Stop 11 Day Two - The Grand Canyon

Well.......what an amazing day. We travelled on the Grand Canyon express from Williams. I would have to say that the experience was a little "touristy" but that didn't detract at all from the absolute wonder of seeing and standing at one of the 7 natural Wonders of the World. And it holds such an honour for good reason. It was a sight to behold. So powerful was it that it made one question the trivial concerns that we all labour under from day to day. This place teaches you so much about life, evolution, ecology, development, extinction etc etc that it can leave your head reeling. And our place within it all is just so small that you have to wonder why we allow ourselves to see ourselves as anything other than exactly that. What we do (as opposed to who we are) becomes even less significant than that! So, "humbling" is the word I'd use for today. I know that feeling will pass and we'll soon be back to our parochial and insular selves but for now we'll move about in relative servility - not TO fellow man but AS fellow man.

That said I'll describe the day. We started at Williams train depot where they laid on a Wild West show for us before the train arrived. As I say above it was "touristy" but it was very well done, was very humorous and well executed and I would have to say that we laughed a lot with it.

This was only 20 mins or so and it was then time to jump on the train. We had allowed ourselves the booking of first class and it proved well worth it. The carriages were well appointed, we were served with snacks and drinks en route and provided with entertainment as we travelled.

The journey up the Canyon took us 2 hours and was good. There is not much else to say about that bit. Food was fine, drinks were fine and the entertainment passable. The highlight was when Pand got up and did "The Birdy Song" which is known in Arizona as "The Chicken Dance" with our hostess, Sherry. Fair play to her - she deserved the round of applause she got from the rest of the carriage!

The view from the carriage was mile after mile after mile of Arizona desert. Hauntingly beautiful even if monotonous.

And then we arrived. At the Grand Canyon. We climbed the steps from the station up to the visitor centre and stepped forward for our first glimpse of it. We were all pretty excited and even tried delaying the moment so that we could savour it just a little longer before subjecting ourselves to the "hit" that we hoped the first viewing would provide. And it did. It is really impossible for me to convey the image from a phone pic. I think I'd need to be a professional photographer / artist / poet to get even close. But for what it's worth this was my first view of the Grand Canyon:

From here we decided to walk the 2½ mile trail East and as you might expect we took dozens of pics. I also took one video which offered a better panorama as I was desperate to try in some way to capture digitally what our eyes were seeing and our emotions feeling. The boys had already touched an actual piece of the Meteor that struck when we visited Meteor City. Today they touched an actual rock that was 1,870 million years old. That time scale is phenomenal and even then represents only 2/5ths of the time that we know Earth has existed. It really does make one question so much. Science is teaching us so much and at the same time dismissing so much belief that pertained before science told us otherwise.

And to give an idea of scale in all this, the Colorado river continues to erode the canyon - at the rate of the width of a piece of paper per year!! Just imagine the time taken to create what is a hole so big it can't be described! This place has to be seen to be believed.  I'll try and let the pictures paint the words but I know they won't be enough.

We left the Grand Canyon after a stay that was all too short and caught our arranged train back to Williams. That journey was as well presented as the first equipped with drinks, snacks and entertainment. This time it was a country and western singer. We bought his CD because he was good and we felt at peace with the world for now!

 Just before we arrived back in the station we were "held up" at gun-point by a wondefully staged robbery by the guys that had entertained us earlier. They appeared on horse-back alongside the train, boarded the train, then moved through the carriages entertaining. It was back to theratrical world from ethereal world but it was all good fun and we enjoyed the finale.

After we returned to the hotel we went out to the launderette to complete our second wash and dry session. That should be it now as we only have 5 days left. We had a bit of a laugh and the day ended with a KFC followed by a dip in the pool at 10pm. All in all we all feel we'll sleep well tonight. Today had been a good day and of all the towns we have visited Williams is the best one. It was the last town on the original 66 to be by-passed as a matter of interest. Tomorrow its back on the road. We'll drive as far as Kingman via Peach Springs and then take our final detour to Las Vegas. After Vegas we'll return to Kingman to complete the journey. Next post from Las Vegas tomorrow night.

Stop 11 - Williams, Arizona

This trip was basically about returning from Monument Valley along the exact same road we had driven from Flagstaff and once at Flagstaff driving on about 30 more miles, now back on Route 66, to Williams. So there is not a lot to say except that despite how wonderful Monument Valley had been it wasn't the 66 and I was genuinely delighted to be back on it. Scenery is one thing but driving is another - and driving on that Mother Road something else again. To be honest I know which I prefer and it was a fantastic feeling to be back driving on it. We drove via Belmont, Parks and Deer Farm Road, through gorgeous forestry and at the point on which I stand below were on the very highest elevation of Route 66 across its entirety. This was shortly after Parks and was at an elevation of over 6,000 ft.

The purpose of the trip to Williams specifically was that we are going to catch a train tomorrow to ride up to the Grand Canyon. We are staying at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel and will jump on our steam train early tomorrow morning. The boys are mad keen on trains (I dont share the fascination myself!) so this is a real excitement for them. Their joy is mine of  course and so we are all looking forward to tomorrow eagerly.

We will be staying a second night here at the hotel (this is another 66 detour) but the day after tomorrow we will resume our drive on 66 as far as Kingman. At that point we are going to detour again up to Las Vegas where we are going to spend 3 nights for a little rest and relaxation after all this driving! We've booked into a 5 star hotel that has its own indoor beach so we'll pamper ourselves. However I know I'll miss the road and from Vegas we'll come back to Kingman in order to complete the 66 all the way from there to Santa Monica. But let's not anticipate that to readily. I'm still enjoying it too much! For now we'll enjoy what is ahead of us as there is plenty. Next post possibly tomorrow evening upon our return from the Grand Canyon.

Stop 10 - Monument Valley, Utah

This is not a part of the Route 66 tour but a detour. It is in fact a 400 mile detour but we thought it was worth it since we were so close to what is often considered the 8th Wonder of the World. We had booked The View hotel some months ago. This hotel is situated within Monument Valley itself, in fact named for its location on the edge of the valley, pointing East, so that it is possible to be there watching over the valley as the sun rises. It was just as well we did book it too because the hotel was full all the way through to August. We witnessed people being turned away as there was no room at the inn!

The drive up to Monument Valley from Flagstaff was nothing to be sneezed at either. The scenery as you can imagine was magnificent and the drive warranted "plenty videoing"!

The whole area is a part of the Indian Navajo reservation and seemed protected by slightly different laws. There was no alcohol allowed to be sold for example but we took our own - we weren't going to watch the sun set and rise without a Bud! Another useful relaxation of law (not official but based solely on empirical observation!) was in respect of the speed limit. Everyone travelling up there, buses included, seemed to be doing 80+. When in Rome.......

The Rome analogy is appropriate too when it comes to Monument Valley - this time the "See Rome and...." being the applicable literary reference. I have no wish to be a part of the completion of the phrase but when I am I know I'll be glad that this visual feast was granted to me in this life. It is an amazing place to be and to see. 

We entered yet another time zone change upon entering Utah and lost an hour. Upon arrival at the hotel we checked in and were offered the opportunity to take part in one of a number of guided tours around the Valley floor (either driven around in a large Jeep or on horse-back) OR if we wanted to we could guide ourselves - take our own vehicle with a map and negotiate the valley on our steam. This trip had all been about the latter and so we elected to go solo. We drove a 17 mile round trip on extremely inhospitable terrain throughout the valley. It was fantastic even though you'd have to see the state of our car to believe how much orange dust now adorns it. When I say "adorns" what I really mean is "covers"!

We sttopped now and again of course for fun and frolics. Sean and I did a rain dance at the foot of the Rain God Messa which is where the Navajo did likewise in days gone by.

 When I refer to days gone by I should also point out that the Navajo still actually live there, within the valley itself, with their horses and goats in what appears the most in-hospitable of circumstances. Its lovely to see although not to replicate. I'll take the home comforts thank you.

The Navajo lived in what are called "Hogans" which are huts made from the clay like mud and dust of the valley floor. They believe in balance in all things and even the Hogans are presented as either a male (the smaller more pointed one) or female (the rounder bigger one) - although why they applied the nomenclature in the way they did I don't know.......ahem

There are places to stop in order to marvel at the scenery all over the valley - and this we duly did. A small selection of them below. I really love the first one. I don't know why. It just seems to look so good - to me anyway.

We  took a rest in our room for an hour or so before we braved what they call the "Wild Cat Trail". This is a 3.2 mile self guided walk around a part of the valley. The signs warned that the walk was mild to moderate to begin but strenuous to finish and that one did so at one's own risk, should take plenty of water, should wear appropriate clothing (we had to buy hats for Pand and the boys as they hadn't brought any - "You didn't tell me to" defended Pand!) and should not undertake the task if respiratory problems were a likely issue. It all sounded rather scary so all the more enticing. We did it and it wasn' that strenuous (it probably is in USA terms!)

 At the half way point we stopped and placed under a stone a picture of Pand's father who had died recently. There is something highly spiritual about all Red Indian culture and especially here, so it seemed an appropriate thing to do. It was a nice moment albeit sad. Here's hoping there is something in it.

We were up against it to complete the Trail before the sun went down but fortunately we managed it and as the sun sank in the sky so the scenery bacame full of hues that needed someone like D H Laurence to describe.

We returned to the hotel, organised food in the room and settled down with our beers to watch the sun set from our bedroom balcony.

We were in bed by about 10pm. Lovely as it was to have our two boys with us their presence right then detracted somewhat from the romanticism of the occasion! Bless 'em!

In the morning, at 6.00am we got up having set the alarm so that we could watch the same "fat old sun" (the Pink Floyd fans amongst you will appreciate the reference) rise again.

We left Monument Valley the next morning to make the exact return drive back to Flagstaff from where we would pick up the Route 66 agenda again. Note to self : remember we are now returning to the other time zone so adjust watches accordingly - anyone know what the time is now? I'm getting confused!

In driving Arizona over the last two days we had driven and walked within what are known as The Badlands. What a pleasure.

Stop 9 - Flagstaff, Arizona

We've shifted another time zone and are now in Arizona time - a full 8 hours behind the UK. Its weird travelling through time zones so often. Here, it is 2.30am. I've left it until now to do this blog as it is the only time I could get a wi-fi signal. Such dedication to the cause!

Arizona has not disappointed. So much so that I am struglling to know what to write. There is a great line in the film "Contact" starring Jodie Foster that best summarises my predicament. Another, highly intelligent, planety has contacted Earth with instructions to build a machine to travel there. We, the earth dwellers, debate long and hard about who we should send. The greatest astronauts are considered and filtered until one is chosen. Upon travel she discovers that the machine transports the occupant to their own personal Utopia. The beauty of what see sees is indescribable and she remarks to herself "They should have sent a poet". That's how I feel about describing what I've seen so far in Arizona. In particular in travelling through the Petrified Forest and I know from a text from Matt and Katie that there is more to come in Monument Valley. I can hardly sleep!

We left Gallup and drove through Defiance. It was there that our mileometer crossed the 2,000 mile mark and a degree of regret descended as we knew we were now well into the trip and the end was in sight - but not before we had seen what we were about to see. We drove onwards through Manuelito and at last crossed the State border into Arizona.

We were now travelling through Navajo Indian territory and the number of associated trading posts bore testament to this. We called at a number of them and most of our gifts for the folks back home were purchased in them!

We have now managed to find a way to upload videos via links to You Tube and this is just as well because we recorded a great number of them on this section of the trip. As soon as we've had a chance to go through them all we'll start amending these blogs to contain the links. Anyway, sticking with what we've got for now, we drove on through Lupton, past Allantown and on to Houck. Here we decided to execute another "Dirt Option" and drove the post 1931 route via Co Road 7250. It was section that carried us for 20 miles or so, across the Querino Canyon bridge and on into Sanders. It was wonderful.

We then drove on to Chambers, past Navajo and on to the Painted Desert / Petrified Forest. We did this because a section at the North end of the Forest is in fact where the abandoned 66 ran so of course we were going to drive it. But when we go there we decided we;d drive the whole 30 miles out through the South end before getting back on the 66. This we did in rapture and videos abounded. Can these pictures give an idea? I doubt it but I'll try:

The drives inbetween these stops were even more breath-taking. We kept stopping though! One picture I wanted to get was of the many dry rivers we had encountered on the journey since Chicago. There are many of them. It is so hot here. And so hard to believe that these rivers will run full again (and they're not small) and in some cases like in the mountains above Santa Fe will actually freeze solid in the Winter. Its all big scale stuff over here!

We stopped by at the Painted Desert Inn which is a faithfully restored version of the very Inn that was in this very spot in 1924 and as a popular stop off point on Route 66 itself, and containing the original wall decor.

The rest of the Forest activity was of course video based and the drive through it just so rewarding. When we exited at the South end we rejoined 66 at Holbrook. There we passed the WigWam Motel which is a genuine motel where all the rooms are all concrete Wig Wams. It was built in the 1950's and still operates in the identical way today.

On to Joseph City from here and through past the Jackrabbit and into Winslow. We stopped at both. The Jackrabbit is an Indian trading post which advertises itself as "If you haven't been to the Jackrabbit you haven't been in the South West" so obviously being gullible tourists we had to call in! It was a worthwhile visit and a few more souvenirs were acquired - including some Petrified Wood from the Forest we'd been in. You mustn't take it from the forest itself - and we didn't.

In Winslow is the "Standing on the Corner" statue which is dedicated to the classic Eagles song "Take It Easy". You know the one? "Standing on the corner in Winslow Arizona got 7 women on my mind....". It was written (not by the Eagles but by Jackson Brown I think) on this very corner as an exhortation from the hippy author to the patrol cars trying to move him on! We bought a few more souvenirs in here.

It was also on this corner that I managed to get my now customary shot of the Route 66 logo emblazened in the road itself - except the one here is BIG - much like the county its in. Texas was big too and it amazed me. But Arizona is big in another way. It's hard to describe but its big in its silence, its vast open silence and everywhere has this feel - even the town of Winslow, Arizona.

We moved on to Winona and were now close to our destination. But first we thought we'd visit the famous Meteor Crater, the site of a massive meteor impact which left a huge hole in the desert. That was pretty interesting stuff and the boys really loved it. We learnt a lot about meteors, meteorites and the eco and solar systems. It really was a very enjoyable and educational couple of hours in there. And the hole in the ground was pretty impressive too - a mile in diameter and all from a 150ft wide but very very heavy meteor.

The 1st picture below is of Cory and Sean holding or touching an actual fragment of the Meteor itself. The second is Pand at the edge of the hole and the 3rd is Cory investigating further! I know that this little visit was a highlight for them and I was glad to see how much they enjoyed it.

That brought and end to the day and we left Meteor City to drive on into Flagstaff where we checked in, went down for dinner and then relaxed over a beer or two in the hotel bar. I am now up in the middle of the night typing this so its back to bed for me in a minute before we get up fairly early again to drive the 200 miles up into Monument Valley on a detour from 66. I am very much looking forward to that and can only wish I had a poet in the boot!