Arizona, Utah and Vegas Trip - Route 66/Grand Canyon
In March 2009, I traveled with my family to Arizona, Utah and Las Vegas for my father’s 60th birthday.
Although sleeping in a bed with my brother and next to my parents for the first time in 20 years isn’t my ideal method of vacationing, it was an amazing trip overall. The sights, landscapes and visuals in Arizona and Utah are extremely impressive as I hope the photos below demonstrate. I highly recommend visiting these states if you are an outdoors lover. I divided up the next few blog posts based on some of the places we visited. I ended up writing a lot but if you’re bored at work have a gander and don’t be shy to post feedback.
The Trip
Brother Lee and I landed in Vegas at midnight and went to meet the parents at the Trump Hotel where we were staying.
Trump is currently the only hotel on “The Strip” that doesn’t have a casino. Despite the Donald’s overall gawdiness and my general distaste for the man, the hotel itself is beautiful and classy. Our room was quite large and very tastefully designed. Unfortunately, apart from the massive king sized bed that my parents slept in, Lee and I had to share a double-sized couch pull out. When Cher called housekeeping to ask for a cot we were met with a snicker and a condescending “This is the Trump ma’am, we don’t have cots”. Neither Lee nor I slept well that night and before 7 a.m. we were up watching “Skins” on the iPod Touch…. Skins is a fantastic British show that I will have to create an entirely separate post about.
After trying in vain to eat breakfast at Denny’s (of all places) due to a massive lineup we hit the road for the long four hour trek to the Grand Canyon. I had never been to the Canyon before and was excited to see it though I was pretty tired and just a wee bit hungry. After a couple of hours we made it to Route 66: formerly the longest (?) highway in the US though the first association I have to it is the Bob Dylan song. Here are some pics from along Route 66:
Route 66
After a long day of driving we made it to the Grand Canyon and pulled into some dumpy motel… at least they had Wifi! After a very brief rest (the way it was most of the trip) we went out to the Canyon to take some sunset shots. The landscape immediately before reaching the Canyon does not prepare you in the slightest for what is about to come. It’s flat, there are trees and then suddenly, without warning…. nothing. The earth just literally gives way and you are left gaping at this massive hole filled with a spectacular array of colours, shapes and sights. It’s almost too much for the eye to take in at once.
It’s pretty much impossible to photograph the Canyon since it’s just so massive. It’s definitely something to experience up close and personal. Unfortunately, the hike into the Canyon is pretty much a full day effort… not something my parents could handle at this advanced stage in their lives though I definitely intend on coming back at some point in my life to do this. Instead, that first evening, we enjoyed some wine and took some snaps while gazing out at the vastness of this giant crack in the earth. It’s amazing to think that the entire Canyon was carved out by the Colorado River over 6 million years and at different points in time had been under the sea, a sandy desert, and now a massive canyon with layers upon layers of exposed rock sediments that put millions of years of history on display. Apparently, fossils of sea creatures and other animals can be found embedded in the sides of the canyon. Amazing.
Here are some pictures that don’t come close to capturing the immensity of the Grand Canyon:
Grand Canyon
Antelope Canyon/Monument Valley
The next day, after doing a “Rim Walk” along part of the Canyon we packed up and set out for another long ride towards Monument Valley which straddles the Arizona/Utah border. However, we had decided that we just HAD to visit Antelope Canyon in Page, Arizona. My parents had actually traveled here in 2008 and my father’s pictures from this Canyon were just unbelievable. It truly is a majestic place that looks like another planet:
Antelope Canyon
The weather in springtime Arizona and Utah was not what I expected at all. On the entire trip there was only one day that allowed for shorts. Most of the time it was cool or actually cold enough for jackets, gloves and hats. This particular day was very strange because I was experiencing my very first sandstorm! Before entering Antelope Canyon, we were told to remove our contact lenses otherwise sand would blow in our eyes and it would be very uncomfortable. Of course, we were told this 30 seconds before leaving so there was absolutely no time to remove the lenses! Instead, we carried on snapping as many photos as we could while the sand literally rained down on us. By the end, we were pretty much covered from head to toe in red sand. Lovely.
This same sand storm made the approach to Monument Valley extremely eerie. It was about twilight when we were on our final approach to our next stop. The wind was howling outside and all we could make out from the rented mega mini van were these huge, strangely shaped rocks in the background. My parents kept referring to this as the “vortex” moment and forced us to put on some Pink Floyd. With “Shine on you Crazy Diamond” blaring on the speakers I could barely keep myself from breaking out in hysterics. I rolled my eyes and sang along anyway because I just love to sing. I have to admit though… between the sandstorm and the visuals it all did seem just a wee bit odd out there.
Even more odd was the house we stayed in that night. The entire sight is on an Indian Reserve including the Gouldings Lodge which is where we stayed. The house had four bedrooms so we all finally had our own rooms. When we pulled up to the house it was unlocked, door open and completely dark. Lee took the liberty of checking all of the bedrooms, closets, and bathrooms to see if there was anyone waiting to kill us or at least lecture us on Native American culture. The one place Lee, or any of us for that matter, wouldn’t go was the basement. So we just shut the door and hoped for the best. On top of this, the sandstorm outside had turned into a snowstorm!
After a somewhat decent night’s sleep we awoke to a full blanket of snow covering the ground. Looking out the window we finally could make out what we could only see the outline of the previous night. These wildly shaped rock formations or more accurately buttes dotted the landscape in all directions. After breakfast, we took a tour of Monument Valley and I was totally in awe of what I saw:
Monument Valley
Moab Hummer Tour
Following the tour of Monument Valley we made our way to “Mormon Country” or by it’s more common name: Utah. Now, I’ve been a big fan of the HBO show Big Love for awhile now, and though I realize it is not necessarily a fair or accurate representation of the Mormon faith I still really wanted to see polygamists in action. Or at least all dressed up in their funny garb. And yes, I know Mormonism and polygamy are not synonymous! Anyway, our first stop in Utah was Moab and from what I was told Moab would be the last place I’d see a polygamist… considering it was a place of sin and all in the Bible. Moab is the gateway to a number of national parks, two of which we visited: Arches National Park and Canyonlands. Before that though, we went on one hell of a hummer ride:
Moab Hummer Tour
When I was told we were going on a “Hummer Tour”, I thought okay great… we are going to see some more wonderful landscapes in some big ass truck thingy that burns up gas like it’s nobody’s business. When we got in and started driving towards “Hell’s Revenge” the guide started telling us how this was a military grade humvee and had seen action in Iraq #1 and blah blah blah. I really don’t care about cars, at all. Well, let me tell you something. I have a new appreciation for superbly made vehicles I’ll tell you what. Upon entering “Hell’s Revenge”, we veered left and drove on about an 80 degree angle up a narrow rock ledge which dropped off dramatically on either side. I think I eked out a yelp or something and grabbed on for dear life. Cher was definitely letting it all out.
Most of the tour was like this… going either up or down steep rock ledges (both forwards AND backwards!) and then stopping at points that overlooked Moab or the amazingly rugged, barren terrain we were covering. Though at first I was weary of the tour guide, he turned out to be amazingly knowledgeable of the area and an all around decent dude. He claimed to be not only the former sheriff of Moab but also an ex rodeo guy AND an ex “Marlboro Man”.
Can you believe? Anyway, he rocked. Awesome tour. Here’s another video of something that happened to someone else in Hell’s Revenge.
Arches/Canyonlands
After the morning’s excitement, Lee and I just HAD to get back to our hotel room to access Wifi on our iPhones/laptops and tell everyone about the hummer tour. It’s like I was a giddy, high school girl or something. Cher and Al went to go get sandwiches for lunch and the plan was that we were going to drive out to Arches National Park and do the 2 hour hike to one of Utah’s most recognized landmarks: The Delicate Arch (pictured below). By the time we got to the trailhead I was famished and not feeling so high school girly anymore. I wanted to eat. I was ready to eat right there in the parking lot but NO we had to pack up ALL the styrofoam packed food including beer and wine and lug it to the most picturesque part of the trail. So we started off, me mumbling curses to myself, and got about 10 minutes in when Al decided to do one of his little jaunts off the trail to a “more secluded spot”. As most hikers/nature lovers in National Parks know the trails are there for a reason and are not meant to be deviated from for not only one’s own safety but for the sanctity of nature too. By that point, I had had enough, I was not going along any further and plopped myself down took out my sammy and started mowing down. Actually, noone decided to join Al on his quest for the perfect spot and about 10 minutes later he returned none too happy. I won’t get into the details of what happened next but suffice it to say we didn’t see Big Al again until we gazed upon the famous landmark that adorns both Utah’s license plates and stamps. The hike itself was not terribly difficuly though there were some midly challenging parts. It felt good to finally be out of a car and taking in the natural beauty by foot.
The Arch itself is definitely something to behold. You cannot see it until the very end of the hike but as you round the last corner there it is… appearing out of nowhere as if someone had placed this oddly shaped rock loop there as a prize for completing the hike. Breathtaking. By this time, Al had regained his composure and was sitting admiring the Arch which we joined in on for the next 20-30 minutes. Serenity now! It really was… completely serene, quiet and even slightly dreamy around the Arch. People spoke in hushed tones (well at least everyone but my family) respecting the surrounding beauty. After a few hundred snaps it was time to go back. The hike down was inconsequential. All I can remember from that was Lee and I trying to figure out the chorus to Phish’s “Colonel Forbin’s Ascent” but I digress……
One more thing to do while at Arches. Hike to “The Windows” (pictured below). From my understanding, our cousin Claire (insert shout out here), played a part in constructing part of this trail: Claire explaining. And after re-watching that video I just realized that we did NOT actually do that part of the trail (Sorry Claire!). Despite that, we did make it out to the Windows and I sat in one of them and enjoyed it very much. Did I mention Lee slept this one out in the back of the van? Go LeeBee!
Arches National Park
This day isn’t over yet. My family is notorious for travel itineraries and packing in as much in a day as humanly possible. We are up before 7 a.m. and in bed before 10 p.m. every night…. but not a second of that time is wasted. We may value quantity over quality, not absorb everything to it’s maximum potential, and not actually relax while on vacation, but noone can accuse the Boros’ of being lazy. No sir-ee.
True to form, we decided we just had to fit in one more national park before the day was done. Not only that but we had to be there for sunset to take the BEST photos. So off we rushed to the next one on the list: The Canyonlands. Honestly, I was so tired at this point I could barely get out of the car to snap some photos. But when I did I was suitably impressed with what I saw…for some reason the only words to describe it for me is like Hell bubbling to the surface of the earth. Just the whole thing was so immense and red. I dunno.. maybe I was tired out of my gourd. We drove back to the hotel in near silence (a first), grabbed some pizza pie to take out and passed out in a stupor.
Canyonlands
Bryce National Park
We arrived at Bryce National Park a bit after noon. It was a cold, blustery day and after the long previous day all I really wanted to do was lay in bed and watch tv. No such luck. Our hotel room at “Ruby’s Inn” wouldn’t be ready till at least 4.
We decided instead, to do a brief rim walk around the Canyon and perhaps one of the scenic drives. Upon arriving at “Sunrise Viewpoint” the view into gorge was astonishing. Hundreds of thin spires of rock better known as hoodoos jutted from the earth like knives standing on edge. What I find amazing about all these parks is that each one has it’s own unique quality. It is not like you visit one and you’ve seen it all…. they all hold distinct elements which makes each worth visiting.
After all the complaining and whining about how tired we were and how cold it was (mostly me), we couldn’t resist and did the entire 3 hour hike. It was totally worth it. The first part of the hike was the Queen Garden Trail which led past amazing rock formations which you could get right up to touch and then down into the fecund valley below. The best part was that the deeper we went into the Canyon the warmer it was.
The Queen Garden Trail connected to another trail called the Navajo Loop which took us through a narrow ride with huge walls of rock on either side. This was also known as “Wall Street”.
Zion National Park
Originally, we were not supposed to visit Zion National Park at all. However, with some gentle coaxing by me and a drunk, motorcyclist at dinner the previous night singing it’s praises we decided to stop off on the way back to Vegas. The park is only 1 hour from Bryce and pretty much directly on the way back to Vegas so it made perfect sense. Again, completely worthwhile and different.
We approached the park from the north east which the guide said was extremely scenic. Was it ever. It’s hard to describe the visuals here without sounding like a broken record so I’ll just let the pictures attempt to do it justice. The only disapointment here was the Emerald Pools Trail we attempted. Compared to the previous day’s hike at Bryce this was a major let down considering a) how littered with children it was and b) the pools were just not all that impressive.
Las Vegas
I hated Disney World as a kid and I don’t care much for the grown up version either. Vegas is loud, showy (duh), and my senses get totally out of whack when I am there. I think I gambled a whole $5 on the slots and the Luxor has to be just about the worst hotel we stayed in on the trip even though it probably cost like 3x as much. Funny story: when we got to our room the main lamp wasn’t working so we called down to have someone fix it. This was about four in the afternoon. Noone came. Then at about 2 a.m. there’s a knock on the door. Paranoid me imediately starts to panic about some Mumbai style attack and I prepare myself for defensive posturing. It was the Luxor staff coming to fix the lamp! All I could hear was Al yelling “get the F outta here!” and the man replying “Well you don’t have to be RUDE sir”. Hilarious.
I will say a few things I did enjoy about Vegas. My friends Steven and Brad are huge frequenters to the city and are always more than gracious in providing recommendations for things to do, eat and see. One of these things was to go to Paris, Paris for the buffet breakfast. What a treat! We showed up just as breakfast was ending and got to double dip into lunch. We stuffed our faces silly on crepes, sausages, lox, cheese, fruit and then roast, lamb, po’s. You name it. Afterwards, we walked it off by touring the strip. My favourite hotels by far are the Wynn and Encore. Gorgeous!
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