Day 16

Wednesday 16th May 2007<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

 

After another restless night (at least for me), we managed to make breakfast 10 minutes before they were due to take it off display.  The one thing that we have found at mealtimes is that everything is very prompt: if breakfast in the motel is till 9.00 am that is what they mean, even though check out is not till 11.00 am.

 

After having breakfast and carrying out some housekeeping on our emails we set forth for the Grand Canyon.  Giving Connie the chance to be in charge, she took us via the I-40 West and then North on Arizona 64 through some fairly boring countryside.  After some of the impressive scenery we had seen over the last couple of days we were almost unprepared for the ‘flat’ scenery was saw on our drive to the Grand Canyon.  The hotel had given us some tickets for money off an orientation show of some 34 minutes, but, as it happened, we completely missed the venue for this, which we finally worked out had been before we entered the National Park.  We had gleaned from the literature provided that some 6000 cars a day enter the park and that there is only parking for 2000 cars, so we found ourselves some way away from our original destination of the Visitors Centre and having to park alongside the road, at what transpired to be almost opposite Yakapai??? observation area.  At this point, Bob being of weak bladder, or just a male, nipped into the bushes for a quick pee.  Of course, us ladies had to wait until a suitable restroom came in sight.  Having looked at the map we realised we had completely got our bearings wrong and had started to walk away from the Visitors Centre.  We did manage to latch onto one of the guided Ranger talks, so heard some interesting history about the Canyon, and the fact that The Grand Canyon in America is the ONLY Grand Canyon, and all others throughout the world are just wanabee Grand Canyons J.

 

I have to say that I am not convinced about the use of the term awesome, but today what we saw at the Grand Canyon was AWESOME.  From the top of the Canyon to the bottom is just about one mile.  The Colorado River that runs through the Canyon looks about 6 inches wide, but some guy was saying that in fact it was about 2 miles wide.  [Ed: no, it was two miles from that bit of the Colorado there to that bit there, which to the naked eye seemed only a few hundred yards].  At one point we actually saw some rapids.  The colours and rock formation were so different in places it was hard to believe it was all part of the same landscape.   We have managed to take some brilliant photos and some of the best are where the shadows of the clouds impose themselves on the rocks.

 

We eventually found the Visitors Centre and viewed the displays of information about the area.  We briefly popped into the book shop, which of course meant that I purchased a DVD on the Grand Canyon and bought Bob a book and a couple of other odds and ends. (I suspect that we will have to pay excess luggage back to the UK if we carry on like this).

 

We were also treated to a thunderstorm whilst we were at the Canyon. The effects of the shadows on the Canyon was just amazing. We managed to keep dry, which was lucky as it was evident on our drive to the East exit that there had been a substantial amount of rain.  We also saw, again, the devastation caused by fire.  A lot of the pines had been burned, but had managed to survive so had lots of top growth, but no lower growth, or lower growth that was singed.

 

At one of the turnouts there was a rather splendid Raven sat on the wall, who was joined by his mate.  I took some photos from the car window, never having seen a Raven so close up before, but we were in for a treat as it would appear that these Ravens may have been relying on visitors for food (not good for them of course).  Realising that we were going to get out of the car and on hearing the rustle of a crisp packet one of the Ravens came and stood by the passenger door whilst I got out, so I was able to get an even better photo.  Not having the courage of his convictions regarding the crisp he backed off whilst I got out of the car and went back onto the wall.  I then photographed Bob with the Raven close, indeed it looks like it is trying to get something out of his bum bag, and Bob then got a shot of me with a Raven close by.  Driving further on we witnessed other people getting close up shots as well.

 

We finally left the Grand Canyon around 6.00 pm – having by now stopped at all the turnouts en route, ending with Desert View, which, besides views of the Grand Canyon, also offered a view of the distant Painted Desert, past which we had driven on our way to Flagstaff, and Cedar Mountain.  With the thunderstorm still raging to our right, to the left we could see a dust storm kicking up out of the desert.

 

Leaving the East entrance we again gave Connie her chance to guide us to Page where we had decided we would stop tonight.  We discovered it was some 80 or so miles away, so settled in once again to enjoy the scenery on our journey there.  The most spectacular of which was the Little Colorado Canyon, which looks much like the Grand Canyon but on a much smaller scale.  We did try to visit one of the scenic turnoff points, which was also a Navajo market, but discovered that once they left the site for the evening a barrier of fence went up, so there was no chance of getting near enough to get any really good photos.  So content with a couple of pictures that included the fencing, we set off again for Page.  Connie at this point reminding us several times that she had to recalculate.

 

By this time, due to the thunderous sky, it had started to get dark at just after 7.00 pm, so we were now driving in the dark for the first time since we have been here. Because of the early hour we wondered if we had gone back into the previous time zone and that it was actually an hour later (but subsequent arrival at Page told us that this was not the case).  We witnessed an amazing sunset, with the sun setting below the thunder clouds.  I have taken some photos, but they do not really do justice to the scenes we were witnessing.  The road at this point became quite an interesting drive for Bob, and it will be interesting in the morning to see what scenery we missed in the darkness, when we retrace our steps, at least for 25 miles, so that we can do the north Grand Canyon loop.

 

Once settled into our Super 8 we ventured out for a meal and, thanks to Connie, found a restaurant called The Glen Canyon Steakhouse that served me with an excellent New York Steak and Bob with a Filet Mignon steak, washed down with a dubious bottle of Robert Mondavi’s Cabernet Sauvignon costing $24.00 (2004 vintage).  We then went on to find Fred’s Liquor store, where Bob purchased a bottle of Australian Yellow Tail Cabernet Sauvignon for just over $7.00 dollars, which was far superior.

 

We discovered that for the first time we have a balcony with our room at our motel, but, having arrived in the dark, were not able to make use of it.  This morning we have discovered a great view of the mountains.