We drove up to the Grand Canyon from Lake Havesu City on Jan 12th. Breathtaking. One could use every cliche ever written about the place and it would fail to capture the essence of the the canyon. It is so beautiful. Luckily, we talked to a guide who told us that we should capture the divergences in the lighting at sunset. Headed to the local hotel for drinks and appies to time things perfectly--why else would we go for drinks? Had the world's worst nachos--what the heck were those things that passed for chips?--and fabulous chicken wings, beer, wine, then walked the 2.5 miles back to the viewing area to await sunset, with Scott whining all the way, "Can't we take the shuttle?"
The colours were amazing, really: purples, reds, turquoise and a gold that looked like bullion. Like nothing else. See pictures for a sense of it.
Did I mention that it was cold? 38degrees F or 2C for the afternoon hours we were there. A bit windy and really cold but we added layers and did okay. The drinks helped. Were told by the guide that the lighting and visibility are best at this time of the year--good for us! Take note: if you are planning to go, go in winter.
We have been very lucky this whole trip. No rain yet, after a month, and the driving conditions have been spectacular wherever we have gone.
So, we watched the sun go down, then headed back to Tusayan, to the Grand Hotel where we had reservations. The rooms looked great and we got settled. Headed to the dining room for dinner, where we got ripped off in a big way. We weren't all that hungry so we all ordered soup and corn bread; we had $65 worth of wine and $70 worth of soup and cornbread. Yowsa. Fortunately, Banjo Paul was entertaining that night. He provided some good old Gene Autrey and Roy Rogers tunes while we ate. Headed back to the rooms. No sooner had we settled in than Lassie began barking. Really? Got through the night alternating between hot and cold. Hot flashes, Terry?
Morning found us in -9F. COLD. Car frozen up. Friday 13th. Scott took the fall for all us, first knocking himself senseless getting into the car, then when we were going in to MacDonald's for breakfast, Geoff slammed the door on his hand. Scott says it's not funny. Next, he broke a nail trying to open the car door. Why have we brought a senior citizen on this trip? The Russian mafia were running the MacD's. All employees had Russian accents and were obviously using the shop to launder money. An unused syrup container returned to the service counter was still sitting there when we left. Obviously, a usual signal for delivery. We got out unscathed, which was good for Scott.
More great and different light on the canyon in the morning. Spent another few hours at a different site, then headed back. On the way, we stopped for lunch in Seligman, registered as an historic site for its role in Route 66. Because the town argued to keep some of the actual highway intact, they got the designation and added some intriguing sites. We had lunch at The Road Kill Cafe. The place was clean, the cafe a hoot, and the food good. Took pictures at The Rusty Bolt, a shop specializing in Route 66 memorabilia, motorcycle garb and assorted trinkets/souvenirs. Some pictures attached.
Locked Geoff and Scott in the car when Ria and I went in to the rest stop. Apparently, it was quite warm. Scott (again) opened the door, setting off the alarm. To hear him tell it, it was worse than how one would treat their dogs. We didn't leave the window down and locked them in. Thank goodness we didn't get arrested!
Temperature 21F in Havesu. Rushed to get groceries, then headed home to the patio to catch the last hour of sun. A few Vespers later...trying hard to get dinner on the table, but it will be great!
Tomorrow, golf and more fun!
Here are some photos of our trip to the Grand Canyon accompanied by Ferde Grofé's "Cloudburst" from his Grand Canyon Suite. For more photos, visit our Flickr site.
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