The Grand Canyon (4/23-4/24/22)

Many years ago circa 1995'ish, Mike and I went with our best friends on a seven day white water rafting trip with Canyoneers, Inc  down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.  It was an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime trip.  Funny enough though, we only saw the Grand Canyon from inside its cavernous walls.

Ah, youth.

Our planned stops on this route did not originally include the Grand Canyon, but we were reasonably close on our way from Casa Grande to St. George, Utah so we booked two nights at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel and RV Park.  The RV park is located right in the town of Williams, AZ and less than a 1/4 mile from the Grand Canyon Railway train tracks.  If you are a light sleeper, this park is not for you. 

The drive to Williams, AZ was less than 170 miles so we were able to arrive early afternoon and quickly get Ruth settled in.  It was about an hour drive into the park and with a designated Passholder Lane, we had no wait.  Prior to our arrival, we had researched a bicycle route along the West Rim of the Grand Canyon and though the temperature was very cool that day, we bundled up and headed out on our bikes. The bike rental attendant put us on the right path to head to Yaki Point. 

The ride had exceptional views as we rode right along the rim of the Grand Canyon from The Village to Yaki Point.  Along the way we saw some grazing elk and Mike caught a very fast glimpse of two javelina nibbling on grasses .  As we stopped to try to get a better look at these curious collared peccary my e-bike would not power up. We were about 2/3's of the way back from our deparature point so Mike was chivalrous and rode my powerless bike back to the car and I powered my way back on his.  We were extremely disappointed as we had planned to bike to Hermit's Rest on our second day in the park. I guess we will be hiking instead. 

We made the most of 1st day in the park by driving further up into the Grand Cayon to check out the views from the El Tovar Lodge where we enjoyed a cocktail and snack. The temperature continued to drop as the sun set and we left the park and headed for dinner in the town of Williams, AZ, on the original Route 66.

We were able to grab a late reservation at Red Raven for a delightful dinner to wind up our very full day. The food and the service were terrific.  When we got back to Ruth, we turned on the heat and got out the blankets for the forecasted 28° night.

We were at the park the next morning by 9am, again surprise to see no entry line. However, we must have just lucked out because the parking lots were very full and we were lucky to find a spot near the Red Route Shuttle.  We took that shuttle to Pima Point and hiked along the rim to Hermit's Rest.  I wish I had the proper amount of adjectives to describe the majesty of the this place.  It defies description really.  I think John Wesley Powell said it best, "The wonders of the Grand Canyon cannot be adequately represented in symbols of speech, nor by speech itself."

Hermit's Rest has an interesting history and the little out buildings from the early 1900's are a reminder of the hardships that faced explorers and visitors to this natural wonder. 

We made another stop on our way back to view The Abyss.  The trail was a little more rugged and natural so it was a nice break from the paved trails we had hiked so far. 

Mike overlooking The Abyss

By the time we took the bus back to the start of the Angel's Landing trailhead (we did not attempt this hike) for some lunch, we were greeted with significantly more people and over an hour wait at the nearby couple of restaraunts.  We sought out the lesser known Maswik Lodge and was able to get a bite before we headed to our last hike of the day. 

The very beginning of the Angel's Landing switchbacks.
Looked like they went on forever. 

We took the shuttle up to Maricopa Point and hiked back towards Angel's Landing.  The afternoon was winding down and the sun was changed the rocks before our eyes.  We would stop and take photos and just try to take in the moment and experience of this unique jewel located in the United States.  You can sense it's entire history while viewing at it, quite remarkable. 

Time to head back to Ruth and get her ready for her the drive on to St. George, Utah.  Unfortunately that includes a drive past Las Vegas, which probably won't be any fun at all for Mike.  So glad we added this two day stop, would have been a shame to miss this experience. 

That's Mike way out there in the distance.