GCRT--Day 7 and 8: We Made It!

Days 7 and 8:  The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon hotel did not have wifi and the hotel in Page had spotty wifi and last night I just wanted to watch YouTube videos about how to apply winged eyeliner and veg, so sorry about the lateness of this post. 

We arrived at the Grand Canyon, and at first, we were very underwhelmed.  I think the travel had finally gotten to us, we were cranky, and there were LOTS of people at the marketplace where we had to check in to our hotel.  You can’t see the canyon when you first get there.  It’s not like the Painted Desert where you crest the ridge and are in awe, or Sedona where you wake up to a beautiful vista.  The first part of Grand Canyon National Park looks like a park in Georgia—evergreens, sand, and deer.  And then we got to the hotel and there was not microwave (Emma loves her nightly popcorn), no wifi, and no Cartoon Network.  My entire family gave me the stink-eye. 

Brad described the park around the Grand Canyon as "Boy Scout Camp."  Emma, ever the good sport, took to playing with gravel to entertain herself.

And then Brad sat down and figured out the map, we made a reservation to eat at the El Tovar (it overlooks the canyon), and we set out to walk to supper and see the sunset.  The first part of our walk was again fraught with whining.  We were on the greenway, which looks like, well, a campground walkway.  But once we got on the rim trail—wowza.  This is what we came for.  Even Logan, my little good sport, loved the walk on the trail; he especially liked to walk on the rocks (on the opposite side of the rim), and take pictures of anything other than the canyon (rocks, pieces of wood, gravel, squirrels, etc). 

The Grand Canyon is truly amazing.  Of course, that is the worst sentence ever written.  There is no way to take a picture that captures its majesty, and there is no way my unpoetic prose can create an adequate image.  You all must just go.  It’s only 30 hours to get there from Georgia—you can do it!

Every place you look is different—there is so much to see.  And when you get on the trail, it’s not crowded.  I think most of the people stop at the bus stops, but once you get on the trails, it is no more crowded than any other park.  

We stopped so many times on the trail to look out and observe the different vistas (and for me to yell, “Get away from the rim!”) that were almost late for our reservation.  We ate supper overlooking the canyon at a way pricey, fancy restaurant, but at this point in the trip we needed to sit and be waited on.  The El Tovar is gorgeous—it is the original Wilderness Lodge (if you have been to the one at Disney), and it was fun to feel a little decadent for a while. 

 

 We visited the gift shop after supper (and dessert because.  . . vacation), and Emma and Logan both got a stuffed animal which they carried with them throughout the trip (and which gave Logan the opportunity to create many Ninja Squirrel videos which saved him from his wifi-less existence).  

After supper, we walked back to our hotel (a less decadent option in the Grand Canyon; the Yavapai Lodge) and observed the sunset as we walked.  Again, y’all are just going to have to go.  I kept thinking, “There is no way to adequately share this with the world.” 

 

 

The world was at the park.   We were one of the few American families experiencing the Grand Canyon—to the point that we were an anomaly and seemed to be part of the travelers experience (Look!  There are Americans eating trail mix.  Listen to their accents).  Brad asked a guide about how many Europeans and Asians were at the park, and the guide said there are 2 Europeans or Asians for every 1 American.  We have to change that, people.  Seeing the Grand Canyon is life-changing.   Seeing the United States is life-changing.  We are so diverse, yet unified, and that is so incredibly cool. 

The next morning we set out to experience all the Canyon had to offer.  We started on the greenway again, and Emma was excited to see several families of mule deer, which are HUGE!  We then walked the rim to the  Mather Point and were able to get right up to the rim (because there was a railing, and Mama loves a railing).  Then we went on to Bright Angel where we watched a movie about the Grand Canyon that was fantastic, ate some trail mix, drank some water, didn’t apply sunscreen (oops!), and allowed Logan to go to another gift shop (that boy loves a gift shop). 

We took the bus from Bright Angel and went to the Yavapai Geology Museum, which provided Logan with another gift shop opportunity and the rest of us with an education on how the canyon was created. 

We walked the rim from the geology museum and then ended our journey for the day with a snack from the general store and some late afternoon rest time.

 

For supper we journeyed to Tuscyan (sp) for some of the most expensive McDonald’s we have every had—no dollar Cokes here.   Tuscyan is right at the entrance to the park, and for those of you who are planning a trip, I’d look for lodging there.  Everything you need is close by, and there is a shuttle that runs to the park.

We entered the park again to watch the sunset and found a perfect place to watch the sun go down on the road.  A perfect ending to a perfect day (even though Emma didn’t get her nightly popcorn snack J).