Today we got up relatively early and left Sedona for Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. The route that we took to get there is/was listed as one of the top ten scenic drives in the country. The highway was Scenic 89A and it wove about 25 miles up Oak Creek Canyon from Sedona to the top of a plateau and on into Flagstaff. If you are familiar with the drive from Gatlinburg to Cades Cove, this was similar with the twisting roads, but constantly up with steep walls on one side and large drops on the other. I think that mom about ripped a hole in the seat she was grabbing so tight.
We didn’t spend too much time in Flagstaff other than to eat breakfast at a place called Brandy’s Restaurant and Bakery. It was good, I had trout, eggs, and a Swedish oat pancake. From there, we left to go to the Grand Canyon. The drive to the canyon is nice all by itself, something like 70 miles at between 6,000 and 9,000 feet, relatively flat. The girls enjoyed it. It is a neat change of scenery, sort of high desert with absolutely no towns, just a few houses. We finally made it to the South Rim around 11AM. It was awesome to see the look on the girl’s and mom’s faces when they saw it. Same reaction that I had, total disbelief that the canyon is that big. We kicked around the rim till dark doing everything from going through visitor centers, art galleries, and just generally gawking at the beauty of it all. I have to say that it was somewhat frustrating to me having gone down 3 times to stay on the rim with all the tourists, especially the tour bus tourists. I don’t think that I have ever spent that much time on top looking down. I enjoyed using the binoculars to pick off backpackers on the way down or up and to see the Ranch and Indian Gardens. I think it made me realize how much I enjoyed it all and how proud I am at having done it. It just made me want to do it again all that much more. We all hiked down the Bright Angel Trail about 20 – 30 minutes and back up so that everyone could see what it is like to get away from the rim and all the people and all the buses. In just a few feet it was quiet, calm, and peaceful. I think that is what is so addictive. The strange thing about it all was that it was August 1 and the temp on the rim was about 65 degrees and the wind was whipping. The temp at the bottom was reported to be 100 on this cloudy day. We hung around and had dinner at the Arizona Room restaurant on the rim. It was good. We were so hungry from all the walking and hiking. Here are some pics of the day.
More tomorrow.
Rodney
2 comments:
I remember going to the Grand Canyon when I was in middle school on our great family vacation out west. The one problem I had was that I had an allergic reaction to the dye in a t-shirt I bought, and I broke out in hives all over my body - inside and out - so I puked all over the Grand Canyon!! I even ended up having to go to the clinic there and had a prescription filled at the Grand Canyon Pharmacy! Some people have pictures as souvenirs - I have a prescription bottle!! Ha!Ha!
Sounds like your family is having a great time!
Rodney, First of all thank you for the updates. I too would like to hike down in the Canyon again one day. I'm grateful for the chance we had to hike and then raft in 2002. I am also grateful that it is not too hot there. It was 102 degrees in Chattanooga today. Again, thank you for keeping us updated. Look forward to catching up soon.
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