disneynan

Just returned from a great , fast paced, spring vacation (Apr 24-May 2) with my DH & his 90yr old mother. She absolutely LOVES Canyon Country after a Lake Powell Houseboat trip a few years back. This trip was planned basically for her & her physical abilities. She is one of the original Adirondack Mt. 46ers, so she is in great shape at 90. Short hikes & lots of sight-seeing by car was the plan. We left Albany NY on a SW non-stop, arriving in Vegas at 1:30pm. Had a HOTWIRE Avis “Malibu” ($172) for the trip. Went for lunch at Rio Carnival Buffet, did some slots & saw the free show. Next stop was Bellagio Conservatory. My Mother/law loved it & afterwards watched the Fountains, walked the Strip for bit. At 7pm we left for Mesquite, staying at the lovely Falcon Ridge overlooking the Walmart. DH checked Mother in & we went for a cooler & trip supplies. We decided to pack breakfast & lunch supplies to save time. Lots to choose from. 4/25..After a good night’s sleep, the hotel offered a very nice full breakfst. We were on the road by 9am and heading for Bryce. We had originally planned to go via Cedar Breaks Rd & never dreamed that road is closed till late May. We went over Brians Head Ski area instead & got to see lots of snow, not to mention a badger crossing the road who looked astounded to see us . We also drove by a big tree right next to the road with a bald eagle sitting on it looking like one of those big fake owls you get to scare other birds away. Really spectacular! Finally arrive at Bryce, picnic lunch , then head down the Navajo/Queens trail. My 90yr old mom in law was in heaven . We did a slow paced hike & made it out for dinner in the Lodge by 5:30pm. An Ok dinner was had by all, followed by more touring. We enjoyed seeing lots of mule deer that evening. LOTS! We retired to an enjoyable main lodge room at Ruby’s., which was much better than expected. 4/26 ..The next a.m. my DH & Mother did a quick trip back into the park so she could get her Parks Passport stamped & see a few more viewpoints. When they came back we left for Zion. We had spent 4 days there last May , so this was a quick visit. Did lots of stops until the skies opened up with rain. We went to the Park Museum for awhile & then checked into the Desert Pearl! Ahhh! Relaxed before heading out to Oscars for dinner & evening stroll. Enjoyed the pool/spa/deck that night also. So sad we only have one night here. 4/27..Checked out at 10am , heading for Kanab, but stopping first on the Park road east of tunnel, to hop/hike up on a section of road that has lovely “wave” formations of slick rock, taking lots of pictures of “slickrock paintbrush” that were in full bloom. Finally leave for real & pass “Best Friends” we’d toured last yr. Stop in Kanab for ice cream cones &then off to Page AZ. We arrive in time to do a 12:30 tour of the Glen Canyon Dam. My DH’s mom is losing her mind, cuz she simply “cannot believe”, she is back at Lake Powell. Very nice, informative tour & we linger at the Visitor Center for another picnic & views. Talk of doing another houseboat trip is priority! Next we head to the very scenic viewpoint above the dam & walk down to the overlook., followed by a quick trip to Horseshoe Bend. Now its getting really hot & late, so we stop at Walmart to restock & then check into our room at Lake Powell Resort. We had a very lovely remodeled room in the last building with a large deck to enjoy the views & tons of jackrabbits hopping about. Relax & enjoy the rest of the night. The new yacht Canyon Princess made her first trip out, so the resort was very busy. We ate in the bar room, as the earliest main room reservation was at 8:30pm. No thanks! 4/28: Checked out Sat. at 10:30am, went to Page for a tour of Antelope Canyon with Roger Ekis. My DH’s Mother had no clue we were doing this. She is in heaven! We were on the 11:30am Tour #1 Upper Antelope. The shop was very busy & sold out for this time slot. Beautiful day! Three big trucks went out & wow what a ride it was. Felt like we were in a scene from Mad Max. Our guide was great. Got us right into the canyon & was very quick & funny at instructing everyone in & around our group on how /when to take the photos of the “beams”. He also directed others “out” of the way. Very special place! We were back on the road by 1pm, heading to Marble Canyon. Stopped at the Bridge for a picnic & a look at the 3 condors sitting on the cliffs. Afterwards we made our way to Lees Ferry & soaked our feet in the River. Afterwards, we make our way to Cameron Trading Post for dinner & lodging. Busy day, we are all tired. Enjoy the “Taco” & very clean large rm. 4/29: Up early & on the road to the South Rim Grand Canyon. We spend the rest of the day seeing everything on the East Side of the park. Another beautiful day. We check in at 4pm at Thunderbird Lodge. Nice clean place, bit small, new bathrms. Relax, eat dinner & walk till dark along the rim path. 4/30: Spend Mon. getting off/on the shuttle, seeing all the views along Hermits Rd. The highlight of the day was seeing 5 condors fly very near by us, & giving water to a friendly ground squirrel. We picnic past the log cabin on a ledge over looking the Canyon, then hop a shuttle back. We get an ice-cream cone for the road, take one last peak over the rim & THANK God one more time for our very beautiful country. Off to Williams AZ. for a night at The Lodge on Rt 66. We have a great rm here, the Newberry Suite. One of the best rms. on the trip. We ate at the local Pine Country, walked Historic 66 & call it a night. 5/1: On Tues. we drive back to Vegas, checking into the former Barbary Coast at 2:30pm. We have stayed at several places on the Strip & this was a great little place, with a great little price($50) great location. Played slots at assorted places on the way to Venetian, & have very nice dinner at Grand Lux. After wards, for the final thrill of the trip, Mother would like to ride in a gondola.. So, as hokey as it is, we do. What a great way to end the night.
5/2: Wed. a.m. we spend re-packing, then go to Paris before we return the car at 2:30pm.What a great road trip this was. We saw & did so much, and drove 1000 miles only! Back to the airport for the 5pm NS home. We left on time, but were warned before hand, if the plane is shaking on the ground from the high winds before take off, you know its going to be very shaky going up. It was. Back in Albany at 12:20 am. This was truly a fantastic trip for us to take with my dear Mother-in-law & she could not wait to get her 32 rolls of film developed.

ellen_griswold

Wow disneynan, you did so much and sounds like a wonderful time! I LOVED your report, thanks so very much for posting! How very special you got to share it with your dear MIL. I can only imagine how thrilled she must have been; would have loved to do a similar trip with one of our parents....

And you visited some of our all-time fave places! And last summer we finally saw antelope canyon and horseshoe bend, so very special! Thanks again for sharing. I have a feeling this is a trip that you and your dh will remember forever.

disneynan

Why thanks Ellen for the kind remarks! I also enjoyed your 2005 West-Ho report...Isn’t it funny JUST how addictive it is? First we fell in love with WY. years ago, then CO, then UT…Love them all! My son graduated in Dec. & moved to CA. in Jan. so I know we will be going out there for visits. Yipee!

elnap29

Thanks for your great trip report. I hope I can do the same type of trip when I am 90! What an inspiration!

disneynan

Elnap, It was truly unbelievable to be out there with my dear 90 yr old mother in law on this trip, even downright SCARY! She had her hip replaced at 85 and been going strong ever since. Its like her "90" is the new "75"...I swear she is healthy cuz she drinks Red Rose tea all day long. She takes her thermos with her everywhere. Actually, she does have aches & pains,takes a Daypro & never complains. She does not want to miss a thing.