Day 15 - Grand Tour to Grand Canyon
 |
| Grand Canton South Rim |
A big old drive in store today of about 330 miles. This was made worse by our TomTom Lady having a lie-in and sending us in the wrong direction. When planning our day we had seen a route to the right out of Bryce but expected to go left. TomTom said right and we followed. When TomTom awoke she advised a U-turn but we pressed on like selfie-dummies until a Visitor Centre told us to go the other way. You'll never make it, it's a dirt road! So back toward Bryce, Red Canyon and past the Galaxy Diner on Route 89. Route 89 goes from Canada to Mexico so a wrong turn can take you along way from home. It took a while to get into new territory and eventually into big vistas. Lake Powell was our first stop. The Glen Canyon dam was pretty impressive. Amazing that a small band of concrete can hold back all that water and a mighty River. Mind you this one may have sprung a leak as the tide mark is some way above the current water level. Or perhaps it's the drought? We had lunch in the nearby town of Page and we chose Mcdonalds as the speedy option. Incredibly, this burger house hosts Chinese Tour buses and two stopped for breaks. Not exactly convenience food as loo's totally were inadequate for 80 people and the wait for food was horrendous. We did not twig until after we had ordered. I even had time pop off to WallMart to get a Memory Card before my fish burger was landed. Back in the Sonata and on to Cameron Trading Post for a stretch. Bursting with Native American artefacts and tour parties, we definitely were on the Arizona Tourist Trail.
We turned off 89 and headed up 64 for the South Rim of Grand Canyon.
First stop was at Desert View and our first sighting of the Canyon. There is a tower to climb up so a good opportunity to stretch the legs. We progressed along the Rim with the other tourists. The visit took the normal pattern - drive, park, look, photo and repeat until hungry. Certainly was Grand though and well worth the effort.
It was just a few minutes to Tusayan and the Best Western Squires Inn. The room was fine but the food was terrible. We were weary and opted for the quick, cheaper option. It was inedible. Very unusually, we complained and got on our horses to eat up the street at a Cowboy themed Restaurant which was fine.
Next morning we were up early and back to East Rim Drive and the Shuttle Buses. Mega windy today so would be easy to get blown over the edge. You do need to be a bit careful as there are no barriers. Sadly, there are signs showing missing persons! Very few people so well worth making an early start. Back to Tusayan to check-out of Squires and head off towards Las Vegas. Grand Canyon is an incredibly big hole, wonder why more rivers did not carve like the Colorado. And the River that cut it out is now held back by a thin grey line.
 |
| An Ussie at the Canyon |
Where we stayed
http://www.grandcanyonsquire.com/ Tusayan - Grand Canyon
First stop was at Desert View and our first sighting of the Canyon. There is a tower to climb up so a good opportunity to stretch the legs. We progressed along the Rim with the other tourists. The visit took the normal pattern - drive, park, look, photo and repeat until hungry. Certainly was Grand though and well worth the effort.
It was just a few minutes to Tusayan and the Best Western Squires Inn. The room was fine but the food was terrible. We were weary and opted for the quick, cheaper option. It was inedible. Very unusually, we complained and got on our horses to eat up the street at a Cowboy themed Restaurant which was fine.
Next morning we were up early and back to East Rim Drive and the Shuttle Buses. Mega windy today so would be easy to get blown over the edge. You do need to be a bit careful as there are no barriers. Sadly, there are signs showing missing persons! Very few people so well worth making an early start. Back to Tusayan to check-out of Squires and head off towards Las Vegas. Grand Canyon is an incredibly big hole, wonder why more rivers did not carve like the Colorado. And the River that cut it out is now held back by a thin grey line.
Comments
Post a Comment