Places, Earth
Arizona 2022
Arizona 2022
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Places, Earth
Arizona 2022 |
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Many years ago we spent eleven days in Arizona, but there were a few lose ends. My plan for
this trip was to spend more time in northwest Arizona and tie up a few ends. We had recently
rescued a stray cat who had kittens the following morning and we were apprehensive about
leaving them, but I had planned this trip for so long. Day One, Unexpected Reversals My wife decided to stay home and it was hard to leave my family for a week, especially the three adorable kittens. I left at 7:30 on Christmas morning and was making good progress when my wife called to say she changed her mind and could I come back for her. It was 10:45 by the time I tore myself away from the kittens, again, still unable to find the mother, hoping she was alright. We cruised east on Highway 118, Interstate 210, and then north on Interstate 15, We stopped for gas in Victorville, mostly to use the restroom, but the pumps weren't working, so we pressed onward. We caught I-40 in Barstow and turned east. A stop at Desert Oasis Rest Area was a welcomed opportunity to stretch our legs. Eastward we rolled. We got gas in Needles and continued, crossing into Arizona about 4:00. I had originally hoped to stop at Lake Havasu and see London Bridge, but our late start put an end to that idea. We sailed east, the last hour in the dark with the Constellation Orion, my favorite constellation, straight ahead just above the horizon. It was 7:15 when we finally arrived at our hotel in Williams. There was a dusting of snow on the ground, our first white Christmas together. We had brought some food from home so we ate in our room and collapsed into bed. Day Two, That Is a Grand Canyon I awoke early and let my wife sleep a little longer as I got ready. We enjoyed our breakfast at 6:30 and rushed out the door to be at Grand Canyon Railway by 7:30. After a short pre-show of a gun fight, we waited for the train which was 15 minutes late. The train arrived, the passengers boarded, and the train rolled north to the Grand Canyon. It was a long train and I think the delay was to add more cars (I forgot to count the cars). Departure for the return was extended thirty minutes. The Grand Canyon Railway was established in 1901 as part of the AT&SF Railroad. It ceased operation in 1968 and reopened as Grand Canyon Railway in 1989. Orientation was presented and we enjoyed the scenery on this two hour and fifteen minute, 63 mile journey. Grand Canyon National Park is one of the oldest National Parks, covering 1,904 square miles. The train rumbled on. Through grassland, brush, trees, and snow we rolled. We enjoyed the ride imagining a time when rail was king. Eventually we arrived at the South Rim of the canyon and exited the train into Grand Canyon National Park. We started walking up to El Tovar to make dinner reservations for two days ahead, the first available slot. Next we marveled at the majestic canyon below. We continued east a little to Verkamp's Visitor Center, then west past more Canyon views, asked questions at Bright Angel Lodge, stopped at Kolb Studio, to the Bright Angel Trailhead (later I realize it wasn't the main trailhead). Unfortunately the trail was icy and restricted to people with crampons, which I didn't have. We wandered our way back to Arizona Steakhouse for lunch of Turkey Wraps and Southwest Rice. It was time to head back to the train which started loading a half hour later. We caught a short nap and then watched more scenery roll by. A long stretch of low scrub allowed many views of Red Butt and the San Francisco peaks far to the east. Red Butt is an ancient formation of unusually hard rock and the San Francisco Peaks are among the tallest in the Southwest. Then suddenly a train robbery. Three bandits jumped the train, oddly, they were the same three killed in the preshow shootout. Children delighted in giving them small amounts of money. We gave them play money, I'm not sure what they made of it when they got back to their hideout. A little over two hours riding the rails and we rolled into the Depot at Williams. For reasons I don't understand, I bought two photos of us from the staff photographer. It made my wife happy. As we got off the train, passengers were waiting to board the train for the Polar Express which was pulling out as we got into our car. It was getting dark but we found our way back to the hotel. Day 3, Return to the Canyon I awoke early and let my wife sleep a little longer. We got ready, enjoyed our breakfast, and then with help from the Assistant GM at the hotel, my wife was able to fax some important papers for work. This took some pressure off of her. We leisurely packed and checked out. Before leaving town we drove around Williams sightseeing and photographing historic building, an amusement center with snow slide and roller-coaster, a bridge made from a converted box car, among others sights. We then got gas and got back on Interstate 40 heading east. A few minutes later, at Highway 64, we turned north toward Grand Canyon National Park. I was disappointed that Planes of Fame aircraft museum was closed indefinitely. I had visited the Chino facility a year and a half earlier and drove past this facility fifteen years ago and the last time I verified hours, it said nothing of being closed. I took as many photos as I could from the outside and moved on. I had allowed time for this visit, so we were ahead of schedule. A short distance later is Bedrock Prehistoric Park. I had seen it from the outside many years earlier when it was Flintstone Campground, now it is a roadside attraction. It is a two acre recreation of Bedrock from the popular Animated series of the 1960s. There is Fred's and Barnie's homes, various businesses, hospital, vehicles, Fred's dino-crane (as a slide), and other objects familiar to fans of the show. A man was repainting a piece of furniture in the cold under Barnie's car port and he told me he is trying to restore the site. It wasn't long until we entered Grand Canyon National Park and found the Visitor Center The ranger suggested seeing Desert View Watchtower today as weather might make it harder tomorrow. We took his advice and the view was fantastic. I wanted to climb to the top but the wait was too long and I was having trouble breathing already and wasn't sure I could reach the top. From here we drove to Bright Angel Lodge to check in. The cabin is a little small but nice and we unpacked for our two night stay. It was a short walk to Fred Harvey Burger for dinner. I had a Beyond Burger and my wife had a Meatball Sandwich with a starter of Tater Tot Nachos. We enjoyed dinner. There was a light rain as we stumbled back to our cabin in the dark. We got into bed early wondering if the morning would bring rain or snow. Day Four, Chillin' We awoke and were dressed before sunrise. Outside the door was a five inch blanket of fresh snow. My poor 21 year old station wagon was buried. My wife grew up with snow, I hadn't. We took lots of photos. Although we walked the Rim Trail to breakfast, we couldn't see the canyon because of fog. We enjoyed breakfast at Fred Harvey Burgers and did a little shopping, including fudge. More photos on the way back to our cabin. Our foot prints in fresh snow had been replaced by shoveled pathways. Men were racking snow off the roves of the cabins. I scraped snow off the windows of my car since the seals are getting old and sometimes leak. We decided to relax today, something we almost never do. I set up the portable DVD player and we watched an old movie. My wife had paperwork for her job. About Noon I went out to photograph more snow in better light. I walked west to the trailhead for Bright Angel Trail, too slippery for my shoes. I came back to the room and downloaded the new photos and at 2:00 went out again when I saw the sun had come out and I got more spectacular photos. Then at 3:00 I went out again as a new storm came it. I walked an hour in hail, thunder, and lightning, wandering further east including the Hopi House. My wife had more work for her job so she stayed in where it was warm and dry. While I took a short nap, it began raining and by the time we were ready to go to the dinner reservations we had made a few days earlier, the ground was icy. We tried to order a pizza delivered but they weren't delivering because of the ice. We ate dinner from our snack bag while listening to Christmas music on my computer. We went to bed hoping we could get out of the park in the morning. Day Five, Of Ruins and Volcanoes We got ready, ate, packed, and checked out. It was icy but we drove slowly out of the park. On the way up we had stopped at Bedrock Prehistoric Park but my wife chose to rest in the car while I went in. On our return, I convinced her to go in this time. Even though it started to snow just as we entered, we rushed through the houses and stores of Bedrock and my wife enjoyed seeing it. The new owners are restoring the place and I wish them success. We continued south to Interstate 40 and east to Highway 89. At Highway 545 We turned left into Wupatki National Monument. I walked around some of the Pueblo structures made of stacked stone. It was a hard life in this arid land, made temporarily fertile with ash from the nearby Sunset Crater volcano. I walked around Lomaki Pueblo a few minutes, stopped at the Visitor Center and the adjacent Wupatki Pueblo, and Wandered a few minutes at Wukoki Pueblo. The loop road passes Sunset Crater National Monument a few miles before rejoining Highway 89. Today the cone was covered in snow. There is a Visitor Center, but we were anxious to get back to Flagstaff. We were tired so we only stopped long enough to capture a few photographs. We returned to Flagstaff and found our motel (Best Western Pony Soldier Inn and Suites) where we had stayed many years earlier. It was a nice room, actually a suite, adequate to our needs. Then when I opened a door thinking it was the closet, it was a second bathroom, a first for us. We laughed. We unloaded, and began a search for Delhi Palace, an Indian restaurant recommended by a friend. This was the first time I had driven in falling snow, made more challenging by darkness and unfamiliar streets, but I promised my friend. We enjoyed our excellent dinner, hoping the drive back wasn't worse. We got gas and managed to find our way back to the motel in a snow storm, just a little worse than before dinner. We settled in and got to sleep Day Six, We awoke early again. It was my wife's birthday and she awoke to a few gifts scattered around the room. We had intended to do the Pink Jeep tours today, but were worried about our pets at home and canceled the rest of the trip. We got ready, ate, packed, and loaded the car being careful not to slip on the ice. We entered the icy roads of Flagstaff. It took only a few minutes to merge onto Interstate 40 west, the way we came. For about an hour we drove between snow covered trees surrounded by a carpet of snow. Then a little west of Williams, the highway descended and we said goodbye to the snow. A quick stop in Seligman and onward we traveled under overcast skies. We stopped at Haviland Rest Area about 22 miles east of the Colorado River. We crossed back into California about 12:30 MST, got gas in Needles, and continued west. A quick stop at John Wikie Rest Area at Fenner. At Desert Oasis Rest Area, I took a twenty minute nap and we continued west. We exited Interstate 15 at Highway 18 west at Victorville, not my usual way, but the phone's Maps ap said it was faster. It had been many years since I last drove Palmdale Road and Pearblossum Highway and it looked different. There were many more houses, business, and stop lights, and fewer Joshua Trees. Nothing stays the same. We entered Highway 14 going south. When we left Flagstaff this morning I told my wife we would be home at 5:00 PM, we arrive home at 4:59 PM. The dogs and kittens where glad to have us home, the adult cats took longer to warm up. The stray cat we rescued three months earlier took a day or two to resume her caseous distant contact. We canceled the last two days of the trip and will try again to do the Pink Jeeps another time. I was hoping to see more of the Grand Canyon, but I guess I'll settle for seeing it covered with snow. Maybe next year I can do the things at Grand Canyon that we missed on that snowy day. Till next time... |
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Support this Web Site I hope that you find this web site helpful. It started because of my love for Architecture and interest in History and a desire to share my photographs and tales of my adventures. I don't allow paid advertising. This web site is for your benefit and enjoyment and I make no profit on it. For twenty years it has been supported primarily from my regular paycheck as a Set Designer. If you are in the need of a designer, please see my Set Designer portfolio site Set Design Portfolio. |
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