We headed north from Sedona on a scenic winding road following Oak Creek Canyon and often had a view of Oak Creek itself as the road wound around the mountains beside it. There were some bed and breakfasts tucked away from the road with tree covered drives that looked very inviting. It was another sunny and beautiful day for a great vacation that seemed longer because of the changing climates, landscapes, elevations, and ground cover. Then we began to see a lot of tall and leafy trees, but as we got closer to Flagstaff, we saw more pine trees. We could still see varied rock formations and rocky hillsides and as we climbed the hills and small mountains, we looked down into valleys.
It was only a two hour drive and we made only one stop at a scenic lookout for some pictures. At this stop were several vendors selling jewelry and some wood carvings. We made some small purchases and I oohed and awed over the scenery as we took more photos. Soon we were on the outskirts of Flagstaff. Since this was the best jumping off point for touring the Grand Canyon, hotels and restaurants were everywhere and we found an easy place for lunch, Cracker Barrel.
Afterwards, Wei drove us to the town center where we made a stop at the Visitor's Center and picked up some brochures. The Visitor's Center was in the same building as the old train station. From here we could look up one of the main streets to a major intersection with old hotels and many restaurants, shops, and galleries. It looked inviting, and like many a small town with lots of tourists. I expected that Flagstaff would be a lively place as it is a college town, home to Northern Arizona University. We would revisit it on the last day of our vacation. At first glance,
it seemed like an interesting place and worthy of a few hours of
exploration. ( So we will save this visit for Kaleidoscope, Part VI, which will be the last in this series and then the blog will return to life in Japan.)
But the time had come to leave the town center and check into the Woodlands, our hotel of choice for the last 3 days of our vacation. It was also time to bid adieu to our very good friend and guide, Wei. He had been a superior guide and driver, but first of all friend, and our shared memories over the past years in Japan and then brief meetings in the east U.S. would now make those little facets intertwine in that kaleidoscope of moments then and now, good memories to fall in place suddenly while thinking of something else that may or may not relate to Phoenix, fry bread, cactus, Chihuly glass, roadrunners, Gambel's quail, Sedona, a whole lot of rocks, and now Flagstaff. It had been a great 4 days!
The Woodlands was a nice hotel, large and spacious and comfortable rooms, although ours had no view, looking at a wall some feet away, with a corner view of a pool off to the right. But we weren't spending much time there so it did not matter. We explored about the hotel, checked the lobby's computers for emails and took a break in our room before a light dinner in one of the hotel's restaurants. It was pricey, not memorable, but we were tired and did not care. We had a BIG day coming up ahead of us. Finally, we were heading to the Grand Canyon. And we would need to get up fairly early to make sure and have a good breakfast, pack sun screen and snacks to go along, and be prepared as we were going on an all day tour. No turning back for what I might forget.
Are you one of those people who takes two tries to get out the door? I don't know why, but it seems I have to get a block away to remember toothbrushes, or toothpaste, or some other more important item. I should just plan to take a trip around the block to jog my memory. And I do make lists!
We got a really comfy night's sleep and woke up ready to GO! I had researched the entire trip using mostly the Internet, and some AAA books for places and high points once we got there. I had found All Star Tours that offered all day trips to the Grand Canyon and had called and asked them many questions that satisfied me this would be a good way to see a lot and have very little responsibility. They would pick us up and drop us off right at the hotel, and they provided a picnic lunch.
We were down in the lobby ahead of time and our driver and guide picked us up in about 15 minutes. We were leaving about 9 a.m., heading north and around and about scenic roads to the canyon for some 80 miles. Stops were comfortably scheduled to provide bathrooms, the shuttle van was very comfy with an aisle down the middle and single seats to either side. We were a cozy group of 10 and our guide John was young, enthusiastic, and enjoyed pointing out details of interest on the way. It was a very good thing he had the energy he did, because getting in and out and driving all day, and trying so hard to take everything in was really draining. Perhaps the sun and elevation had a lot to do with that.
He had two coolers of drinks packed for us as well as bags of pretzels and chips and kept encouraging us to drink more than usual because of the elevation. We all took part in helping ourselves to the beverages, soda and water, and didn't hesitate to ask John questions. He had a lot of great answers, was very knowledgeable about geology, the canyon, and the entire area. He had been in the area for a couple of years after being on the move for several years before. When he came to Flagstaff he found what he was looking for and settled down. He is an active member of the community and works both as a driving guide and as a guide on hikes down into the canyon. He was making a case that Flagstaff was more than what it appeared as we had driven through it.
Our tour hit several stops along the rim, including one where John could sight in the spotting scope on the pack mules taking tourists down into the canyon on a trail that has been in use for years. He told us the mules were put in training carrying just supplies for 3 years before they would be trusted enough to carry passengers down the steep path.
At another stop he sighted in some rafts pulled onto the beach where they stopped for a lunch break. Tourists were every where at the canyon, at the top looking over, at the bottom looking up, and on hikes and mules going up and down. Since it's over 200 miles long, 1 mile deep, and 10-18 miles across at various places. it did not seem crowded at all. Of course, we were touring in mid-May, so summer would certainly see many more visitors.There was ample parking at each scenic sight along the south rim where we were taken, and most places had restrooms and/or gift shops, picnic tables and lots of seating both along the rim or along paths from the parking areas to the rim itself.
Rafting the canyon can be on varied length trips, 3 days to two weeks. The park regulates the groups authorized to do the tours and how many tourists are rafting at a given time. The two week trips can do the length of most of the canyon, and I think they would allow the most intimate way to know this natural world wonder.
The stops we were making from Flagstaff along the South Rim were the most popular because they offered the best access to roads, and the hotels, and restaurants back in Flagstaff and also Williamson. We could see incredible sights, but it was only a small area of the whole canyon that was accessible. The North Rim which we could see on the other side is also available for sight seeing, but has one main lodge run by the park, is much less developed and the roads and all access are only open in summer. To reach the North Rim from Flagstaff it is over 200 miles, so it is easy to see why most visitors see the South Rim areas only when the distance is about 80 miles.
It was a marvelous day, pleasant temperatures, sun, blue sky, and birds, mostly vultures and ravens soaring on all the drafts created by the canyon. We saw one helicopter, another way to tour the canyon. We met people from around the world, Germany, Brazil and Italy to name a few. It is a huge draw far and wide. We were in awe of the size of the place, width across and depth, and as far to right or left as we could see there were more crevices and barren peaks colored in earthy reds, browns, grays, and yellows. It was a place best described by pictures that cannot do it justice, but I will try.
I hope you can understand that I have not gone into many facts about this place. From my bit of reading and the brochures the canyon was formed over millions of years from erosion as the Colorado River ran through it. But even standing right there it is very hard to comprehend other than to know there is no other name for this place but the GRAND CANYON.
We were worn out by the long day and the dazzling sights. We decided to treat ourselves to the Sakura Japanese Restaurant in our hotel, where the food is grilled right in front of you by a talented chef. We enjoyed our meal of shrimp and steak with veggies and rice, split a strawberry shortcake dessert and called it a night. One more full day was left of our vacation and we would spend it in Flagstaff. Check it out later in Kaleidoscope, Part VI.
Please feel free to leave comments. They can be in Japanese or other languages. I will find a translation. Thank you for reading my blog!
 |
| photo taken from the entrance to Slide Rock State Park |
It was only a two hour drive and we made only one stop at a scenic lookout for some pictures. At this stop were several vendors selling jewelry and some wood carvings. We made some small purchases and I oohed and awed over the scenery as we took more photos. Soon we were on the outskirts of Flagstaff. Since this was the best jumping off point for touring the Grand Canyon, hotels and restaurants were everywhere and we found an easy place for lunch, Cracker Barrel.
 |
| photo taken from the scenic lookout |
But the time had come to leave the town center and check into the Woodlands, our hotel of choice for the last 3 days of our vacation. It was also time to bid adieu to our very good friend and guide, Wei. He had been a superior guide and driver, but first of all friend, and our shared memories over the past years in Japan and then brief meetings in the east U.S. would now make those little facets intertwine in that kaleidoscope of moments then and now, good memories to fall in place suddenly while thinking of something else that may or may not relate to Phoenix, fry bread, cactus, Chihuly glass, roadrunners, Gambel's quail, Sedona, a whole lot of rocks, and now Flagstaff. It had been a great 4 days!
The Woodlands was a nice hotel, large and spacious and comfortable rooms, although ours had no view, looking at a wall some feet away, with a corner view of a pool off to the right. But we weren't spending much time there so it did not matter. We explored about the hotel, checked the lobby's computers for emails and took a break in our room before a light dinner in one of the hotel's restaurants. It was pricey, not memorable, but we were tired and did not care. We had a BIG day coming up ahead of us. Finally, we were heading to the Grand Canyon. And we would need to get up fairly early to make sure and have a good breakfast, pack sun screen and snacks to go along, and be prepared as we were going on an all day tour. No turning back for what I might forget.
Are you one of those people who takes two tries to get out the door? I don't know why, but it seems I have to get a block away to remember toothbrushes, or toothpaste, or some other more important item. I should just plan to take a trip around the block to jog my memory. And I do make lists!
We got a really comfy night's sleep and woke up ready to GO! I had researched the entire trip using mostly the Internet, and some AAA books for places and high points once we got there. I had found All Star Tours that offered all day trips to the Grand Canyon and had called and asked them many questions that satisfied me this would be a good way to see a lot and have very little responsibility. They would pick us up and drop us off right at the hotel, and they provided a picnic lunch.
We were down in the lobby ahead of time and our driver and guide picked us up in about 15 minutes. We were leaving about 9 a.m., heading north and around and about scenic roads to the canyon for some 80 miles. Stops were comfortably scheduled to provide bathrooms, the shuttle van was very comfy with an aisle down the middle and single seats to either side. We were a cozy group of 10 and our guide John was young, enthusiastic, and enjoyed pointing out details of interest on the way. It was a very good thing he had the energy he did, because getting in and out and driving all day, and trying so hard to take everything in was really draining. Perhaps the sun and elevation had a lot to do with that.
He had two coolers of drinks packed for us as well as bags of pretzels and chips and kept encouraging us to drink more than usual because of the elevation. We all took part in helping ourselves to the beverages, soda and water, and didn't hesitate to ask John questions. He had a lot of great answers, was very knowledgeable about geology, the canyon, and the entire area. He had been in the area for a couple of years after being on the move for several years before. When he came to Flagstaff he found what he was looking for and settled down. He is an active member of the community and works both as a driving guide and as a guide on hikes down into the canyon. He was making a case that Flagstaff was more than what it appeared as we had driven through it.
Our tour hit several stops along the rim, including one where John could sight in the spotting scope on the pack mules taking tourists down into the canyon on a trail that has been in use for years. He told us the mules were put in training carrying just supplies for 3 years before they would be trusted enough to carry passengers down the steep path.
At another stop he sighted in some rafts pulled onto the beach where they stopped for a lunch break. Tourists were every where at the canyon, at the top looking over, at the bottom looking up, and on hikes and mules going up and down. Since it's over 200 miles long, 1 mile deep, and 10-18 miles across at various places. it did not seem crowded at all. Of course, we were touring in mid-May, so summer would certainly see many more visitors.There was ample parking at each scenic sight along the south rim where we were taken, and most places had restrooms and/or gift shops, picnic tables and lots of seating both along the rim or along paths from the parking areas to the rim itself.
Rafting the canyon can be on varied length trips, 3 days to two weeks. The park regulates the groups authorized to do the tours and how many tourists are rafting at a given time. The two week trips can do the length of most of the canyon, and I think they would allow the most intimate way to know this natural world wonder.
The stops we were making from Flagstaff along the South Rim were the most popular because they offered the best access to roads, and the hotels, and restaurants back in Flagstaff and also Williamson. We could see incredible sights, but it was only a small area of the whole canyon that was accessible. The North Rim which we could see on the other side is also available for sight seeing, but has one main lodge run by the park, is much less developed and the roads and all access are only open in summer. To reach the North Rim from Flagstaff it is over 200 miles, so it is easy to see why most visitors see the South Rim areas only when the distance is about 80 miles.
It was a marvelous day, pleasant temperatures, sun, blue sky, and birds, mostly vultures and ravens soaring on all the drafts created by the canyon. We saw one helicopter, another way to tour the canyon. We met people from around the world, Germany, Brazil and Italy to name a few. It is a huge draw far and wide. We were in awe of the size of the place, width across and depth, and as far to right or left as we could see there were more crevices and barren peaks colored in earthy reds, browns, grays, and yellows. It was a place best described by pictures that cannot do it justice, but I will try.
 |
| The Colorado River offers sulky blue colors amidst the earthy tones. |
 |
| Rafts could be seen on the beach with the use of a scope. |
I hope you can understand that I have not gone into many facts about this place. From my bit of reading and the brochures the canyon was formed over millions of years from erosion as the Colorado River ran through it. But even standing right there it is very hard to comprehend other than to know there is no other name for this place but the GRAND CANYON.
We were worn out by the long day and the dazzling sights. We decided to treat ourselves to the Sakura Japanese Restaurant in our hotel, where the food is grilled right in front of you by a talented chef. We enjoyed our meal of shrimp and steak with veggies and rice, split a strawberry shortcake dessert and called it a night. One more full day was left of our vacation and we would spend it in Flagstaff. Check it out later in Kaleidoscope, Part VI.
Please feel free to leave comments. They can be in Japanese or other languages. I will find a translation. Thank you for reading my blog!
