Getting to the Grand Canyon
We pack up and start the 6 hour drive from Bryce Canyon, to the Grand Canyon. Along the way we enter the state of Arizona and pass Marble Canyon which marks the beginning of the Grand Canyon. The colourful Vermillion cliffs are set off by massive boulders (marbles).
Strangely and precariously tucked underneath some of these boulders are rock houses. This historic area is known as the Cliff Dwellers, and is/was home to the Navajo and Anasazi nations.
It was a long and hot drive through the desert area leading to and surrounding the Grand Canyon. Along the way we pass some Circus trucks and are pulled over by a very twangy Sheriff. "I don't know what it's like where you come from, but here we don't cross over a dashed line on the highway". I wasn't going to argue the fact that it was a dashed line on our side of the road, and he kindly let us go on our way with a "Slow er down" warning. The way he looked at our car and my license, I am sure he thought we must have left our igloo and borrowed our car from the village.
Grand Canyon, Arizona
We wound our way around the lush but desolate north rim of the canyon, and into the arid and congested south rim where the main park, overlooks and trails are. The Grand Canyon is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the designation is well deserved. The park was founded as Grand Canyon National Monument in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt, and became a national park in 1919.
Today the park contains over 1.2 million acres. Our destination is the Mather Campground, located right in Grand Canyon Village, which meant we were walking distance from most everything we wanted to see. I worried a bit that it would be a typical motorhome style campground, but it was well treed, and even came with a couple nicely adorned deer that check out our campsite.
Our first destination is located at the west end of Hermit Road. Hermit's Rest is a gift shop/snack bar designed by Mary Colter (the same person responsible for the Watchtower at Desert View) so as to resemble a Hermit's abode, and fit in harmoniously with the landscape. it's constructed of a mix of stone and wood and feels like it belongs in the historic canyon.
At the center of the south rim is the Grand Canyon Village. It has some of the best views of the canyon, the trailhead of the Bright Angel Trail, some historic buildings, some non-historic buildings (gift shops and restaurants) and massive crowds. Coming to the #1 natural tourist destination in America, we knew what we were in for with the crowds, and made the most of it.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, here's thousands and thousands of words... sometimes you can't find the words to describe breathtaking views or awe inspiring vistas.
Unfortunately we discovered way too late that Mule rides down into the canyon to the Colorado river need to be booked one year in advance. Feeling incredibly young and energetic, we decided to get up early to hike down into the Canyon. You have to get up early, as by 11:00 the temperatures in the canyon climb well over 100°. We have good hiking shoes, plenty of water, and head down the Bright Angel Trail leaving from Grand Canyon Village shortly after the sun rises.
As we descend in to the canyon back and forth along the zig-zagging rocky trail, the colours change and the temperature steadily climbs. As we pass the 1.5 mile resthouse we force ourselves to remember that however long it takes to come down, it will take twice as long to get back up.
As we continue down, the ranger reminds us that the Mules have the right of way, so we squeeze against the rock wall as several teams of mules pass us. On our own we determine that the piles they leave behind also have the right of way. We enviously look at the tourists that don't have to walk down and back up, but we will have so much more to be proud of... If we make it.
Critters are plentiful in and around the canyon... as we are on the Bright Angel trail we see a number of squirrels and chipmunks, small lizards or geckos scurry away, I even see a large tarantula on the side of one of the trails... luckily Norine did not see it.
We take a little break as a family of mountain sheep work their way past us on the slopes of the canyon, it's amazing to see how agile they are, especially the young ones hopping around.
At the 3 mile (4.8 km) resthouse we talk to the ranger, refill our water containers and at Indian Gardens (4.5 miles or 7.2 km) we turn around to head back up to the top. The temperature keeps climbing, making us so happy that we left as early as we did. Completely shocking to us on our way out is the people walking down, in sandals, flip-flops or dress shoes... they are heading down a rocky trail into a canyon that will get as hot as 120°, they have no water, but at least they are fashionable with their gucci purses. The ranger at the 1.5 mile resthouse will send them back. This is why people have died on the trail into the Grand Canyon... people are stupid.
As we took the last few steps out of the canyon, it was an amazing feeling, we felt like Rocky at the top of the steps... WE DID IT!!! First stop, a very large cold drink, Second stop, head goes under a fountain/tap, Third stop, the gift shop to buy a "I Climbed the Grand Canyon" T-Shirt.
After a long morning hiking, we drove to the eastern end of the south rim to see the
historic Desert View Watchtower. The Watchtower was built in 1932 by Mary Colter, to mimic
a native Anasazi watchtower. It's an impressive looking structure that provides an
excellent vantage point for viewing the canyon and the Colorado River. The stairs were a
little bit of a challenge. 
Our amazing day would wrap up with a Cessna flight over the canyon.
Our late afternoon flight would give us a unique perspective as we soar above the canyon.
Arrowhead Terrace is plainly visible from above, named after the large rock protruding through that looks like an arrow head, strange how they come up with these names. The contrast between the yellows and reds of the south rim and the green of the north rim is very evident from above.
As we land and head back to our campsite, the sun sets on the canyon, showing very clearly the many levels, and the sheer size of this marvelous place. Having had such an amazing day, we decided to cap it off with a visit to the National Geographic Imax theatre and see a half hour presentation of "Grand Canyon, the Hidden Secrets". This place is amazing!
Our last morning, we get up early to watch the sun rise on the canyon, and see the colours change from red to yellow to white... we wipe our eyes, pack up our campsite and hit the road.
Get your kicks on Route 66
Route 66 was a historic highway in the US running from Chicago to L.A., now it is a nostalgic ghost town of a road, abandoned due to newer and bigger highways and freeways. So to relive a little of that nostalgia, we took the 5 hour drive on Route 66 from Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada. This is one of the longest unbroken stretches of Route 66, and has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Luckily we had filled up before we started as there was no working gas stations on this stretch. The first and only stop would be the non-impressive Grand Canyon Caverns.
After being underwhelmed at the Grand Canyon Caverns, our last stop before Vegas was the Hoover Dam. A much more impressive structure with great contrast between it's blue waters and the surrounding rocks. Since 9-11 you aren't even allowed to stop where we did.
Las Vegas
Pulling into Vegas in a 1981 Celica full of camping gear is way different than arriving on a charter flight and taking a limo to the hotel. As camping options in Vegas are limited, we found a good deal on a room at the Alladin Hotel. Looking back at a recent trip to Vegas, nothing is the same... The hotel we stayed in is gone, the Sands is gone, the Barbary Coast is now Bill's Gamblin' Hall & Saloon. Even Treasure Island no longer has the Skull and Crossbones, just a big TI.
After spending some quality time in the city that never sleeps, and visiting our favourite store in Caesars Palace (The Warner Bros. store), we make a late night departure so we wouldn't have to cross the Mojave desert during the heat of the day when it can reach 120°-130°.
West Coast
4 hours of flat desert driving and we pull into LA in the early morning. When in Rome... do as the Romans do. So we do... all the LA standards, Hollywood, Universal Studios, Magic Mountain, Knotts Berry Farm, and of course, the one and only Disneyland!
There was new things to see at Disneyland since the last time we were there. There was the brand new Toontown and the amazingly wet Splash Mountain. Always a great time. Once Disneyland was done, we were ready to head home, and pretty much made a bee-line for the Canadian border.
Nine hours later we were in San Fransisco, where we spent a night camping near the Golden Gate bridge. After a day of cable cars and Fisherman's Wharf we were in Oregon five hours later, another five hours of driving and we would be pulling into our driveway.
5 National Parks, 4.5 miles of The Strip, 4 Theme Parks, and 6,000 Kilometers (3,728 miles) of highway, all crammed into a little Toyota and a tent... What a road trip!