Life is full of experiences. Generally, most things in life meet our expectations. Many of us even downgrade our expectations so as not to be to disappointed. Not me! In fact I look forward to what’s next. I expect it to be an experience I get to catalog and rate. But let’s face it we all love it when the experience is beyond the expectation.
We all grow up hearing and learning about the Grand Canyon. I have friends who recently got married here. Amazing wedding pictures. It is one of the places that I did have some pretty high expectations for. It is so rewarding expectations are exceeded. I think this is one of those times they were exceeded so much that it’s hard to properly convey it.
I’m not saying my trip itself has exceeded, more on that later, but the Canyon does not disappoint. Let’s face it. Disney World looks and feels pretty much like the commercials. Well, except in reality the parents all have sweaty, tired and unhappy faces from chasing kids on asphalt all day. The Grand Canyon truly is a place that video, no matter how high-Def, and pictures cannot capture.
The first thing that struck me as walked up the the rim for the first time at Mathers Point, was the vastness. The true depth and enormity just doesn’t come through in media the same way it does in person. Yes, you can capture the beauty and the colors but media just does not capture the vastness. Mathers isn’t even the best spot and yet I will never forget the feelings, the thoughts, the way my brain paused as if something suddenly caught it’s attention. I will never forget that first look at what has to be one of natures most astounding creations. It truly left me speechless.
I will not try to describe it for you as words would fail. I will tell you that you should put this on your list sooner rather than later. Grand is truly grander.
Now that we have established how amazing the Grand Canyon is. Let’s talk a little about the trip and lessons learned. It is absolutely possible to have an amazing experience but a subpar trip. I’m not saying my trip has been sub-par, but it has not been perfect either.
So let’s start with my drive over. First I-40 has lots of potholes. Potholes at 75 mph is bad an any vehicle. It’s worse in an RV. It’s not as bad as the roads in Louisiana are but there’s a difference between 55 mph and 75 mph on a rough road. Hwy 180 was a beautiful drive but it was also rough in places. It’s just what snow and ice do to roads I guess. Hopefully, technology will solve this one day.
I booked late so I was not able to stay in the park. There is a least one campground in the park with full hookups and it’s well located. You can take the shuttles that run till 9pm right from the campground. I hope to stay there next time. I did stay at Grand Canyon Camper Village which is just outside the gates of the park in Grand Canyon, AZ.
Grand Canyon, AZ only reason to exist is to service visitors to the park. The park itself has multiple restaurants and lodging and even a grocery store. Grand Canyon the town is pretty much the same. It’s hotels, campgrounds, tour businesses and restaurants. That’s it. There’s a general store with a small grocery selection and huge gift shop and that’s it. There’s no pharmacies or anything like that. You are 55 miles from Williams and 65 from Flagstaff. So an hour from most regular services.
I did not eat anywhere in the park so I cannot comment on the restaurants there. In the town they are decent, nothing special and extremely expensive. I had Mexican at an average and somewhat rundown looking Mexican restaurant and got a Ruth’s Chris level bill. This was pretty consistent at the places I tried. I did not eat at the fast food places so I don’t know about prices there. There’s a McDonalds and a Wendy’s. I ate Mexican, Pizza and at two steakhouses. Big E’s is the better of the two. There’s 3 or 4 more restaurants I didn’t try.
Everything in Grand Canyon the town is expensive. A normal hotel is probably three times the normal rate. The campground here is no exception, although not marked up as much as the hotels. The one inside the park is around the same price, $80+ per night. It’s a little high considering the age and condition. Also, they sell tokens to use the showers. Not a problem for me since I’m on full hookups but something to be aware of if you a traveling here living the van life. Elk walk through the campground which is nice. I do have full hookups and the sites are not a bad size. They are gravel, well mostly sandy soil with a sliver of grass. Hookup connections are not new but are well maintained. They have turned the water off a couple of times to work on leaks but sent folks around to tell me and they disconnected everyone’s connection and ran the dirty water out so it didn’t affect peoples water systems.
I stayed here a week. Arrival day I didn’t do much more than settle in. It is nice that you can check-in at noon which is earlier than usual but I did some sightseeing on the drive over. I re-injured my ankle while hooking up the camper. So my first day at the Canyon was painful but I walked nearly 5 miles mostly on the rim trail. The downside, I could not walk the next day so I missed a beautiful sunny 73 degree day at the Canyon. It also meant that I’ve been unable to hike either of the two trails I had planned.
No pharmacy or ankle supports to be found in town so I ordered a couple from Amazon. The next day, I once again walked along the rim trail but mixed in some shuttle rides to ensure I got to see more of the main overlooks. I still racked up over 4 miles of walking. However, inclines are still an issue so hiking was still not looking good at this point. I will say that with ice and now the support I ordered my ankle is getting much better. Still walking with a limp but pain is minimal.
Speaking of the shuttles. They run constantly and each stop has bus that goes forward on the route and one that’s taking you back to the beginning of the route. There is not a long wait on the next bus but they tend to be full. When I was walking the rim between overlooks I rarely encountered people on the red route. The rim trail behind the visitors center is a little more crowded but still not a busy as you would expect.
I would also note that some of the hiking trails have no vehicle parking nearby and you pretty much have to take the shuttle to and from the trailhead. So backpacks and walking sticks are common. The shuttles are full size buses, usually full, comfortable and well air conditioned.
One other thing you might want to be aware of. The Canyon is so amazing it draws a lot of visitors from around the world. I’ve seen more people who English is not their first language than I have anywhere else besides Disney World. This is in no way a complaint, just an observation that this is an amazing site that draws people from everywhere and it can be crowded. Its truly one of the wonders of the world and everyone I met has been so nice. People are so considerate, mostly, about asking if they can take a picture for you so you have some without and outstretched arm in them from taking selfies. I also did plenty of this for people. Let’s face it. Its nice to have the whole family in some of your shots, right?
My last 3 days here have been a bust Canyon wise. Went from highs in the low 70’s to highs in the low 50’s, lows in the low 30’s and rain with some snow. I was hoping to catch a sunset on the rim but rain and clouds have been an issue. Last night it was actually thunder storming and lightning. This is the morning of my last day and it is raining as I write this. I’m going to get a last look at the Canyon this afternoon even if I have to wear rain gear.
So all in all I would rate my trip as good and my experience as amazing. I didn’t get to do all the things I had planned but the Canyon itself and being my first time kept the trip from being a disappointment. I will be back and I will be better prepared. I will make sure I’m stocked up on groceries before I arrive. I will have a better understanding of what I really want to do and properly prepared. I do still have a day planned at the West Rim next week and I would like to see North Rim in the future. Maybe boondock there. Just to give it some scope. It’s about 3 hours to West Rim from here. Over 4 hours to North Rim. Driving. Let that sink in.
Anyway, I’ll be back and if you haven’t been here, get here.
- Campgrounds, Curveballs, and Cold Beers
This summer was supposed to be spent in the great state of Wyoming, checking off some more national parks. The President and Mr. Musk had different plans. Due to the federal cuts, the national park scene has a lot of uncertainty. - Chateau Le Coeur
Just a short ways off of I-10 you will find a winery named Chateau Le Coeur. The owners moved to northern Florida from the Great Northwest. They have wineries and vineyards in Washington and Oregon. They have an interesting story they tell about starting the winery. - Sunday Morning Musings Ep. #6
“We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” – T. S. Eliot - WildEdge Brewing Collective
The food was delicious, at least the chicken salad sandwich, was very, very good. The locals were friendly and as I often do I spent a few beers in bar side communion with them. I am a little bummed that I did not pick up any packaged beer or swag from here.
