This will be my last post on this blog! I have really enjoyed keeping up with this and hope you all enjoyed reading it. One of the things that made it so much fun to do was having access to Alan's pictures! Since we were sharing his laptop on the trip, I could include his photos as well as mine. His are always better!
Our last day in Santa Monica was spent eating breakfast at IHOP, where I got another Senior Special! This time was eggs, bacon and pancakes. Then we drove down to Venice Beach. I had hoped to walk from Santa Monica the day before, but time just was not on our side.
Although it was early Sunday morning in Venice Beach, there were still loads of people out and about, skating, cycling, playing volleyball on the beach and so much more. There was even a group of young women playing basketball. With one of the players having her baby strapped onto her front! This was exactly what I would have expected from Venice Beach and am so glad we drove by to see it.
And there was one more travelling obstacle course - British Airways is on strike again, and our domestic flight from London Heathrow to Glasgow was cancelled. We had been aware of this for a few days, but at least we were grateful for the knowledge that we would at least get to the UK. Within our last 24 hours, we were notified that an arrangement had been made with British Midlands to get us to Glasgow airport.
All four of us have nothing but good to say about the way British Airways handled the problems with the strike and did not inconvenience us at all.
While we were waiting to check in at LAX, there was a young couple in front of us. I happened to notice they had quite a collection of casts on their arms, legs, ankles and wrists. So it had to be asked - what happened?
They were from the Netherlands and had been in the US for 4 months. I was quite envious of what they had done - bought a car in Florida, not any car but a Volkswagon Van! Drove it 13,000 miles, from Florida to the State of Washington and down to California. In LA, they were on the freeway and witnessed a car heading toward them driving erratically. Eventually, they were hit head on by this car! So they were quite lucky that their injuries were almost superficial, considering what could have been! Unfortunately for them, the driver had no insurance and did not speak English. So they lost their car and could not travel anymore due to injuries.
The sad thing was they were going to sell the car in two weeks and go to Hawaii for another two weeks or so, before going back to the Netherlands. My heart went out to them, but they have four months of memories and their injuries should heal fairly well. So they were very lucky. I know their families will be so happy to have them back home!
We covered 2,590 miles in our Chrysler Town & Country and have many, many good memories.
Wonder what we will do to follow this up!
"Vacation used to be a luxury, however, in today's world, it has become a necessity."
Tuesday, 8 June 2010
Sunday, 6 June 2010
going home
I always get a bit nostalgic when I leave the United States. I have lived in the UK for almost 25 years now, but it will never actually be "home". It is a great place to live and my roots are very deep, but still....
After eating my way through this trip, my body will be very happy to get home and back to a normal diet! I am also looking forward to seeing my kids, Martin and Whitney, my grandson, Corbyn and my Mom. That is not in order of preference. Preference changes by the minute. Although it is probably Corbyn I most want to see. He is only 16 months old and changes by the minute. I am very curious what he is up to now!
So this is it! I have really enjoyed doing this blog and wonder if it should end now. It is technically still a bad summer to travel, and our travels may be over. I don't want to say they are, maybe I will jinx this return journey! There is still that pesky volcano to worry about, or is there? I have heard nothing about volcanoes since we got here. But that does not mean the problems are over.
So I might just continue this! Of course, being home puts more pressure on my time, so the dedication might not be the same.
Watch this space!
Man on pier who painted this littel scene.
(we bought this one)
Black Street Boyz on Santa Monica Pier
(we bought the DVD!)
Seen on Third Street Promenade
what is it? remote controlled puppets or something else?
It is a man! He was really good too.
(we did not buy the puppets!)
Saturday, 5 June 2010
Almost time to go home
Santa Monica Pier
This was our last day in the United States, we are scheduled to fly home tomorrow! At first, only our overseas flight was going and there was talk of how we would get from London to Glasgow to pick up our car. But today we were told that British Airways, who are on strike at the moment, have arranged for us to fly with British Midland to get us home. How nice!
The weather was very foggy and dismal this morning so Alan suggested going on a bus tour, it had three loops we could go on - catching the yellow loop at the pier, go to Rodeo Drive to catch the red loop and catch the blue loop at Hollywood Blvd to go into Universal Studios. Although I had looked forward to just hanging out at the beach, the weather convinced me to do the bus tour instead.
Before going on the tour, we ate breakfast at IHOP. I noticed that the senior special was for anyone over the age of 55, so I got it! French toast and bacon!
On the bus tour one thing we learned is that the original movie studios were actually located at Santa Monica! This was during the silent movie era. At this time, they were dependent upon the weather to be sunny for decent lighting in their movies. The studios realized early on that Santa Monica's weather is very different than Los Angeles itself. They moved the studios to Los Angeles as a result. And we learned this first hand on the bus! Chilly, foggy and dull in Santa Monica versus sunny and hot in Los Angeles! This found us on the top of a double decker bus for 4 hours, in brilliant sunshine during the most dangerous time of day, applying sun block regularly so we did not fizzle away!
The tour was very interesting, when you could hear the monologue telling us about where we were. These buses had taped information and were not dependent on guides like they were in San Fransisco. We saw where Ally McBeal was filmed, the shopping mall where a scene from Terminator 2 was filmed, the beach where Bay Watch was filmed (actually Santa Monica!) and loads of other places. We also went by the Chinese theater, the church where Elizabeth Taylor got married the first time and even went by the cemetary where Tyrone Power is buried. Since we stayed in his room at Parry Lodge, I felt I should really make a note of where he is buried!
Unfortunately, we messed up our transfer from the red loop to the blue loop and got back on the red loop bus! It was part of the loop we had not done, but it caused us to miss Universal Studios, which was what we really wanted to do!
I didn't watch Bay Watch enough, but they said these were the lifeguard stations they used.
So we made the best of the situation and returned to Santa Monica. Since it had been a long time from breakfast, we decided to get something to eat. We found a great little burger bar right at the edge of the pier, called Carousel Cafe. They had everything from corn dogs to salmon burgers. I got a corn dog and enjoyed every bite. I think these are for kids, but I just love them!
While we were eating, we could hear a loud crash and "splat" every so often, followed by applause. We investigated this and it was a lone skateboarder trying to jump about 6 stairs. He kept crashing very impressively, but I could not watch more than a few times because he never made it and always landed in a way that looked very painful!
Since I consider myself to be a Florida girl, it is impossible to be this close to a beach and not stick my toes in! So I did go down to the beach, close to the surfers of course! And walked in so the waves hit me just below the knees. That water was cold, but the sand was warm and it was a really good feeling!
We wandered to the Third Street Promenade after this to do some last minute shopping before meeting at Barns and Nobel book store. The perfect place to meet, so no one had to sit around and wait! Nothing like a good bookstore!
Jim and Jennifer had the responsibility to find a place for us to eat dinner and Yankee Doodles was their choice. and it was a good one! another sports bar, but we sat outside so we could still be part of the promenade. We each got starters so we could get desert! They all got nachos, even Alan! But I am intolerant of cumin so I got a spinach and artichoke dip instead. Then we got New York cheesecake with chocolate sauce. Sounds disgusting, but it was really good!
These beautiful trees are all over LA, but I don't know what they are
Since we will be flying tomorrow, I probably will miss a few days since there won't be much to say, that is what we hope anyway!
"Get action. Seize the moment. Man was never intended to become an oyster." Theodore Roosevelt
From the sublime to the ridiculous to California!
We went from the beauty and peace of National Parks straight to Las Vegas! It was very hard to change culture that quickly and also to keep up with what I would like to tell you about our trip! Staying in the Paris Hotel, another really nice hotel, caused us to not have internet again. I will never understand why the nicer places do not make it easy to keep in touch.
I did discover that Tim Conway was in a western (comedy) by Disney with Don Knotts called "The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again." And the place we ate in Kanab was called the Rocking V cafe.
Another correction, we visited Horseshoe Bend before we visited Kanab, not Deadhorse Point. These areas are very similar to me. I guess the only reason I don't also confuse Goosenecks is because it did not have the color that these other two similar riverbends have.
On the way out of Kanab and to Las Vegas, we passed through two of the most beautiful canyons I have ever had the pleasure of visiting: Bryce and Zion.
Not only is Bryce absolutely breathtakingly beautiful, it is also very high! The summit is 8300 feet. The park is very accessible too, with drives going almost right up to the viewpoints. But one of the funniest consequences of being this high, is the phone signals work! Based on previous visits, I knew my phone would work at the summit, but what was funny was that there were a number of people with the same idea! I didn't actually phone anyone this time but I sent and recieved messages! How did we all survive without being connected constantly!
Bryce also has a number of Pronghorn Antelope. They are one of the fastest creatures on earth, which seems really odd to me. I always think of cheetahs being fast, but not a creature who lives in our National Parks! I had never seen one before and was fortunate to see 3 this time. They are gorgeous too.
Zion Canyon is the extreme opposite of Bryce, you actually drive at the bottom of it, instead of the top, like Bryce. The canyon walls hanging over the road are very intimidating and wonderful at the same time. It is a very easy canyon to view, I would imagine walking some of the trails in the park would be breathtaking, but we did not have time for that. (Zion does not have the amazing colors of Bryce, but is beautiful in its own way)
One priority of any visit that I make to the United States is shopping! Not only do I love to shop in the US, it is also the only place I can regularly find clothes that fit me. So it is not just "shallow and meaningless" shopping! My friends know this and it became a real issue as our time began to run out before arriving in Las Vegas! Once we arrived in Vegas, my cousins, Mary and Kathy were going to meet us there and it would potentially put me in a great deal of stress that I never got around to finding silly things like Ranch salad dressing mix! So Jim, Jennifer and Alan very kindly offered to cut our journey short so that we could arrive a day early in Vegas! (one wonders if they were not just a bit tired and needing to shop themselves! But either way, I am grateful.)
We got on the internet and found a great deal at Hooters. Since we had been there two years ago, we knew this would be fine to stay in for one night. We did not get to Hooters until almost 8pm and Alan had to whisk me away to a mall! I have a wish list from my kids and malls are the only places to find what they want. Personally, give me a discount mall anyday. With only 45 minutes to go, I also had time to try on a few clothes myself and discovered I was covered in an itchy rash! How I had not noticed before is beyond me. I was really worried that I was getting sick or having a reaction to something. Found Alan and went back to Hooters for dinner at the Mad Onion, with Jim and Jennifer.
In the morning, I was just the same and very uncomfortable. However, I was not going to let a silly rash interfere with my enjoyment, or my shopping. We all went to the discount mall we had discovered the last time and spent a productive, or you could say, expensive morning there, complete with Dunkin Donut breaks!
We got to Paris just after 3 and found Mary and her son, Jared there. Apparently, she had been sending me messages on Facebook about where they were, but I did not have access to internet!
I feel very forunate that my friends and husband had the foresight to get to Vegas a day early, or else we would not have arrived til about 7pm and the visit would not have been as good as it was.
Mary and Jared live in North Carolina and used my visit as an excuse to come to Vegas for a week! Me, jealous! what makes you think that! It was wonderful to see them and have time to enjoy them.
We had tickets to see the Comedy Store at the Flamingo that night, so we had to hurry up and eat to be in line for good seats. Little did we know that this would not be an issue, there must have only been 40 people there.
I am really getting tired of saying "the last time we were in Vegas" but I have to say it again:
The last time we were in Vegas, we went to the Comedy Store, but it was in the Tropicana then. And it has been a launching point for a few current comedians. (can't remember any just now). We were very excited about going back and Mary and Jared were also looking forward to the evening. However, with such a small audience, the stand up comedy did not seem as good as it should have been. the first two guys were good and I would even have bought one of their CDs if they had them for sale at the end of the show. But the headliner was just not with us. totally not engaged and seemed disinterested. Maybe it was the size of the audience, but it certainly was not the best night for him!
As much as we thought the show was not that good, we laughed about it and the jokes and situations followed us home. So that tells me it really was better than we thought.
Following our bus journey home ( I do not recommed taking the bus in Vegas that late, it was too crowded and took a long time) we met my cousin, Kathy, and her husband, Don, at Napoleon's in Paris. They live in Arizona and it was really nice for them to come to see us too.
Mary, Kathy and I grew up together and were almost like sisters when we were little. It is always great when the three of us can get together and these occasions are much too rare!
The next day started with a trip to Walmart because Mary needed something and the Fashion Show Mall because I needed something. Then Alan and I walked to Ceasar's Palace because he needed something. So my relaxing day at the pool did not happen til 3pm! (Mary very wisely identified my rash as prickly heat, so going to the pool was probably not the smartest thing, but it was necessary to my mental health!)
Having prickly heat at my age seems a bit odd, I thought only little kids got prickly heat! It is going away now. After racking my brain about how I got it, I have narrowed it down to the long, hot trek to Horseshoe Bend!
June 3 was Jim's 52nd birthday, so we all went to Bill's for steak dinner. (actually prime rib). this included Mary, Jared, Kathy and Don. A great crowd, but a bit too big when we tried to do something after dinner. We did go to Jimmy Buffet's Marguaritaville and then to an Irish casino called O'Shea's. Don taught us all to play roulette there! We were all over cautious so we did not win anything, but it was fun learning!
This morning, the same crowd all met for breakfast buffet at Bally's before the four of us set off for our new destination: Santa Monica, California.
It was very sad to say goodbye to my cousins, but I really hope we are able to get together again. Ever since Kathy and Don first came to see us in Vegas the first time, we seem to be more able to get together more regularly, so maybe something will happen next year and we can do this again, only not in Vegas!
Driving to Santa Monica did not seem to take long at all. However, once arriving in the Los Angeles area, the traffic on the freeways was very impressive, and not in a good way! We seemed to mainly be going the wrong way, as in the traffic was going the other way, lucky for us1
As soon as we got here, Alan and I caught the hotel shuttle to the beach! We were only able to stay one hour, but got to see the beach and the pier. It looks like great fun and we are looking forward to returning tomorrow.
The four of us ate at Buddha's Belly, right in Santa Monica on the corner of 2nd and Broadway. this was highly recommended by my son, Martin. And boy was he right, it is a wonderful place to eat!
That is all for now, it is much past my bedtime, but I really wanted to get this blog up to date!
Good night!
"Anybody who thinks they know everything ain't been around long enough to know anything"
I did discover that Tim Conway was in a western (comedy) by Disney with Don Knotts called "The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again." And the place we ate in Kanab was called the Rocking V cafe.
Another correction, we visited Horseshoe Bend before we visited Kanab, not Deadhorse Point. These areas are very similar to me. I guess the only reason I don't also confuse Goosenecks is because it did not have the color that these other two similar riverbends have.
On the way out of Kanab and to Las Vegas, we passed through two of the most beautiful canyons I have ever had the pleasure of visiting: Bryce and Zion.
Bryce Canyon
Not only is Bryce absolutely breathtakingly beautiful, it is also very high! The summit is 8300 feet. The park is very accessible too, with drives going almost right up to the viewpoints. But one of the funniest consequences of being this high, is the phone signals work! Based on previous visits, I knew my phone would work at the summit, but what was funny was that there were a number of people with the same idea! I didn't actually phone anyone this time but I sent and recieved messages! How did we all survive without being connected constantly!
Bryce also has a number of Pronghorn Antelope. They are one of the fastest creatures on earth, which seems really odd to me. I always think of cheetahs being fast, but not a creature who lives in our National Parks! I had never seen one before and was fortunate to see 3 this time. They are gorgeous too.
Zion Canyon is the extreme opposite of Bryce, you actually drive at the bottom of it, instead of the top, like Bryce. The canyon walls hanging over the road are very intimidating and wonderful at the same time. It is a very easy canyon to view, I would imagine walking some of the trails in the park would be breathtaking, but we did not have time for that. (Zion does not have the amazing colors of Bryce, but is beautiful in its own way)
Zion
One priority of any visit that I make to the United States is shopping! Not only do I love to shop in the US, it is also the only place I can regularly find clothes that fit me. So it is not just "shallow and meaningless" shopping! My friends know this and it became a real issue as our time began to run out before arriving in Las Vegas! Once we arrived in Vegas, my cousins, Mary and Kathy were going to meet us there and it would potentially put me in a great deal of stress that I never got around to finding silly things like Ranch salad dressing mix! So Jim, Jennifer and Alan very kindly offered to cut our journey short so that we could arrive a day early in Vegas! (one wonders if they were not just a bit tired and needing to shop themselves! But either way, I am grateful.)
We got on the internet and found a great deal at Hooters. Since we had been there two years ago, we knew this would be fine to stay in for one night. We did not get to Hooters until almost 8pm and Alan had to whisk me away to a mall! I have a wish list from my kids and malls are the only places to find what they want. Personally, give me a discount mall anyday. With only 45 minutes to go, I also had time to try on a few clothes myself and discovered I was covered in an itchy rash! How I had not noticed before is beyond me. I was really worried that I was getting sick or having a reaction to something. Found Alan and went back to Hooters for dinner at the Mad Onion, with Jim and Jennifer.
In the morning, I was just the same and very uncomfortable. However, I was not going to let a silly rash interfere with my enjoyment, or my shopping. We all went to the discount mall we had discovered the last time and spent a productive, or you could say, expensive morning there, complete with Dunkin Donut breaks!
New York, New York at Vegas
We got to Paris just after 3 and found Mary and her son, Jared there. Apparently, she had been sending me messages on Facebook about where they were, but I did not have access to internet!
I feel very forunate that my friends and husband had the foresight to get to Vegas a day early, or else we would not have arrived til about 7pm and the visit would not have been as good as it was.
Mary and Jared live in North Carolina and used my visit as an excuse to come to Vegas for a week! Me, jealous! what makes you think that! It was wonderful to see them and have time to enjoy them.
We had tickets to see the Comedy Store at the Flamingo that night, so we had to hurry up and eat to be in line for good seats. Little did we know that this would not be an issue, there must have only been 40 people there.
I am really getting tired of saying "the last time we were in Vegas" but I have to say it again:
The last time we were in Vegas, we went to the Comedy Store, but it was in the Tropicana then. And it has been a launching point for a few current comedians. (can't remember any just now). We were very excited about going back and Mary and Jared were also looking forward to the evening. However, with such a small audience, the stand up comedy did not seem as good as it should have been. the first two guys were good and I would even have bought one of their CDs if they had them for sale at the end of the show. But the headliner was just not with us. totally not engaged and seemed disinterested. Maybe it was the size of the audience, but it certainly was not the best night for him!
As much as we thought the show was not that good, we laughed about it and the jokes and situations followed us home. So that tells me it really was better than we thought.
Following our bus journey home ( I do not recommed taking the bus in Vegas that late, it was too crowded and took a long time) we met my cousin, Kathy, and her husband, Don, at Napoleon's in Paris. They live in Arizona and it was really nice for them to come to see us too.
Mary, Kathy and I grew up together and were almost like sisters when we were little. It is always great when the three of us can get together and these occasions are much too rare!
Paris
The next day started with a trip to Walmart because Mary needed something and the Fashion Show Mall because I needed something. Then Alan and I walked to Ceasar's Palace because he needed something. So my relaxing day at the pool did not happen til 3pm! (Mary very wisely identified my rash as prickly heat, so going to the pool was probably not the smartest thing, but it was necessary to my mental health!)
Having prickly heat at my age seems a bit odd, I thought only little kids got prickly heat! It is going away now. After racking my brain about how I got it, I have narrowed it down to the long, hot trek to Horseshoe Bend!
June 3 was Jim's 52nd birthday, so we all went to Bill's for steak dinner. (actually prime rib). this included Mary, Jared, Kathy and Don. A great crowd, but a bit too big when we tried to do something after dinner. We did go to Jimmy Buffet's Marguaritaville and then to an Irish casino called O'Shea's. Don taught us all to play roulette there! We were all over cautious so we did not win anything, but it was fun learning!
Pat, Kathy, Mary
This morning, the same crowd all met for breakfast buffet at Bally's before the four of us set off for our new destination: Santa Monica, California.
It was very sad to say goodbye to my cousins, but I really hope we are able to get together again. Ever since Kathy and Don first came to see us in Vegas the first time, we seem to be more able to get together more regularly, so maybe something will happen next year and we can do this again, only not in Vegas!
Driving to Santa Monica did not seem to take long at all. However, once arriving in the Los Angeles area, the traffic on the freeways was very impressive, and not in a good way! We seemed to mainly be going the wrong way, as in the traffic was going the other way, lucky for us1
As soon as we got here, Alan and I caught the hotel shuttle to the beach! We were only able to stay one hour, but got to see the beach and the pier. It looks like great fun and we are looking forward to returning tomorrow.
The four of us ate at Buddha's Belly, right in Santa Monica on the corner of 2nd and Broadway. this was highly recommended by my son, Martin. And boy was he right, it is a wonderful place to eat!
Santa Monica Pier
That is all for now, it is much past my bedtime, but I really wanted to get this blog up to date!
Good night!
"Anybody who thinks they know everything ain't been around long enough to know anything"
Tuesday, 1 June 2010
only 6 days left
Grand Canyon
As usual when we are in a nice setting, Alan and I got up for sunrise on our last morning at the Grand Canyon. We went close to Mather Point and also to Yavapai Point. It was not a spectacular sunrise, but we did see deer eating on the side of the road. They were very sweet!
Then we met up with Jim, Jennifer, Bill and Nancy for breakfast. Nancy is feeling better, she says she was ok after about 10 minutes. Possibly the heat, altitude or who knows, but we were all relieved that it was nothing more than that. It was sad leaving "new" friends behind. Of course, I have known Nancy since we were at Florida State University as Delta Delta Delta Sorority sisters. She was my little sister! I am the worst at keeping in touch with people and am very grateful that we were able to reconnect through a Facebook group!
Nancy and Pat
The good news is that Bill and Nancy are hoping to come see us soon. Soon being a relative term, since it took 30 years for this to happen!
Leaving Grand Canyon takes a while for us. We have to stop at the various lay bys and take more pictures, did I say "us"? Really it is Alan, but we all do benefit from these photos eventually!
Our main destination on the way to Kanab, Utah was Deadhorse Point. This was a very daunting walk, up a steep hill in deep sand. And of course, the weather now is getting hotter and hotter, thank goodness! But it was a hard walk. And worth it! This is another place like Goosenecks, which I remember I have not posted a photo. But Deadhorse Point has lots and lots of color, something Goosenecks lacks!
Deadhorse Point
When we got to the summit of the first steep climb, there were Navajo women selling jewelry! Of course, I had no money with me, they said to just carry them down and pay their brother! Such trust! I waited til the return journey and another woman was there selling earrings 2 for $5. Alan had $5 and I could justify getting some earrings, so that was great. However, they were so beautiful, I now wish I had bought more. It certainly is not a place you can just go back to!
Arriving at Kanab, Utah was like coming home to Jim, Jennifer, Alan and me. It is just one of those special places. We stumbled upon it on our travels last year and did not know it was the Hollywood of the West during the heyday of making Westerns! Although it is a sleepy little town, it has a vibrance and energy you don't usually get in a small place.
Last time we stayed in a motel on the edge of town and Alan decided if we ever returned we would stay at the Parry Lodge. And there were vacancies when we arrived!
Parry Lodge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Parry brothers started the whole movement to have westerns filmed here in the late 1920's and bought this place for the stars to have a place to stay! It is old fashioned and very comfortable. All the rooms are named for Hollywood actors, at this point we do not know if they actually stayed in the rooms named for them. We are in "Tyrone Power" and Jim and Jennifer are in "Tim Conway". None of my Scottish travelling companions were familiar with Tim Conway, so I wish they had gotten a different room.
Question: Was Tim Conway actually in a Western?
We ate dinner at a wonderful little place, that felt like it should have been an old time saloon! I got Linguine Pomodoro and it was perfect!
this is where we ate, but I can't remember the name!
This feels like the end of the journey already. There is very little left in the way of National Parks to visit, before we end up in Las Vegas. I am feeling very sad that this is the end, and there are still 6 days left! So I need to cheer up and continue to enjoy this amazing journey!
Monday, 31 May 2010
Condor
Yesterday was our only full day at the Grand Canyon. We started it by meeting Nancy, Bill, Jim and Jennifer for breakfast at the Market Plaza Cafeteria. It is such a relief to eat at a cafeteria, we have done nothing but eat “real” meals since we arrived and even I am tired of eating! This is even a surprise to myself!
For breakfast, all I had was a bowl of cereal and coffee, and it was perfect. Then we all caught the blue route bus to go to the top of the South Rim, the plan being to walk down. This would have been a terrible mistake if we had gone through with it. But we realized the bus was going too high, so we got our at the Abyss. Jim and Jennifer did not go with us and explored the park on their own. From the sound of what they told us later that day, it sounded like they had a good day too.
Nancy, Bill, Alan and I walked down only two stops before we realized it was too hot and we were too tired. But the views were amazing and we did see one Condor in the distance – too far for Alan to get a photo.
We got back on the bus at Hopi Point – riding to the top and then back down. At this point, we were very hungry and attempted to eat at Bright Angel Lodge. This lodge is right on the rim and was built in the 30’s. It looks really cute and I wish we could have stayed around there a bit longer. Eventually, we were told to go to the bar and they might have space for us to eat. They didn’t, but boy did that air conditioning feel good!
Anyone visiting the Grand Canyon should make sure they do not miss a visit to Bright Angel Lodge!
At Market Plaza, in addition to the cafeteria, there is a deli, complete with scones! We had lunch there and it was delicious!
Crossing paths with Jim and Jennifer at this point, Alan and I realized we were the only ones not going for a nap! But we wanted to see the East Rim, we had never been there. So we caught the Green Route bus and ended up at Yaki Point. On the way, Alan and I spotted a dog-like creature, sort of coyote colored, but looking more like a German Shepherd. So I asked the bus driver if coyotes or wolves were in this area and he said both. We have seen coyotes before and this creature really did not look like a coyote. So we went to the bookstore, conveniently located at the Mather Point Visitor Centre and looked it up. It was a Mexican Wolf!! Wow! Who would have thought we would be that lucky!
Meeting up at the cafeteria for dinner, all six of us decided to do sunset at Yaki Point. Catching the Green Route bus again, with the same bus driver who was a delight to have. He seems to really enjoy his job, he commentated all the way up, singing songs and just being very pleasant. On the way up, I was watching for the wolf but never saw him, but we did see a small elk. But sitting on Yaki Point, we were able to observe 3 Condors soaring above us! They were so clear you could even see their tag numbers!
Sunset is never good until after the sun goes down and most people leave before the “show” starts. Unfortunately for Alan, the group we were with were ready to leave as soon as the sun went down. At first, Alan asked them to wait for the next bus, but for some reason, he felt under pressure and left too early. It was heartbreaking to watch the sky go such gorgeous colors while we were trapped on the bus!
Maybe it was a good thing we left a bit too early. On the way back, Nancy began to feel very unwell and she really needed to be back in her room. I hope she is ok this morning. We had planned to have some time to ourselves after the sunset to catch up on 30 years, but this was not to be. So now we will have to plan another get together as soon as possible.
The small print in my marriage license has all kind of strange clauses – such as going with Alan to sunrises when we are on vacation. We had considered my not going this morning, but I read somewhere due to all the wild life in the park, it is suggested not to go anywhere on your own, so I went this morning! Glad I did too, there were loads of mule deer munching away at their breakfast!
I must admit, the Grand Canyon is not my favourite national park, from the first time I saw it in the 70’s, I have always wanted more from it. This is my third trip here and it still does not move me the way Bryce, Zion, Mesa Verde, the Tetons, Arches, Canyonlands, and so many others do. But at least this time, I saw some interesting animals and that was very special!
“Why do laundry when you can just buy new clothes?”
For breakfast, all I had was a bowl of cereal and coffee, and it was perfect. Then we all caught the blue route bus to go to the top of the South Rim, the plan being to walk down. This would have been a terrible mistake if we had gone through with it. But we realized the bus was going too high, so we got our at the Abyss. Jim and Jennifer did not go with us and explored the park on their own. From the sound of what they told us later that day, it sounded like they had a good day too.
Nancy, Bill, Alan and I walked down only two stops before we realized it was too hot and we were too tired. But the views were amazing and we did see one Condor in the distance – too far for Alan to get a photo.
We got back on the bus at Hopi Point – riding to the top and then back down. At this point, we were very hungry and attempted to eat at Bright Angel Lodge. This lodge is right on the rim and was built in the 30’s. It looks really cute and I wish we could have stayed around there a bit longer. Eventually, we were told to go to the bar and they might have space for us to eat. They didn’t, but boy did that air conditioning feel good!
Anyone visiting the Grand Canyon should make sure they do not miss a visit to Bright Angel Lodge!
At Market Plaza, in addition to the cafeteria, there is a deli, complete with scones! We had lunch there and it was delicious!
Crossing paths with Jim and Jennifer at this point, Alan and I realized we were the only ones not going for a nap! But we wanted to see the East Rim, we had never been there. So we caught the Green Route bus and ended up at Yaki Point. On the way, Alan and I spotted a dog-like creature, sort of coyote colored, but looking more like a German Shepherd. So I asked the bus driver if coyotes or wolves were in this area and he said both. We have seen coyotes before and this creature really did not look like a coyote. So we went to the bookstore, conveniently located at the Mather Point Visitor Centre and looked it up. It was a Mexican Wolf!! Wow! Who would have thought we would be that lucky!
Meeting up at the cafeteria for dinner, all six of us decided to do sunset at Yaki Point. Catching the Green Route bus again, with the same bus driver who was a delight to have. He seems to really enjoy his job, he commentated all the way up, singing songs and just being very pleasant. On the way up, I was watching for the wolf but never saw him, but we did see a small elk. But sitting on Yaki Point, we were able to observe 3 Condors soaring above us! They were so clear you could even see their tag numbers!
Sunset is never good until after the sun goes down and most people leave before the “show” starts. Unfortunately for Alan, the group we were with were ready to leave as soon as the sun went down. At first, Alan asked them to wait for the next bus, but for some reason, he felt under pressure and left too early. It was heartbreaking to watch the sky go such gorgeous colors while we were trapped on the bus!
Maybe it was a good thing we left a bit too early. On the way back, Nancy began to feel very unwell and she really needed to be back in her room. I hope she is ok this morning. We had planned to have some time to ourselves after the sunset to catch up on 30 years, but this was not to be. So now we will have to plan another get together as soon as possible.
The small print in my marriage license has all kind of strange clauses – such as going with Alan to sunrises when we are on vacation. We had considered my not going this morning, but I read somewhere due to all the wild life in the park, it is suggested not to go anywhere on your own, so I went this morning! Glad I did too, there were loads of mule deer munching away at their breakfast!
I must admit, the Grand Canyon is not my favourite national park, from the first time I saw it in the 70’s, I have always wanted more from it. This is my third trip here and it still does not move me the way Bryce, Zion, Mesa Verde, the Tetons, Arches, Canyonlands, and so many others do. But at least this time, I saw some interesting animals and that was very special!
“Why do laundry when you can just buy new clothes?”
Sunday, 30 May 2010
Kissed by a Cowboy
After another beautiful sunrise at The View, we bid a sad farewell to Monument Valley. This is such a peaceful and spiritual place, I think we would have all gladly just stayed here for the duration of our trip.
But we have places to go and people to meet, so off we went! We made the obligatory stop at McDonalds along the way, where I got a Reese’s McFlurry! Searched Flagstaff for a Walmart. Our SatNav took us to Sam’s, which was no good. As we were leaving Flagstaff, there it was!! But we had to go on and wait another day for Walmart.
The remaining bit of our journey is really retracing our footsteps from our trip 2 years ago. But doing things bigger and better. In fact, this started with Monument Valley. In 2008, we essentially just drove through it, taking pictures and moving on. We never got the Valley in our soul, literally, since by the end of this visit, we must have ingested at least a pound of red dirt. (It felt that way anyway!) We ate Navajo food and toured Monument Valley – seeing views that can never be seen if you do not go deep into it. So, with any luck, although we are not doing anything much new, we hope to continue having new experiences based on what we know we missed last time.
Our ultimate destination today was Grand Canyon, but we wanted to go back to Williams, AZ. We all had fallen in love with the iconic Route 66 town, but we had gotten there too late last time to enjoy it. So we factored in lunch at the same diner we went to last time. We did not factor in that this is Memorial Day weekend and the town was absolutely booming! How lucky were we? As we walked toward our diner, I was stopped by a cowboy and kissed! Not a bad start to a visit!
We sat at the same table as last time at the diner and then each of us went on our merry way to see what we wanted. The shops are darling here and everyone bought something, which was great. I found a craft show and finally spent my budget on jewelry!
We drove on to Grand Canyon and checked into Yavapai Lodge. Once again, repeating a pattern. But we were put into a nicer bit of the lodge, so we do have air conditioning, a fridge, coffee maker and no ceiling fan. This was a nice surprise, especially the coffee maker!
A highlight of being at the Grand Canyon was knowing that my little sister from my sorority days (Delta Delta Delta) was meeting us there, with her husband. The plan was to meet at the El Tovar Hotel bar at around 5:30. And the plan worked!! It was amazing to see someone I have not seen in at least 30 years! And I am very grateful that she and her husband, Bill, drove 6 hours to come meet us. We had a very relaxed evening, first a drink at the bar, then sunset over the Grand Canyon, then dinner in the cafeteria. We were all so tired that this was enough.
Bill Bevens, Jennifer, Pat, Nancy Bevens and Jim
Nancy brought two batches of Oatmeal cookies for us! I don’t think she realizes how perfect that gift was: to me – a road trip requires home baked cookies and this would have been impossible for us to have. And now we do! Thanks Nancy!
“Fill your life with simple joys”
But we have places to go and people to meet, so off we went! We made the obligatory stop at McDonalds along the way, where I got a Reese’s McFlurry! Searched Flagstaff for a Walmart. Our SatNav took us to Sam’s, which was no good. As we were leaving Flagstaff, there it was!! But we had to go on and wait another day for Walmart.
The remaining bit of our journey is really retracing our footsteps from our trip 2 years ago. But doing things bigger and better. In fact, this started with Monument Valley. In 2008, we essentially just drove through it, taking pictures and moving on. We never got the Valley in our soul, literally, since by the end of this visit, we must have ingested at least a pound of red dirt. (It felt that way anyway!) We ate Navajo food and toured Monument Valley – seeing views that can never be seen if you do not go deep into it. So, with any luck, although we are not doing anything much new, we hope to continue having new experiences based on what we know we missed last time.
Our ultimate destination today was Grand Canyon, but we wanted to go back to Williams, AZ. We all had fallen in love with the iconic Route 66 town, but we had gotten there too late last time to enjoy it. So we factored in lunch at the same diner we went to last time. We did not factor in that this is Memorial Day weekend and the town was absolutely booming! How lucky were we? As we walked toward our diner, I was stopped by a cowboy and kissed! Not a bad start to a visit!
We sat at the same table as last time at the diner and then each of us went on our merry way to see what we wanted. The shops are darling here and everyone bought something, which was great. I found a craft show and finally spent my budget on jewelry!
We drove on to Grand Canyon and checked into Yavapai Lodge. Once again, repeating a pattern. But we were put into a nicer bit of the lodge, so we do have air conditioning, a fridge, coffee maker and no ceiling fan. This was a nice surprise, especially the coffee maker!
A highlight of being at the Grand Canyon was knowing that my little sister from my sorority days (Delta Delta Delta) was meeting us there, with her husband. The plan was to meet at the El Tovar Hotel bar at around 5:30. And the plan worked!! It was amazing to see someone I have not seen in at least 30 years! And I am very grateful that she and her husband, Bill, drove 6 hours to come meet us. We had a very relaxed evening, first a drink at the bar, then sunset over the Grand Canyon, then dinner in the cafeteria. We were all so tired that this was enough.
Nancy brought two batches of Oatmeal cookies for us! I don’t think she realizes how perfect that gift was: to me – a road trip requires home baked cookies and this would have been impossible for us to have. And now we do! Thanks Nancy!
“Fill your life with simple joys”
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