Monday, October 27, 2014
Yavapai West in the early morning light ... told you the exterior wasn't much to write home about!
Breakfast at the nearby Yavapai Lodge restaurant. It's a cross between buffet and cafeteria style eating. Nothing fancy, but it'll do.
After breakfast, we pop into the grocery store at the Market Plaza to restock. I pick up a really cool Grand Canyon grocery tote that is still one of my favorites to date!
Finally, a picture of the missing side panel:
We park at the Canyon visitor center and check out the exhibits as well as a short introductory movie, before heading outside and walking to Mather Point.
No cars are allowed along Hermit Road during the busy months, after checking out Yavapai Observation Station we walk to the Bright Angel lodge where we'll catch the red line shuttle to Hermit's Rest. But first we check out the art in Kolb Studio and the brave souls venturing down the Bright Angel trail head where it switchbacks down into the canyon.
We're a little short on time and everything starts to look alike after a while, so there's no sense in trying to cram in all of the stops. We choose a few that are interesting for one reason or another, but even so I'm not sure which picture was taken where.
Maricopa Point I think?
To me, the Grand Canyon is one of those places you have to see with your own eyes to understand it and even then you probably won't be able to wrap your mind around it. Either way, pictures don't do it justice.
Checking out Powell Point from one of the bristlecone pines growing along the rim.
With the next stop, Hopi Point, just a short walk away we decide to squeeze in another walk along rim instead of waiting for the next shuttle to come along.
My parents enjoying a short break while we're waiting for the next shuttle.
A last look at the canyon near the Hermit trail head. What a beautiful spot!
Inside Hermit's Rest, another stunning design by Mary Colter, one of the few female architects of her time.
We've barely settled into our bus seats when people start squealing right outside. There's a tarantula underneath the bus!
Climbing up onto the curb where it sent people scattering. Even after we'd returned to our seats we'd occasionally hear shrieks as unsuspecting people wandered near it. Of course, the tarantula couldn't care less about the silly people getting in his way and continued it's slow trek across the sidewalk.
The bus driver explains that in Grand Canyon October is known as the "March of the Tarantulas," because the males come out of hiding to look for a mate.
By the time we return to the Bright Angel Lodge we are slightly behind schedule and we immediately start the long drive back to Sin City.
No visit to the Southwest would be complete without driving part of historic Route 66. Stretching nearly 2,500 miles from Chicago to California, this important connection between East and West was once known as Main Street America, but over time most it was rerouted to provide faster more efficient travel.
Many of the towns along Route 66 had become dependent on the steady stream of travelers passing through and found themselves in a state of disrepair. Seligman, Arizona met with a similar fate once nearby I-40 was completed and would have likely ceased to exist if not for a local business man called Angel Delgadillo.
You can still meet the now 88-year old founder of the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona in his souvenir store; Angel & Vilma's Route 66 Gift Shop.
Angel proudly displays stickers given to him by visitors from all over the world.
His late brother Juan used to operate the popular Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In
Seligman was one of the main inspirations for the animated Pixar film Cars.
Some of the cars even have eyes!
My mother's lifelong dream of wearing a Davy Crockett hat finally came true, but as is often the case it failed to live up to expectations. I would share the (hilarious) picture with you, but I might not live to tell the tale ...
One desolate mile after another ... not one of the prettier drives of the trip, but beautiful in its own way.
In passing we glimpse another beautiful sunset over Lake Mead.
We also pass the Hover Dam, but can't see it from the new bypass.
Emerging into the dazzling lights of Las Vegas coming from the desert is a shock to the system. Talk about sensory overload!
My parents didn't go with us when we went to see Titanic, so we decide to have dinner at the Luxor and hopefully do a little exploring before we need to return the rental car. The buffet is a bit lackluster compared to the Wynn, but it meets the fast and easy criteria.
So much open space inside of the pyramid.
Goodbye Anubis!
Back outside, the pyramid shines like a beacon into the night
There is just enough time for a tiny stroll along the strip, starting with New York, New York.
Excalibur, one of my least favorite theme hotels along the Strip.
All too soon it's time for a brisk walk back to the car.
You would think that recovering the panel from the side of a highway would score us brownie points with the folks at the Budget rental car return office, but nothing could be further from the truth. Instead, he tells us we should have pushed it back in place just before turning it in so that it would look like nothing's wrong, because now we're somehow responsible for the damage! Clearly, that's what the person before us did and it almost caused an accident, yet that's the advice we're given ... wow.
The people who take our papers in the booth, agree that's ridiculous and ask us to fill out an incident report on their employee, yet they still think we should pay for the damages.
In the end it took months of arguing back and forth with Budget, and finally Costco stepping in before we were able to get the charges dismissed. One more reason to rent from Costco!!
And that's how you see the Southwest in 9 days!
♥
Breakfast: Yavapai Lodge Restaurant
Lunch: assorted snacks
Dinner: MORE The Buffet at Luxor
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