the Canyon was on the west side and is owned by the Hualapai Indians. Now that made more sense. But before we got to see the Grand Canyon we stopped at the Canyon Caverns for a 50 minute tour. She described the tour as a bit of a walk with inclines and steps but no big deal. Everyone got off the bus including the woman who is on portable oxygen. She and her husband stayed behind and the rest of us descended 220 feet down in an elevator to the cavern (pictures posted separately). Our tour guide was a man about 65 and after a minute of his spiel I realized that this was not his first tour and his speech was mind-numbing. The cavern was incredible so it was well worth the tour for the first 15 minutes then real boredom set in. Luckily there was a couple and she could not make the climbs and steps so I stayed behind with them and waited for the underground tour to end.

Back up and into the bus which took us to the jeeps that were prepared for the next leg of our tour. There were three jeeps with a tour guide and six tourists in each jeep. NOW WE WERE GOING TO SEE THE CANYON – HURRAY!!

Not so fast, Tonto! We drove for another 20 minutes on the highway then turned off the road and passed through the Hualapai Indian Reserve. Fancy cars and trucks but the houses lacked “curb appeal” so to speak. This tribe owns the rode down into the west side of the cavern. The only other way to the bottom of the Canyon is through the east side by way of Page, Arizona and then only by rafts (that is my Wednesday adventure so more after that tour). The tribe has allowed this tour groups to use this road (for a fee) since 2007 so it is a new venture for the tribe. NOW WE WERE REALLY GOING TO SEE THE CANYON!!

Not quite yet, Batman! We drove down a “road” in the jeeps and I am pretty sure that a couple of my internal organs were bounced into new positions. Our guide, Carol, was really well informed about the vegetation, wildlife and geology of the tour. The scenery changed around every turn and it was fascinating. After an hour in the jeeps we finally got to the bottom and the Colorado River. The temperature didn’t seem too bad while we were moving but now that we had stopped we were hit full force with 110 degree heat! And NOT the good heat. They had warned us that it would be hotter on the floor of the canyon but hotter (like nicer, richer, faster, etc.) is a comparative word. What they should have said was the floor of the canyon would be the hottest place outside of HELL and maybe Nettles, California.

I had already consumed 2 litres of water and the first thing I did was drink another litre. Then we ate the bag lunch that was included (sandwiches, apple, cookies) even though it was too hot to eat. I then drank another litre of water while I sat in the river as it was the only cool spot I could find. There was a large raft being taken out of the river. The people that had been on that tour were already gone. It had been a 17 day rafting trip of the Colorado River and they looked the part. I actually thought about it until I found put that there were no “Sherpas” and I would have to put up my tent every night.

We spent an hour by the water and then loaded up for the trip back to Williams. To sum it up - we drove 8 hours round trip for an hour on the river. It was worth it but it was an exhausting day. I was to do another tour the next day but moved it to Wednesday so I had time to recover. These tours are not for the feint of heart and there were probably 6 people on the tour that really should not have been along for health reasons.

Tomorrow I do the south rim tour of the Canyon which included the IMAX show and a helicopter ride. Once my tours are done I can then either take the train or dive to the Canyon and explore on my own.

Well, now I will upload pictures and then I am done for the day.

Love
Adelle

CANYON JEEP TOUR

CANYON CAVERN

GET YOUR KICKS ON ROUTE 66!!

On October 13, 1984 Williams became the last town along Route 66 to be bypassed by the new interstate highway. The last stop light between Chicago and Los Angeles was on the corner outside the information centre. I was a little busy that day in history so probably missed the press release!!!

I could write long prose about my first visit to Williams but I think the pictures tell the story better than I ever could.

CIRCLE PINES KOA KAMPGROUND

Months ago when my idea for this marvellous adventure was just a dream, I pictured myself in a RV Park just like the Circle Pines KOA Kampground. THIS PLACE IS PERFECT!!!

The staff is wonderful and always there to offer help (my awning was giving me trouble but the guys helped out and now it is great). There is an indoor pool and whirlpools, laundry facilities, lots of private showers, a small café for breakfast all week and dinner on Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. The other RVers are so friendly. The park is about 15 minutes from Williams, 30 minutes from Flagstaff, and 60 minutes to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The temperature is cooler than the surrounding areas (especially the floor of the Grand Canyon - blog tofollow).

I had booked for two weeks but have decided that there are lots of day trips that I can do so I am staying until after the July 4th weekend. I will go into Williams and experience the holiday small town style.