Our 2007 Vacation to the Grand Canyon - South Rim
Our Arrival At The South Rim
(19 June 2007)
When we get off the train we gather our belongings and follow the rest of the
tourists toward the tour center, where we're whisked away on a bus tour of the
South Rim that takes us way out west, stopping at various 'scenic overlooks'.
Out past
Maricopa Point and The Battleship, past Powell Point and
Hopi Point, past
Mohave Point to Pima Point, then back east past the lodging area into the
camping area, past the shops and what not, then back to the lodging, nearly 3
hours in all.
Traffic is heavy and includes both personal cars and tour buses. LOTS of tour buses. My advice would be to park the car and leave the driving to the experts. The Maricopa Point stop is the first chance to stretch our legs and snap some pics. Nick is ready to explore everything, right now! Ann is keeping well back from the railings because of her fear of heights. Neither of us realized how much this was going to bother her. We get snapshot after snapshot as we round the trail from one end to the other. Before we know it, it's time to get back on the bus, only about 15 minutes later.
Our next stop, Hopi Point, is another photo opportunity and we take full advantage of it. Seems this stop was even shorter than the last, maybe not even 10 minutes, but at least Ann seems more at ease. She is intrigued by the history held by the Hermit Trail as described by the sign. The other side holds geologic information that was gained through exploration of the Canyon. Nick is off somewhere on his own taking pictures so I am concerned about his "running off", but eventually we find him, just as the bus is about to leave. Neither he nor Ann seems real happy with me scolding him about it.
We arrive at our last stop, Pima Point, about twenty minutes later. Ann stays on the bus and even Nick and I are finally wearing out. We snap a few pics and head back to the bus. The rest of the tour is geared more toward the creature comforts and where they're located. As we pass the lodging area, it is still crowded, but soon we're on our way to what seems to be the wilderness as we pass the campgrounds. The final leg takes us past the shopping center, then back to the lodging, where we gather our things once more and head for greater adventure.
Now to check in...
We think we're staying at the El Tovar, a former Harvey House, one of the few remaining from back in the day, and named a national historic landmark in 1987. Built in 1905, it was designed by Charles Whittlesey, Chief Architect for the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway. The very same Charles Whittlesey that designed the Riordan Mansion we visited just a few days ago. This place is HUGE! This full sized photo gives an idea of just how big it really is, and how close it is to the edge of the South Rim (twenty feet)!
At first they give us a hard time about our reservations, but once we tell them it's supposed to be part of the Grand Canyon Railway package deal, they ask us to give them some time and they'll find a place for us. While we wait, we explore the shops and end up in the bar, overlooking the canyon, and have a drink. The view from the bar is unbelievable. We relax, let the time pass, and have another round. We don't want to leave, but decide to do some browsing in the various shops in and around the hotel and the HUGE dining room.
When we check back, they've found a room for us at the Thunderbird Lodge. It's not the lodge we thought we'd be staying in, but it's nice nonetheless, so we unpack and settle in. After all that hiking around and hustling of the suitcases, I need to lay down - guess the combination of the thin air and the alcohol is finally getting to me - so Ann and Nick decide to go get acquainted with the "area" (shopping) while I snooze in the room. They ride the bus over to the shopping area and get some "goodies" at the grocery store.
I have a good nap while they're exploring and I'm ready to go when they get back. We're hungry, but I want to go get some pictures of the sunset, so I wander off to the east trying to get a better shot. The sun is setting fast so I begin to walk faster. Too fast for Ann to keep up. The last I remember is Ann sitting down on a bench to wait for me, with Nick following me as best he can. Eventually, I lose Nick as well, leaving him behind as he can longer keep up. This is where we part company, so to speak...
My adventure begins...
I hiked at least three miles, if not more, way out to the east of where we are staying just to get some good sunset pics. It's already eight o'clock and, like a dumb@$$, I neglect to make sure the rest of the family is keeping up. Totally winded and sore, I walk back to where I left them, now at a much slower pace, but they are gone. I head to the restaurant looking for them, but they are not there either. I knew I should have checked back at the room first. Well, I got some good pics, but pissed off Ann once again and ruined it for her.
When we get to the Arizona Room at Bright Angel Lodge, there's a line just to get on the waiting list. By the time we finally get on the list, we find out the wait is at least another half an hour. Ann is just livid with me. It's too late for her to eat and she heads back to the room. Nick and I are left to fend for ourselves. Eventually we are seated and peruse the menu. Nick wants a nice big 22oz. New York strip steak, and as we're waiting on our meal to arrive, we spot an acquaintance from the bus tour and wave him over so he doesn't have to wait for a table. As he's ordering, our meal arrives. It is delicious and Nick eats every last bite of that steak!
We say our farewells and head back to the room. The night air is cold and the wind is really whipping up. Ann is already asleep, so I dare not wake her. As I try to fall asleep, the wind is really howling now, as if the spirits that inhabit this place are trying to speak to me. The sound is eerily haunting, and I have a hard time getting to sleep, but finally do.
Today is a new (and busy!) day...
(20 June 2007)
Ann is still mad at me, but at least I'm able to explain what happened, and have
pictures to show for it. We don't have to board the train until later in the
afternoon, so we get cleaned up, do some more exploring, then hop on the bus
over to the shopping plaza looking for souvenirs. I'm not the grump I was
yesterday, and today goes much better. When we get back, we decide to take the
Grand Canyon ATV Adventure tour of the Kaibab Forest and boy are we glad we
did! Since we're on foot, so to speak, we persuade them to come pick us up at
the lodge. We head over to the main lodge to check out and get some breakfast.
Thankfully, we are seated with no wait, and it is delicious.
The ride to the tour center takes us south to Grand Canyon Village along US64. We aren't the only ones ready to ride. They pack us into the van and off we go. We we get to our destination, there are enough ATVs for everyone with a few to spare. First, we don the gear... helmet, gloves and goggles, and mount up. We take turns "demonstrating" our ability to safely control the four wheeler. Those having problems are asked to ride two up with someone else. Others do so voluntarily, including Nick and Ann. Next, the idea is to follow the leader, who navigates us through the forest, with occasional stops of interest. I follow Ann who follows the slowpoke behind the leader. Within a few feet we are covered with dust, but don't care since we're having such a good time.
At first Ann is cautious, then starts to hot dog it, peeling out and powering it through the corners. I think it's the most fun she's had so far! Nick is smiling too, but would be smiling more if he wasn't a year too young to be riding his own. We're up and down and all around the place. We stop often to take a ten minute break, stay hydrated, and get a bit of lecture to learn about the area. I sneak in a cigarette while I can, then it's back on the trail. Eventually, we come across one of those mini-trestles on the Grand Canyon Railway and realize why it looks like people use the trail. We are the people using the trail under the trestle!
All good things must come to an end, but if we didn't have to get back on the train to Williams, we would have gone back out again. You can imagine what we looked like, covered head to toe with dust and dirt from the trail. We are offered one of two ways to clean up - water hose or compressed air hose. Someone almost took them up on the water hose offer, until they pointed out what water and dirt mixed together make... the compressed air got most of it, and we could have been soaking wet, covered in mud at this point, but by now we really don't care. There's no way to pry the smiles off our faces.
The trip back to the center goes slowly as we drop others at their destinations close by. Then we wait patiently for another driver to take us back to the train station. Then we wait patiently to board the train. This time we ride inside the Luxury Car, worn out from our earlier adventure. Ann scolds me as I order a drink, then another, reminding me I have to drive back to Flagstaff when we get off the train in Williams. I'm taking advantage of what little time I have left to relax. The view is just as spectacular, but somehow not as captivating as it was the first time.
When the train arrives in Williams, we pack up our belongings, and head to the hotel parking lot to grab the car and get on our way. When we get back to Flagstaff from our rail trip, we stop at the Albertsons to "restock" before going back to the loft. Chris and Kristal have moved into the master bedroom, or was it Matt and Michelle? CRS!
Their turn...
(21 June 2007)
Today everyone else heads to the Grand Canyon and we enjoy the time we have to
ourselves. We do more exploring around the resort, then head to the vegetable
market and other shops the back way, now so familiar to us. When we get back, we
go swimming and hang out at the clubhouse for awhile, then head back to the
loft to relax on the patio deck. Tomorrow we head to Sedona.
Snaps from Maricopa Point
Snaps from Hopi Point
Snaps From Pima Point
Railway Snaps
Sunset Snaps From East South Rim
