Summer means lots of things to lots of people. To us it means fun vacations, easy living, long nights....and Jacob's visit. And once again, we need to thank his parents for letting him come..and his brothers for letting him fill in their spots.
We wait all year for this special time for the three of us...and this year Jacob set the tone. He wanted to go to the Grand Canyon....and we worked the trip around his request.
We flew him out here non-stop from Orlando....a "first" for us, cause when he was in Durham, he had to change planes, so I went to get him and returned him. It gave me a chance to see the rest of the family, which I loved, but it was getting a bit hard to do that "turn-around".
We had a few days here to do the usual stuff. We went to see a a musical called Twist...we went to the LA Museum and saw the Tim Burton Show, as well as the Clock..and we celebrated the Fourth of July at the beach. After those few days,we headed out in the car for Las Vegas...the first stop on our sojourn.
We stayed at the Bellagio,one of our favorite hotels in Las Vegas, in a lake-front suite. From 5 o'clock on, we were able to see the dancing fountain. What a fun thing to watch....and especially from our vantage point!!!
We took Jacob to Caesar's Palace to show him the "life-like" fountains in the mall..and ate dinner in the Italian outdoor cafe. Then we walked back to our hotel...got an ice cream and collapsed. It was very crowded, and we were just exhausted.
The next morning, we got up early and headed to the Hoover Dam, where we took the tour into the bowels of the Dam itself. It is quite impressive...and a fun thing to experience. Just wish it hadn't been quite so hot (102 in the shade!!!)
We were deciding to take a swim upon our return to the hotel, but we decided the air conditioning might feel a bit better. Jacob was coming down with a cold, so we thought this would work for him. We had an early dinner, and then went to see the Cirque de Soleil's show "O", at the Bellagio. We had seen it 10 years ago...and it was as amazing as we remembered. Jacob loved it, as did we. It is so fascinating to watch that water come and go....and we prayed that the acrobats diving into it didn't have a mishap!!! It is a very exciting show...and perfect for a 13 year old.
The next morning, we headed out of Las Vegas towards Flagstaff..our stop before entering the Grand Canyon. Flagstaff is an important educational center...the home of Northern Arizona University, and is a keystone of the cultural scene. There is year-round recreation in Flagstaff..and it is a lovely town. But first, we had to get there.
We drove highway 40, and stopped in Seligman at the Road Kill Cafe for lunch. Really fun menu.We then proceeded onto the town of Williams. It was cloudy and starting to rain so we just drove thru. I would have loved to explore this little town, as it is a resort area before you get to the Grand Canyon..but the guys didn't want to explore in the rain. I guess I understand that.
So we continued on the 40. We pulled into Flagstaff before it really rained..checked into the hotel and decided to have dinner before heading to the Lowell Observatory, one of major astronomy centers in the US. It has been at the forefront of astronomical research since 1894...and it was here that the planet Pluto was discovered. We had hoped to use the huge telescope...but it was still rainy...so no go...no show.
We all got up early the next morning, and went back to the Lowell. This time we had a wonderful tour, but unfortunately, since it was daylight, we couldn't see the stars. We did see the various scopes, however...and it is a place I would highly recommend for a stop.
Next we headed toward the town of Winslow, to see the Meteor Crater. Winslow is a rail shipment and trading community in a desert setting. And this famous crater we were going to see was formed nearly 50,000 years ago . It happened when a meteorite about 150 feet across and weighing several hundred thousand tons slammed into the earth. At the bottom, four football fields could rest side by side. It is quite something to see...and worth the slight detour.
We then headed toward the Wupatki National Monument, on the way to Cameron. There are cave paintings and caverns to explore skirting the edge of the Navajo Indian reservation. You could spend a lot of time here...but we were anxious to head to the Grand Canyon..so off we headed .
We entered the park and headed towards the South Rim. The drive to our hotel was nothing short of spectacular. At the first stop, we got out and the three of us just stood on the rim....speechless. No matter how many times you see this a movie or from an airplane...to stand on the edge of the Grand Canyon takes your breath away. It is just awesome (now I can use this word and it makes sense!!) It is definitely a WOW. And to watch the eagles soaring up the sides, catching an updraft, and then a downdraft...it is nothing short of spectacular.
The canyon runs 277 miles long, and is formed by the Colorado River. From the South Rim to the North Rim is about 10 miles. The walls of the canyon itself are said to date back 5-6 million years. However, the floor of the canyon is about 2 billion!!!!. Pretty impressive facts. Even if you don't like nature, you cannot help but being impressed.
There must have been three more camera stops we made before heading to our hotel....the El Tovar...right on the rim of the canyon itself.
There are 8 hotel/lodges on the south rim of the canyon, the El Tover being the oldest and most exclusive. It was built in the early 1900's, and is such a historic landmark, there isn't even an elevator!! Couldn't put one in if they tried. Needless to say, it is a walk up to the 3rd floor...but well worth it. The view from our balcony overlooked the front of the hotel, and the Grand Canyon itself. AMAZING And every day we had visitors who came to graze...a family of elk that was so picturesque as to be nothing short of a movie trailer.
We ate dinner in the hotel and got to bed early..getting ready for the next day. By now, Jacob was feeling "GREAT";...cause Dick caught his cold. So everyone had to get a good night's sleep.
There are a couple of ways to see the Grand Canyon. One is by mule...down to the bottom. We passed on that by a vote of 3-0. The next is by plane/helicopter ..which we also passed on.....unanimously. Then there are 3-day, 4-day and 7-day raft tours...which we nixed as well. That left motorcoach and railroad. The motorcoach allows you to get on and off, take as much time as you want at each stop...and gets you to the West Rim...as far as you can go.... called the Hermits Rest. A unique native stone building was created on this spot by Mary Jane Colter in 1914.
The motorcoach also does the East Rim..and takes you by a Watchtower, where you can see painings of the Hopi people and a panorama of the Canyon and the painted desert. You cannot do this by car. Both require a Tour by motorcoach.
The railway is not a historical train...it is just a train and it just goes along the rim. Most people we spoke to preferred the motorcoach.
If you choose not to do any of these, you have at least 10 stops along the south rim that you can do by car, and get a wonderful sense of this National Treasure.
On Sunday, both of my patients were feeling better, and we headed back to LA. We took part of the historic Route 66 in a loop out of Seligman, down to Kingman. It was really fun, and Jacob enjoyed reading the ads along the highway. Brought back all the old Burma-Shave days from my past!!!
We got back to LA...our minds and eyes filled with gorgeous scenery, Indian monuments, scientific places, and a flash of surrealism called Las Vegas burned into our memory banks.
All in all, it was a lovely trip...and hopefully one that we will all remember. It certainly had a little bit of everything for everybody!!! And I never got sick!!!
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