Kwaussie's road trip part 2
Dec 26th, 2012, 07:03 AM
#42
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Keep it up. You guys are still rolling very impressively.
As for the Homeless - my mom used to do the same thing as NYT. They were called Hobos back then - usually riding the rails into our small town in Southern Oregon - and looking for some sustenance before heading back out.
She would give them a sandwich or something to eat if they knocked on the door - but never any money - as they were usually buying a bottle of wine with it.
I worked with some guys/inmates from the city jail one summer during my college years - they got time off if they worked - and one of the guys actually worked hard at shoveling the gravel to patch up the streets. I was impressed as most of them were in pretty bad shape and were "resting" after about 20 minutes.
However - one evening - my buddies and I went to one of the local beer halls to shoot a couple games of pool - and he had been released that day - and he was in there - sitting at the bar - getting toasted. He was a nice enough guy really - but he even admitted - it was the "booze" that got him.
He said he left home (somewhere in the South) - hitting the road after his wife had accidentally burned down the house and killed their kids - but who knows for sure? They all have a good story, having developed their "con" over time - that's - when they coherent enough to tell it.
As for the Homeless - my mom used to do the same thing as NYT. They were called Hobos back then - usually riding the rails into our small town in Southern Oregon - and looking for some sustenance before heading back out.
She would give them a sandwich or something to eat if they knocked on the door - but never any money - as they were usually buying a bottle of wine with it.
I worked with some guys/inmates from the city jail one summer during my college years - they got time off if they worked - and one of the guys actually worked hard at shoveling the gravel to patch up the streets. I was impressed as most of them were in pretty bad shape and were "resting" after about 20 minutes.
However - one evening - my buddies and I went to one of the local beer halls to shoot a couple games of pool - and he had been released that day - and he was in there - sitting at the bar - getting toasted. He was a nice enough guy really - but he even admitted - it was the "booze" that got him.
He said he left home (somewhere in the South) - hitting the road after his wife had accidentally burned down the house and killed their kids - but who knows for sure? They all have a good story, having developed their "con" over time - that's - when they coherent enough to tell it.
Dec 26th, 2012, 06:30 PM
#43
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nytraveler, I know it's not really the busiest day of the year in Central Park. I was just making an aussie exaggeration;-)
As for the homeless, usually I make my donations via the charity organisations but I figured that on Christmas Day I didn't really care what they spent Taine's dollars on. I have no idea what brings people to such a low point in their lives but everyone should have some joy during the holiday season.
Today was our last full day in NYC so we got up early to make the most of it. Geoff and Taine went to the Empire State Building at 8am and by doing so went straight to the top, no queues. I'm saving my vertigo risk days for the Grand Canyon so while they were there Sophie & I checked out the post Christmas sales opportunities on 34th street. Geoff reported back that the view from the top was every bit as spectacular as he had imagined it to be and the stories and photos of how the building was erected were pretty amazing.
Our big kids gave us a 'child free' lunch date at the Mandarine Oriental ,which also has great views of the city, as a christmas gift. While we were eating, Sophie took Taine to 'Build a Bear', a store where you create and outfit your own stuffed bear. It's a very clever, dolls for boys enterprise that he's been wanting to do since we first saw a shop in Texas. The end result was a very trendy looking camo colored bear in a leather jacket and sun glasses!
We chose the 3 course pre fixe menu for lunch and it was delicious, especially the well brewed pot of tea at the end. I was so excited to have a proper cup of tea that I had three cups full. While we were eating it started to snow. Snow is always exciting for us but unfortunately it meant we couldn't take our after lunch carriage ride around Central Park. Probably just as well because even though it looks so romantic on the movies, I'm sure my nose would have been frost bitten in minutes. As is often the case with snow, it wasn't white and fluffy, just cold and wet and it turned the sidewalk into a slushy skating pond!
We wandered around in Grand Central Station for a bit. This is truly beautiful building and a destination in itself and next time we're here I'll be sure to do the audio tour to learn more about its history. The terminal was really busy with people heading home after the holidays. We were hoping for a flash mob but no such luck.
The snow continued for a while and was much prettier from inside our hotel room as it settled on the buildings below. Then it became torrential rain so we scurried next door to the Barking Dog for dinner. It was a little bit of a melancholy occasion as we realised it would be our last dinner all together for awhile until Soph gets back to Australia. We've really enjoyed our two weeks together in the North East but tomorrow we leave Soph to couch surf here in NYC through New Year while we head westward on the last leg of our journey.
As for the homeless, usually I make my donations via the charity organisations but I figured that on Christmas Day I didn't really care what they spent Taine's dollars on. I have no idea what brings people to such a low point in their lives but everyone should have some joy during the holiday season.
Today was our last full day in NYC so we got up early to make the most of it. Geoff and Taine went to the Empire State Building at 8am and by doing so went straight to the top, no queues. I'm saving my vertigo risk days for the Grand Canyon so while they were there Sophie & I checked out the post Christmas sales opportunities on 34th street. Geoff reported back that the view from the top was every bit as spectacular as he had imagined it to be and the stories and photos of how the building was erected were pretty amazing.
Our big kids gave us a 'child free' lunch date at the Mandarine Oriental ,which also has great views of the city, as a christmas gift. While we were eating, Sophie took Taine to 'Build a Bear', a store where you create and outfit your own stuffed bear. It's a very clever, dolls for boys enterprise that he's been wanting to do since we first saw a shop in Texas. The end result was a very trendy looking camo colored bear in a leather jacket and sun glasses!
We chose the 3 course pre fixe menu for lunch and it was delicious, especially the well brewed pot of tea at the end. I was so excited to have a proper cup of tea that I had three cups full. While we were eating it started to snow. Snow is always exciting for us but unfortunately it meant we couldn't take our after lunch carriage ride around Central Park. Probably just as well because even though it looks so romantic on the movies, I'm sure my nose would have been frost bitten in minutes. As is often the case with snow, it wasn't white and fluffy, just cold and wet and it turned the sidewalk into a slushy skating pond!
We wandered around in Grand Central Station for a bit. This is truly beautiful building and a destination in itself and next time we're here I'll be sure to do the audio tour to learn more about its history. The terminal was really busy with people heading home after the holidays. We were hoping for a flash mob but no such luck.
The snow continued for a while and was much prettier from inside our hotel room as it settled on the buildings below. Then it became torrential rain so we scurried next door to the Barking Dog for dinner. It was a little bit of a melancholy occasion as we realised it would be our last dinner all together for awhile until Soph gets back to Australia. We've really enjoyed our two weeks together in the North East but tomorrow we leave Soph to couch surf here in NYC through New Year while we head westward on the last leg of our journey.
Dec 28th, 2012, 07:46 AM
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By the time we get to Phoenix, everyone will be sleeping. Our flight out of JFK tonight was delayed and our expected arrival in Phoenix is now midnight local time, 2am by our body clocks. A bit of a bummer since we have a car booked for yesterday! Also a bummer that Delta wouldn't honour our Webjet tickets which included two checked bags. In fact they wouldn't take any bags without us paying for them. One of the reasons we booked with Delta was that the quote included the bags so we're pretty unhappy about that! Given the age of the plane, the lack of in flight service and the chaos of their check in, we certainly wouldn't have chosen them otherwise....and you can be very sure we won't choose them ever again! One thing they do have is in air wifi (expensive of course), hence this blog post is being written in the air.
It took us ages to pack up our hotel room this morning. 8 days in NYC has allowed us to unpack and spread our stuff everywhere.With a late flight today we had the rest of the morning free to visit the Guggenheim and check out the Picasso exhibition. The queues to get in the door stretched as far around the corner as the ones for the toy store the other day but the wait was worth it. We took the free audio guides and I learnt more about Picasso in two hours than I have in a life time. What an interesting man! The exhibition winds it way up through the central rotunda area of the gallery and the circular nature of the display area lends itself beautifully to the ever changing and evolving work of Picasso throughout his long lifetime, during which he created more than 100 000 pieces of art!
After a final subway ride it was time to say goodbye to the city that never sleeps. We've had an amazing week here and there's no doubt we'll be back at some stage. I'd love to see Central Park in the Spring and there's a whole wealth of museums and boroughs that we didn't get to this time.
The stand outs (good and bad) for us in NYC;
The subway is an awesome way to get around the city. A weekly pass got us everywhere we wanted to go, all week for just $29. MYKI (the Melbourne transport system) is a disgrace by comparison (although I guess it's just a disgrace full stop!). Grand Central station is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen.
Bagels. NY has real bagels, great big rounds of bready goodness, including ones full of grain.
Rude, disinterested service people. This was not always the case as we found lots of lovely, helpful people as well but in comparison to the South, New Yorkers (from our observation and short experience) are more abrupt and less friendly and counter service in retail outlets is incredibly slow.
Central Park. What a beautiful oasis in the middle of the city.
Dogs. In hotels, in restaurants, on planes!
Taxis. Those yellow cabs really are everywhere & they're cheap and easy to hail. Unfortunately, once they have a passenger in them they don't stop for pedestrians or emergency vehicles.
Pickles. Whole pickles are served with everything. This was of great pleasure to Geoff because he got mine & Sophie's as well.
High density housing. Brownstone apartment blocks that just go on and on as far as the eye can see.
Human traffic jams. Queues to get in and out of shops and museums.
The views. The Manhattan skyline is magnificent and for me, walking towards it over the Brooklyn Bridge was something I'll never forget.
Oh, and the snow. Watching it fall through our hotel window was pretty special
It took us ages to pack up our hotel room this morning. 8 days in NYC has allowed us to unpack and spread our stuff everywhere.With a late flight today we had the rest of the morning free to visit the Guggenheim and check out the Picasso exhibition. The queues to get in the door stretched as far around the corner as the ones for the toy store the other day but the wait was worth it. We took the free audio guides and I learnt more about Picasso in two hours than I have in a life time. What an interesting man! The exhibition winds it way up through the central rotunda area of the gallery and the circular nature of the display area lends itself beautifully to the ever changing and evolving work of Picasso throughout his long lifetime, during which he created more than 100 000 pieces of art!
After a final subway ride it was time to say goodbye to the city that never sleeps. We've had an amazing week here and there's no doubt we'll be back at some stage. I'd love to see Central Park in the Spring and there's a whole wealth of museums and boroughs that we didn't get to this time.
The stand outs (good and bad) for us in NYC;
The subway is an awesome way to get around the city. A weekly pass got us everywhere we wanted to go, all week for just $29. MYKI (the Melbourne transport system) is a disgrace by comparison (although I guess it's just a disgrace full stop!). Grand Central station is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever seen.
Bagels. NY has real bagels, great big rounds of bready goodness, including ones full of grain.
Rude, disinterested service people. This was not always the case as we found lots of lovely, helpful people as well but in comparison to the South, New Yorkers (from our observation and short experience) are more abrupt and less friendly and counter service in retail outlets is incredibly slow.
Central Park. What a beautiful oasis in the middle of the city.
Dogs. In hotels, in restaurants, on planes!
Taxis. Those yellow cabs really are everywhere & they're cheap and easy to hail. Unfortunately, once they have a passenger in them they don't stop for pedestrians or emergency vehicles.
Pickles. Whole pickles are served with everything. This was of great pleasure to Geoff because he got mine & Sophie's as well.
High density housing. Brownstone apartment blocks that just go on and on as far as the eye can see.
Human traffic jams. Queues to get in and out of shops and museums.
The views. The Manhattan skyline is magnificent and for me, walking towards it over the Brooklyn Bridge was something I'll never forget.
Oh, and the snow. Watching it fall through our hotel window was pretty special
Dec 28th, 2012, 08:01 PM
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bardo- the beauty of the window was that it did open! We opened it frequently to admire the view, wake ourselves up ....or watch the snow.
We finally arrived in Phoenix just before midnight last night and headed off optimistically to the rental car base. Geoff had rung the company yesterday to arrange a size upgrade to get us through the last leg of our trip from Phoenix to LA. They had told him the upgrade would be no problem and we should just organise it at the depot in Phoenix. No such luck. They had very few cars in the lot at all and nothing in the 'van' range that we were looking for. Eventually they found us a mid size SUV and a new charge for more than DOUBLE our original quote. Given that we'd already pre paid for our original car and it was midnight and we had no other option, we forked over the extra $850 , jammed our bags (which are looking a little worse for wear after yet another TSA check!) into the boot and checked in to the nearest La Quinta. It was a very expensive day!
A few hours sleep and our favourite 'brightside' breakfast helped us to be more philosophical about the financial frustrations of the previous day. The weather in Phoenix was a glorious. The sky is the same clear blue of the Waikato in NZ and today it was cloudless and windless. I think I expected to see desert in Phoenix but I'm not sure I understood that the whole city is desert and that desert is actually very beautiful. Taine has been hanging out to see a giant cactus and he wasn't disappointed. They are, literally, everywhere. As are the big red rocks that rise out of the desert plain like painted concrete sculptures. The colour palette is brown on brown and there is a noticeable lack of water sources. There are really no gardens to speak of except for succulents and the occasional splash of red bougainvillea. It is a unique environment and one that I have never seen the like of before.
We drove to the South Mountain park and were treated to spectacular views over the city. I was disappointed with my photos because they don't show the different depths and levels of colour and so the landscape looks bland. I wish I had a 3D camera! The drive up and down the mountain was straight out of Radiator Springs and 'Cars'.
Then we went to Papago Park and climbed the Hole in the Rock. This is one of the red sandstone rock formations that dot the city. An open cavern at the front of the rock is connected to the back via a large hole and so you can climb up the back and through the hole to sit in the cave chamber and look out over the city. Apparently the Hohokam who were early inhabitants of the area, used the sunlight patterns through the hole to judge time and seasons. Pretty cool. We stayed up there and watched the sun set over the city.
We finally arrived in Phoenix just before midnight last night and headed off optimistically to the rental car base. Geoff had rung the company yesterday to arrange a size upgrade to get us through the last leg of our trip from Phoenix to LA. They had told him the upgrade would be no problem and we should just organise it at the depot in Phoenix. No such luck. They had very few cars in the lot at all and nothing in the 'van' range that we were looking for. Eventually they found us a mid size SUV and a new charge for more than DOUBLE our original quote. Given that we'd already pre paid for our original car and it was midnight and we had no other option, we forked over the extra $850 , jammed our bags (which are looking a little worse for wear after yet another TSA check!) into the boot and checked in to the nearest La Quinta. It was a very expensive day!
A few hours sleep and our favourite 'brightside' breakfast helped us to be more philosophical about the financial frustrations of the previous day. The weather in Phoenix was a glorious. The sky is the same clear blue of the Waikato in NZ and today it was cloudless and windless. I think I expected to see desert in Phoenix but I'm not sure I understood that the whole city is desert and that desert is actually very beautiful. Taine has been hanging out to see a giant cactus and he wasn't disappointed. They are, literally, everywhere. As are the big red rocks that rise out of the desert plain like painted concrete sculptures. The colour palette is brown on brown and there is a noticeable lack of water sources. There are really no gardens to speak of except for succulents and the occasional splash of red bougainvillea. It is a unique environment and one that I have never seen the like of before.
We drove to the South Mountain park and were treated to spectacular views over the city. I was disappointed with my photos because they don't show the different depths and levels of colour and so the landscape looks bland. I wish I had a 3D camera! The drive up and down the mountain was straight out of Radiator Springs and 'Cars'.
Then we went to Papago Park and climbed the Hole in the Rock. This is one of the red sandstone rock formations that dot the city. An open cavern at the front of the rock is connected to the back via a large hole and so you can climb up the back and through the hole to sit in the cave chamber and look out over the city. Apparently the Hohokam who were early inhabitants of the area, used the sunlight patterns through the hole to judge time and seasons. Pretty cool. We stayed up there and watched the sun set over the city.
Dec 29th, 2012, 03:53 AM
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Shame about the extra costs - but as you know - that happens in travel sometimes.
If you get a chance and/or you are heading that way - the town of Sedona - a couple hours to the North - has some incredible Red Rock formations. It's on the way to the Grand Canyon if you are also taking in that natural wonder.
If you get a chance and/or you are heading that way - the town of Sedona - a couple hours to the North - has some incredible Red Rock formations. It's on the way to the Grand Canyon if you are also taking in that natural wonder.
Dec 29th, 2012, 06:23 AM
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Enjoying part two of the trip report. I haven't been to Phoenix or Sedona so much beauty out west.
For the Delta airline mess, file a complaint right now with the airline and with your credit card company. Make sure to reference the free bags in your original purchase and how you had to pay at the gate.
For the Delta airline mess, file a complaint right now with the airline and with your credit card company. Make sure to reference the free bags in your original purchase and how you had to pay at the gate.
Dec 29th, 2012, 06:36 AM
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A trip report that keeps on giving!!!
That is lousy that you got screwed by weather delays, Delta and car rental all in one day. Perhaps you could switch out to a better vehicle today before heading out.
Yes, If you go thru Sedona, stop at the Chapel for some amazing views. We enjoyed two visits taking the drive thru Jerome to the GCanyon.
I love that you gave to the homeless for Christmas. During the year, I will give to shelters, but hey, it's the holidays! Who am I to have an expensive bottle of red to go with my Christmas beast and deny a wino down on their luck bugger living on the streets, some walking money to buy a snort or two of whisky or wine? Children showing compassion and recognizing others down on their luck is priceless!!!
Happy Trails!
That is lousy that you got screwed by weather delays, Delta and car rental all in one day. Perhaps you could switch out to a better vehicle today before heading out.
Yes, If you go thru Sedona, stop at the Chapel for some amazing views. We enjoyed two visits taking the drive thru Jerome to the GCanyon.
I love that you gave to the homeless for Christmas. During the year, I will give to shelters, but hey, it's the holidays! Who am I to have an expensive bottle of red to go with my Christmas beast and deny a wino down on their luck bugger living on the streets, some walking money to buy a snort or two of whisky or wine? Children showing compassion and recognizing others down on their luck is priceless!!!
Happy Trails!
Dec 29th, 2012, 07:07 PM
#52
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Sally, we were so cross we lodged a complaint with Delta while we were still at the airport (no response as yet!)
Tom- we're in Sedona tonight
Thanks dudette, so frustrating when companies give misleading advice but not unusual these days I'm afraid.
LG- exactly, who cares what they spent the money on if it bought a little sunshine to their Christmas. Taine has also been giving clip on koalas to people that he meets along the way. He bought them in bulk at the market before we came and he's had a lot of fun meeting people via these little gifts.
We're back up to four passengers today since Sophie decided to ditch her NYC, New Year's Eve plans and flew in to Phoenix last night to spend a few more days with us in Arizona This made packing our rental car an interesting but not insolvable problem. It's a good thing I'm married to a Maths teacher and the children are flexible!
Taine's early morning blood nose meant we got a good , early start to the day and we were on the road a little after 9am. It takes a while to get out of Phoenix but soon enough we were on the highway with desert scenery on either side. We made a pit stop to look at Montezuma's castle, an amazing series of houses built into the rock wall dating right back to 600AD. While Montezuma's is the best preserved of the multi storey dwellings , there is evidence of a whole vertical village in the cliff face along the creek. Amazing to think of people living in such a well organised society so long ago.
At the crossroads back to the highway we stopped at a roadside stall where a Navajo indian gentleman and his mum where making fry bread and selling jewelry. We bought one piece of fry bread out of interest, then 3 more out of appetite . It was delicious!
We reached our destination of Sedona not long after. I had read on Trip Advisor and Fodors about the beauty of the red rocks in this area but once again, seeing is believing and for about the millionth time during this journey, we were gob smacked. This cluster of huge, red monoliths rise up from the desert floor in a variety of shapes and sizes, lending themselves to names like Bell Rock, Pyramid Rock and Snoopy Rock. The place is also full of psychics and spiritual healers and new age book stores because of the number of vortexes (and I have checked that this is the correct plural spelling!) that supposedly exist within the rocks. The vortexes are places where the energy is right for meditation, prayer and healing. My family are skeptical but I intend to open my mind to finding a vortex tomorrow!
The rocks themselves are certainly magical to look at. As with so many of our experiences on this trip, they are simply breath taking. Each day we talk about our favourite scenes, places, adventures and each day we have to add something else to the list. The red rocks of Sedona are certainly right up there.
Tom- we're in Sedona tonight
Thanks dudette, so frustrating when companies give misleading advice but not unusual these days I'm afraid.
LG- exactly, who cares what they spent the money on if it bought a little sunshine to their Christmas. Taine has also been giving clip on koalas to people that he meets along the way. He bought them in bulk at the market before we came and he's had a lot of fun meeting people via these little gifts.
We're back up to four passengers today since Sophie decided to ditch her NYC, New Year's Eve plans and flew in to Phoenix last night to spend a few more days with us in Arizona
This made packing our rental car an interesting but not insolvable problem. It's a good thing I'm married to a Maths teacher and the children are flexible!Taine's early morning blood nose meant we got a good , early start to the day and we were on the road a little after 9am. It takes a while to get out of Phoenix but soon enough we were on the highway with desert scenery on either side. We made a pit stop to look at Montezuma's castle, an amazing series of houses built into the rock wall dating right back to 600AD. While Montezuma's is the best preserved of the multi storey dwellings , there is evidence of a whole vertical village in the cliff face along the creek. Amazing to think of people living in such a well organised society so long ago.
At the crossroads back to the highway we stopped at a roadside stall where a Navajo indian gentleman and his mum where making fry bread and selling jewelry. We bought one piece of fry bread out of interest, then 3 more out of appetite . It was delicious!
We reached our destination of Sedona not long after. I had read on Trip Advisor and Fodors about the beauty of the red rocks in this area but once again, seeing is believing and for about the millionth time during this journey, we were gob smacked. This cluster of huge, red monoliths rise up from the desert floor in a variety of shapes and sizes, lending themselves to names like Bell Rock, Pyramid Rock and Snoopy Rock. The place is also full of psychics and spiritual healers and new age book stores because of the number of vortexes (and I have checked that this is the correct plural spelling!) that supposedly exist within the rocks. The vortexes are places where the energy is right for meditation, prayer and healing. My family are skeptical but I intend to open my mind to finding a vortex tomorrow!
The rocks themselves are certainly magical to look at. As with so many of our experiences on this trip, they are simply breath taking. Each day we talk about our favourite scenes, places, adventures and each day we have to add something else to the list. The red rocks of Sedona are certainly right up there.
Dec 30th, 2012, 08:44 AM
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Didn't "tune in" to any Vortexes while driving around the Sedona Red Rocks - but then again - I am a cynic and was mainly the driver/too preoccupied? - while my wife took advantages of the many photo ops.
And up on the Mesa by the airport is also great for viewing sunsets.
Not sure what the temps are there now - but a little drive up the canyon/north of town - is a place/swimming spot by the river where the local teens/college students like to cavort a bit. http://www.swimmingholes.org/az.html
And up on the Mesa by the airport is also great for viewing sunsets.
Not sure what the temps are there now - but a little drive up the canyon/north of town - is a place/swimming spot by the river where the local teens/college students like to cavort a bit. http://www.swimmingholes.org/az.html
Dec 31st, 2012, 09:24 AM
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Toucan- Sedona is just beautiful, I wish we'd had more time there.
Tom- Too cold for swimming but I took some great photos from the airport.
Yesterday our day started in the beautiful village of Oak Creek, eating breakfast as the sun rose over the red rocks.
After checking out all the formations the day before, we decided Bell Rock was a manageable hike before we set off for the Grand Canyon. It’s hard to describe the colour of the rocks, except to say they really are red! None of us felt the positive energy of the vortex but Taine fell over not far from the beginning of our climb and I wrenched my shoulder a but further along the track so we decided maybe we’d had a negative vortex effect! Geoff and Sophie climbed up to the top of the rounded part of the bell and we took some pretty spectacular photos.
We also visited the Cathedral in the Rock, a church built into the side of one of the cliffs. I lit some candles for my religious friends and took in a few more of the magnificent vista, then we jumped back in the car and headed of to Flagstaff. When we left Sedona Geoff was wearing his shorts and t shirt. Half way through Oak Canyon we started to notice patches of snow alongside the road and by the time we reached the top it was full on snowing and the countryside was white! Snow is such an exciting event for us Antipodeans so we stopped at a market on top of the ridge to play in it for awhile. Needless to say we all got very cold and wet and ripped off by the over priced souvenirs on sale there but it was fun.
Flagstaff was our lunch stop and provided some Christmas card views because the whole town was covered in thick snow. Realising that we had come very under prepared for snowy weather we stopped at Walmart but strangely we found no snow gear there so we stocked up on snacks and New Year's drinks and kept moving towards the Grand Canyon National Park. I had expected lots of winding roads like we have at home but we had already done our climbing through Oak Canyon and the road from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon was actually very straight and very flat, a bit like parts of the Desert Road in NZ.
We thought we'd left the snow behind us but as we reached the park entrance it started to fall again and when we reached the village it was quite heavy. After stowing our gear in our room at the Kachina Lodge we stepped outside for our first view of the world's most famous hole in the ground. And we didn't have to walk far. The GC lodges are literally on the rim, at some points just metres away. In fact on the path to Bright Angel Lodge I measured just 3 metres to the edge. And there is NO FENCE, just a straight drop hundreds of metres from the snow covered, icy path. Arrggghhhh. Last night there was lots of cloud in the canyon but this morning you can see all the way down. It is too real to be real.
As an acrophobic I knew I would struggle with living 'on the rim' but quite frankly I am terrified and for the first time on our whole trip, not really enjoying myself at all. Today Geoff and Sophie have gone to hike into the canyon itself and the mere thought of it has given me nightmares. I'm sure they will have a spectacular (albeit freezing) time and I wish I could take some part in the glory of the view but instead I will spend the day encouraging Taine to hold my hand while we take a less strenuous walk along the rim and maybe build a snowman.
Tom- Too cold for swimming but I took some great photos from the airport.
Yesterday our day started in the beautiful village of Oak Creek, eating breakfast as the sun rose over the red rocks.
After checking out all the formations the day before, we decided Bell Rock was a manageable hike before we set off for the Grand Canyon. It’s hard to describe the colour of the rocks, except to say they really are red! None of us felt the positive energy of the vortex but Taine fell over not far from the beginning of our climb and I wrenched my shoulder a but further along the track so we decided maybe we’d had a negative vortex effect! Geoff and Sophie climbed up to the top of the rounded part of the bell and we took some pretty spectacular photos.
We also visited the Cathedral in the Rock, a church built into the side of one of the cliffs. I lit some candles for my religious friends and took in a few more of the magnificent vista, then we jumped back in the car and headed of to Flagstaff. When we left Sedona Geoff was wearing his shorts and t shirt. Half way through Oak Canyon we started to notice patches of snow alongside the road and by the time we reached the top it was full on snowing and the countryside was white! Snow is such an exciting event for us Antipodeans so we stopped at a market on top of the ridge to play in it for awhile. Needless to say we all got very cold and wet and ripped off by the over priced souvenirs on sale there but it was fun.
Flagstaff was our lunch stop and provided some Christmas card views because the whole town was covered in thick snow. Realising that we had come very under prepared for snowy weather we stopped at Walmart but strangely we found no snow gear there so we stocked up on snacks and New Year's drinks and kept moving towards the Grand Canyon National Park. I had expected lots of winding roads like we have at home but we had already done our climbing through Oak Canyon and the road from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon was actually very straight and very flat, a bit like parts of the Desert Road in NZ.
We thought we'd left the snow behind us but as we reached the park entrance it started to fall again and when we reached the village it was quite heavy. After stowing our gear in our room at the Kachina Lodge we stepped outside for our first view of the world's most famous hole in the ground. And we didn't have to walk far. The GC lodges are literally on the rim, at some points just metres away. In fact on the path to Bright Angel Lodge I measured just 3 metres to the edge. And there is NO FENCE, just a straight drop hundreds of metres from the snow covered, icy path. Arrggghhhh. Last night there was lots of cloud in the canyon but this morning you can see all the way down. It is too real to be real.
As an acrophobic I knew I would struggle with living 'on the rim' but quite frankly I am terrified and for the first time on our whole trip, not really enjoying myself at all. Today Geoff and Sophie have gone to hike into the canyon itself and the mere thought of it has given me nightmares. I'm sure they will have a spectacular (albeit freezing) time and I wish I could take some part in the glory of the view but instead I will spend the day encouraging Taine to hold my hand while we take a less strenuous walk along the rim and maybe build a snowman.
Dec 31st, 2012, 01:49 PM
#57
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kwaussie, we were at GC at Christmas time several years ago and it was spectacularly cold. I also found it a little disconcerting that it was so icy and little to keep one from going over the rim, but I don't have the fear of heights that you have. I'm so sorry that is making it so difficult for you 
Dec 31st, 2012, 03:35 PM
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Guess it's no fun to be nervous about heights - but I thought there was still a bit of flat areas on the other side of most of the rim fences.
Hey - b4 going to bed - maybe you should tie a rope around your wrist - just in case you go sleepwalking?
Just kidding.
Hey - b4 going to bed - maybe you should tie a rope around your wrist - just in case you go sleepwalking?
Just kidding.
Dec 31st, 2012, 03:43 PM
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And as you have no doubt heard by now - the hike below the rim really isn't a steep one - at least for the first couple/three miles.
Anyhow - hope you can relax and enjoy the view. You might appreciate the IMAX movie by the park entrance.
Anyhow - hope you can relax and enjoy the view. You might appreciate the IMAX movie by the park entrance.
