Sedona, Oak Creek Canyon, Painted Desert & Petrified Forest

Richard in the Painted Desert

Today Richard and I had planned to go south to Sedona and then go horseback riding. Well, I tried four different horse trail ranches and none were able to help us out; cattle drives or they don't work on Sunday or they are leaving in an hour and you won't make it, etc. So, no horseback riding. :( We did drive to Sedona, however, and through the Oak Creek Canyon down Rt 89. Sedona is located at the end of this gorge. Sedona reminds me of a desert North Conway; a popular touristy type town situated in the midst of some of Mother Nature's best work. There were many new age religion shops, artist galleries, and extremely expensive homes built into the red rock of the canyon...talk about homes with a view!! There are many hiking trails, bike paths, etc. in Sedona...but to stay there is rather pricey so not sure how many hikers and bikers actually find lodging in the town. What is great about Sedona is the towering Oak Creek Canyon walls that serve as a backdrop to sandstone shops and restaurants.

Oak Creek Canyon

View from Sedona

Cathedral Rock

Oak Creek Canyon towers over Rt 89. Hairpin turns up and down the canyon walls make for a very interesting ride. There is only one scenic vista point...the rest of the time, you'd need to pull over to a one or two car spot off the side of the road that was set up at various points. I stopped here and there on my way into Sedona. But on the other side of the town is Cathedral Rock. I had to go through the town to get a photograph of it, and it was worth the extra couple of miles.

The Painted Desert

Richard and I walked around a bit, he had lunch, I had a coffee, and then we headed back north. I thought we could take a trip east to the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest. After stopping at the hotel to 'level set' we took off again going Rt 40 East. Unfortunately, I read the mileage wrong and found it was a lot longer ride than anticipated. As I was driving east I was debating turning around...then decided to follow through. As we got closer, the sky began to darken. More rain was on the way. The travel brochure said you should visit the Painted Desert late afternoon to catch the sun as it made the stones in the sand sparkle. Guess no sparkles today!!

Petrified Forest

We bought gasoline at the park (yes, inside the park...!) at the old style pumps (not digital). They were already on...you fill up and go tell the cashier how much you put in. That was pretty interesting. We drove through the park, beginning at the Painted Desert and traveling through to the other side of Rt 66 to the Petrified Forest. The painted desert was beautiful in the darkening day, I can just imagine how it must be in sunlight! By the time we made it to the Petrified Forest, the rain was coming down, the skies were dark. We got some photos, but not sure what will be visible on them, it wasn't the best of conditions. But, we made it there and saw enough to make us happy we made the extra ride.

We ended the day with pizza in the room. Tomorrow, our mild water Colorado River Trip and Desert Hummer Adventure.

Hiking Bright Angel Trail -Grand Canyon

Richard At Mather Point

On Saturday, July 21, Richard was up and dressed by 730am for our hike down the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon. We had not even seen the Grand Canyon yet as we got in too late last night to drive the 75 miles from Flagstaff to the Southern Rim. So after a quick continental breakfast at the hotel, we stopped at the little store across the street and bought water and food for the hike. Once I assured myself we were going in the right direction for the southern rim, I relaxed a bit. I had one little oversight; I forgot to gas up before leaving Flagstaff. This oversight became scarily apparent to me when I saw the access road into the national park was long and void of much in the way of gas stations. I did find one, however, and seeing as they had a monopoly on the business and seeing as I needed fuel, I willingly paid the $3.99 / gallon, a full 60 cents over what was being charged in Flagstaff. Lesson learned (I hope).

We parked the car, used the restrooms, lathered on some sunblock and took a walk over to Mather Point for our first look at this natural wonder. OMG! Spectacular! Incredible! Jaw-dropping! The vastness of the canyon and the various colors of sandstone, limestone, and shale owas (is) hard to comprehend. I wanted to forego the hike and walk the rim all day! But we didn't. After taking a few photos from here and knowing we would be back 2 or 3 more times, we turned away to grab the shuttle bus which would take us to the Bright Angel Trailhead. The buses were quite crowded, it must be tourist season. Nonetheless we made it over there and after a few photos from this rim perspective, we headed down the trail.

At the Beginning of the Hike

There were many families with young kids starting down with us...but they soon turned around and went back up. Hiking Bright Angel Trail in sandals and Crocs and carrying a bag of Cheez-Its was not going to make the cut. I would guess we got on the trail a bit after 10am. Of course, it was a photographer's dream to be surrounded by this wonder so our trek down took longer than it should have. I think I got a few good photos, almost filled a memory card, LOL. We made a few water and snack stops also.

We made it to the 3-mile mark where we rested up a little, relaxed, fed the squirrels (Richard made a few friends!) and chilled out before heading back up. I liked the sign I saw here, "Going down is Optional, Going up is Mandatory". Richard also noted, which I hadn't thought about, that usually you hike UP and then go DOWN...we were doing it opposite today. But our excitement was just beginning.

Looking back up to the rim from below

The air turned cool (a good thing), a breeze flowed through the canyon (also a good thing) and the sky began to darken (well, not such a good thing). We then heard thunder in the distance and saw spots of rain. We moved a bit faster. Then it started to rain, then it stopped...then the sky opened up; thunder and lightning rolled up the canyon. We lucked out a little as by this time we were near the 1.5 mile restroom stop. We ran up to the small cabin that held two "national park-style" restrooms which also had a small deck with roof. There were a few other folks taking refuge there already. By this time we were drenched, splattered with red mud and laughing (believe it or not)! The canyon was nearly non-discernible through the driving -rain. Then we were pelted by hailstones! Cold hard winds raced across the deck! Richard took refuge in one of the bathrooms and it wasn't long before I and three others joined him in the 4' x 7' room. At least it had protection on all four sides. The five of us were in there for about 20 minutes waiting for it to blow over.

When it seemed to be almost over, we ventured out and began our trek up again. We splashed through streams of water running down the trail and off the sides of the canyon walls and there were piles of small stones displaced from the rain that left small gaps in the trail edges. The rain left behind some trail work for the NPS. Before we reached the top, the sun was out and the colors in the canyon, as I expected, were even more vibrant than before. It was a wicked exciting way to end our hike in the Grand Canyon!! I wouldn't have traded that rain experience for anything!!

Tomorrow: Sedona and beyond.

Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon Caverns

So today Richard and I checked out of the Excalibur Hotel about 8:30am, stopped at Starbucks for coffee and a quick breakfast (they don't toast bagels) and headed out. But first we needed to get gas. As usual with a rental, I forgot to check which side the gas cap was on. In addition, I couldn't find the button to open the gas door (just like I couldn't find the button to open the trunk). Well, that's because there aren't any buttons for gas door and trunk latches in a Chevy Cruise; they are manual. Oy!

 

We headed out to the Hoover Dam after navigating our way out of Las Vegas and the one way streets and no U-turn traffic lights. We made it through security at the Dam and after being told to 'drive slowly' we parked for the reasonable fee of $7. We signed up for the power plant tour which included a 10 minute movie and the panoramic view of the Hoover Dam and Tillman Memorial Bridge. Wow, it is unbelievable what they were able to accomplish in the 30's!! The guys on the big dig could have taken some lessons from these creative engineers. Learning about how they were able to divert the water during the construction of the Dam was extremely interesting, very informative and the speaker had our undivided attention. It was 110 degrees here today but it was such a dry heat that it didn't bother us. (Well, Richard wasn't liking it too much).  We went into the generator room and while there, the alarm went off to turn on an additional generator based on the current demand. I'll bet air conditioners had something to do with it. Then Richard and I walked halfway across the new memorial bridge. From here, photographing the dam was a cinch.

After visiting the Hoover Dam, we got in the 'cruise' and drove out toward Flagstaff. But I added a via point to the ole GPS; the Grand Canyon Caverns. This is one of only 4 dry underground caverns. We needed to take Rt 66 out to the Grand Canyon Caverns, it was a little off course for us, but another little gem in the southwest that might be worth a visit. The cavern was found accidentally; the original owner found the hole, went down inside and the rest is history. Well, actually there is more to it, but that can spoken to at  a later date. It was nice to travel down Rt 66 also; one of those nostalgic trips, when life was slower, simpler and full of green dinosaurs at the Sinclair station. The tour guide at the Caverns was pretty good. They also rent a room in the caverns for the paltry sum of $700 per night for 2 people. Imagine that, and it is always a constant 56 degrees!! For those interested in the paranormal, it is believed there are ghosts in the caverns that move the chairs around haphazardly.

After the caverns, we had about an hour and a half trip before we could check in at the hotel in Flagstaff. In route we drove into a torrential downpour that ended as abruptly as it began. Tomorrow our plan is to get up early and travel up to the Grand Canyon for our first hike. Can't wait!

Zion National Park

Richard in Zion

This morning Richard and I left the hotel about 7:30 and began our trek north up Interstate 15 toward Utah and Zion National Park. Zion is about 165 miles from Las Vegas so it was a long trek for a one-day excursion, but, oh, how it was worth it.  Zion is a huge, wide canyon, carved into sandstone creating sculpted peaks, breath-taking cliffs and amazing rock carvings. We began our drive without breakfast and then had a real frustrating time trying to find a coffee and bagel shop. Finally, on the border of Nevada and Arizona, we found a 'mom and pop' coffee shop and enjoyed a bagel-to-go.

I had read about  Zion prior to our visit. ZNP has a bus shuttle system and there was no need to bring your car into the park. The shuttles show up at each of the nine stops in the park every 6 or 7 minutes. We began our shuttle ride in Springdale, a little town just outside the park. From there we used the Zion free shuttle . This system works extremely well. It is a controlled method of visiting the park as well as serving to ease the number of vehicles driving through the canyon.. I have nothing but praise for this system. It is, without a doubt, an exceptional way to visit the park. My compliments to the person or committee who put it together...and to whoever is overseeing it.

Richard took this video while we were driving through, I believe, northern Arizona. I was losing track of what state we were in. :)

I was in awe at the sandstone 'sculptures". So inspiring.  You would think that after I photographed the first few, I wouldn't need to photograph anymore, but not so. Each time the bus turned a corner, a new, natural carving appeared. We had not planned to visit Zion initially, the 165 mile trip up north seemed too much for a day trip. However I heard so much about Zion, I felt that being in the neighborhood, we should go. Richard, too, was awestruck at the natural beauty, of the canyon.

We got back about 6:30 and both of us were quite tired, so we relaxed a bit before deciding to get dinner. Tomorrow we check out of the Excalibur and begin our trek east toward Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon. There are a couple of stops we will be making on the way; Hoover Dam and Grand Canyon Caverns to be exact so not really sure what time we will get to Flagstaff. No problem, this is our vacation and we aren't 'on the clock'; we'll get there when we get there!

Roller Coaster & Hard Rock Cafe

Richard and I at Hard Rock Cafe before dinner

So after the pool, we rested for about a half hour then got ready to see the lights in Vegas and have some dinner. But first, we needed to ride the roller coaster in New York New York. My original plan was to videotape the ride with my Flip video camera...but that is a big no no. As a matter of fact all purses, cameras, phones, etc have to be secured in a locker (at a cost of 50 cents!) before the ride. What a thrill ride it was, though! Bumped us around a bit but that is to be expected. Hopefully the video I added to this post will help to shed some light on the NYNY thrill ride. It was a lot of fun. We took a few videos of the sights and sounds of Vegas; the street actors looking for a dollar here and there, the crowds of people, and the lights, so many lights...rivals Times Square, I'd say but with a much different clientele. Then we walked up to Hard Rock Cafe for a very lively dinner... not us, the waiters and waitresses dancing to the music videos playing loudly behind the bar!! It was a very enjoyable evening and a great first day. 

Day is catching up to us now. I'm in need of a good night's sleep before driving up to Zion National Park tomorrow.

First View of Grand Canyon and Lights of Las Vegas

First View of the Grand Canyon

Richard and I had two uneventful flights to Las Vegas. We stopped in Cleveland for 45 minutes then went onto Las Vegas. Our first flight was in a small plane, only 3 seats across and 20 rows. Amazingly, we had quite a bit of legroom!! The second leg was on a much larger plane...with a movie.

This was Richard's and my first view of the Grand Canyon out the window of our United Airbus. We almost missed it because both of us were napping!! I don't know what made me open the shutter and look out...but so incredibly glad I did. Words cannot describe the view we witnessed, and we could see for miles!

I took a few photos with my camera and a couple of others may be clearer...but this was the first one so that is the one we are putting in the blog. When we leave it will be nighttime, we won't be seeing this out our window. But today we did.

Welcome to Las Vegas

We took our first walk up the Las Vegas strip...hot, crowded, action on every corner and in every casino! I won $5 in the airport and lost $5 in the hotel...so, day one, I'm even!! 

Well, off to the pool. We'll write another post when we are in for the night. We still have a lot of Las Vegas to see before that!

Note: Richard says 'Hi' and is anxious to get to the pool!

24 Hours

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go.....

In less than 24 hours Richard and I will be embarking on the first leg of our journey; flying into that neon oasis of lights, sights and endless nights! Yahoo!