Happy New Year!!! We left Las Vegas in the dust on the 1st and headed to the Grand Canyon. We took a different route so as to avoid the Hoover Dam and the security check traffic. The Versa got a much needed bath at a funny 'lil gas station car wash. Rick drove right through the drying area & one of Jo's LBI magnets got blown off by the water pressure. Rick had to sneak back into the wash to retrieve it.
It was enjoyable to take another route, as seeing new sites is always preferred. Jolene had set up reservations at a motel from the 1940's called the Canyon Motel & RV Park. It fit what we needed & made for a less intense driving day, as we didn't have to go as great a distance as we had in days past. Rick relinquished the wheel for only the second time all journey at almost 4pm. Our IHOP lunch had a drowsing effect on him. He napped in the passenger seat & then for a couple of hours once we arrived at the motel.
Williams, AZ is cute 'lil town that used to sit on Rt. 66. Much nicer than Gallup, NM which was in a similar situation thanks to the establishment of Interstate 40. It's interesting to see the effect the creation of the Interstate had on these communities that used to be much more vibrant when they sat along the main route across the country. Now they must depend on the nostalgia people have for Rt. 66 for an influx of tourist cash. Cruisers Rt. 66 Cafe got ours as we split a rack of ribs & some 'cheese' fries. Cheese is in quotes because cheese fries in Williams means steak fries with a sprinkling of shredded cheese. Jolene's face upon viewing this creation was priceless. Cruisers was also the home of the Grand Canyon Brewing Company beers. Local beers are always a source of interest to Rick. The two imbibed by Rick were the Pale Ale & the Pilsner. Usually a fan of Pale Ale's, Rick found Grand Canyon's lacking. As he put it, "It tastes like grape soda. What the...?!" The Pilsner was better, but nothing to blog to mother about.
We turned in early in the evening upon our arrival back at the motel. We planned to get up early in order to make it to the Grand Canyon for sunrise.
After waking up, showering, & packing up the Versa in the dark, we made our way to the Canyon a mere 52 miles away. We made it in time to see the sunrise, but ended up missing it as Jolene forgot to bring a backup battery & memory card for her camera. Ugh. It was still a magnificent site as the sun made it's way higher & higher in the sky. The Canyon is something that must be experienced in person, as it's grandeur cannot be expressed in pictures or words. We walked the Rim Trail along the south rim which was icy and snow covered. We both almost went down a couple of times. For all of those who said that this wasn't the time to see the Canyon, we wholeheartedly disagree. It was absolutely gorgeous with the snow adding to the beauty of the Canyon.
We left the Canyon a little after 11am headed for Phoenix & cousin Chris & his girlfriend Joannah. Woo-hoo!! We found another creepy, run-down town like McLean, TX in Ash Fork, AZ. We were enticed by the prospect of a restroom at a AZ Tourist Info stop. Why it would be open on a Saturday when people actually have the time to travel, who knows. It's only open Monday through Friday. Weird. We quickly made our way back to the Interstate.
We had to eat lunch and came across a sign for Jerome, 19 miles. Rick wanted to check out Jerome because Maynard James Keenan of Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer fame has a store there. Oddly enough called "Puscifer: The Store". Unfortunately, 19 miles of driving around a winding wild mountain takes longer than a straight 19 miles. It is also very frightening according to Jolene. Rick & the Versa quite enjoyed it though. After about 45 minutes of this, we came upon Jerome. Jerome is a strange little town that is basically on the side of a mountain. It has artsy little shops and restaurants and it was packed! There were people everywhere. We checked out Maynard's store, where Rick bought a t-shirt, and then we had lunch at the Mile High Bar & Grill. Yummy! After lunch, we tried to leave Jerome, but once again were trapped in a small town. One of the tourist attractions of Jerome is it's "Ghost Town" status. We ended up on a dirt road looking at signs for "Ghost Town" tours. Finally, we found our way out and were back on the road to Phoenix! About 15 miles outside of Phoenix, we finally saw the cacti that Jolene has been looking for the entire trip. The ones that look like that have arms. And they were/are plentiful! So beautiful against the backdrop of blue skies.
We arrived at cousin Chris's at about 5:30 pm and lo and behold, there is a GIANT cactus in the front yard! We got to meet his girlfriend, Joannah for the first time. We spent some time just hanging out and relaxing before heading out for a sushi dinner.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment