We’d taken an early flight that morning to Phoenix, Arizona, picked up some wheels and then hit the road north, on our way to the Grand Canyon.
Having chosen the ‘pretty route’, we’d passed some wonderful landscapes – pine forests, cactus forests etc. – and towns with names like Sunflower, Pine and Strawberry. We reached Winslow, Arizona – which we’d chosen to visit because,
a) it was on the old Route 66 and
b) it’s mentioned in an Eagles song! (can you name it?)
We stayed long enough to take some cheesy photos and have a drink, then got some kicks driving via Route 66 to Tusayan – our base for the Grand Canyon.
The next day our first view of the canyon was in fine weather – a bonus we had not expected (based on the forecast) – and what a view it was! The canyon is billed as one of the natural wonders of the world and the hype about its size and beauty would almost fill it! Well, believe the hype! The sheer scale and colours of the canyon were mind-blowing.
We walked along the ‘rim’ for a while viewing the different aspects and taking in the enormity of the whole thing. The canyon is so huge that we could see landscapes within it – valleys, gorges, scarps, cliffs and so on – which would be, by themselves, outstanding sights anywhere else! You’re getting the idea!
During the afternoon we noticed huge dark stormclouds on the horizon. Of course, they were soon upon us and there was an almighty hailstorm (marble sized) which settled and looked like a snowy winter scene! Luckily we were on a shuttle-bus when it arrived – but the bus had to stop for 20 mins while it passed.
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- Kicks on Route 66
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- Rainbow over Grand Canyon
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- Plane ride over Grand Canyon
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- Monument Valley
The following day we took a flight over the canyon. Early mist and rain had changed to a fine sunny morning by the time we took off, and looking down on the canyon provides a different perspective compared to the view from the ‘rim’, so the views were, again, absolutely stunning!
That evening we drove out of the GC area to Tuba City – turns out Tuba City is on Navajo Indian land -so no booze in the restaurants! Also, confusingly, the Navajo land was one hour ahead of the rest of Arizona!
The next morning we drove on to Monument Valley, which is also in a Navajo park and the site of several western films (eg. ‘Stagecoach’ with John Wayne). In the park is a 17 mile dirt road that follows a very scenic route around the mesas, buttes, etc that rise out of the flat desert – typical ‘western’ scenery!
The views were – again – awesome, albeit this time above the ground! We found an iconic viewpoint (milepost 13 on the US 163) as featured on the front of our guide book and in the film ‘Forrest Gump’. Cameras at the ready? Run, Forrest,run!