hello MichelleY and all the kind folks out there. When I read all the postings flowing in to offer insights, ideas, suggestions...it warms my heart. I will seriously consider all the ideas and will certainly report back.

Meanwhile, pls keep sharing your thoughts.

P.S Hope that one day I could similarly help someone intending to visit Singapore & Malaysia.

The roads from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon are very good - and easy to follow. Don't know about you - but I like to get where I am going and wake up the next morning and enjoy the great view - and not have to worry about driving, checking in, yada yada.

You could also go part way - 2 hrs - to beautiful Sedona - and wake up to the beautiful red rock formations. Much nicer than waking up in a city - no offense to Phoenix.

And as for what the various lodging places allow for check-in times - you just have to check with them. I think if you arrived by 10 PM you would be fine at the GC - but not sure about later?

And have always wanted to get to Singapore. A friend of mine was doing business there years ago - and said the places on the street served great food?

there is the possibility that after visiting g.c. you will say that is the greatest sight i'v ever seen.that being said it does not take that long to see it.2 nights is plenty of time if you are not going down into the canyon.what i would want to do is be at the rim for sunrise and sunset as the light is changing the canyon constantly.in yosemite i would inquire about the shuttle to glacier point on check in.the reason that you want to do that is because the valley is wonderful but from glacier point you have a view of the high sierras which is totally different.you said you dont hike much but to walk down the trail from glacier point back to the valley is very rewarding and all downhill.i'v done it a few times and it seems like it took 3-4 hours.it would be panorama or mist trail if you want to search it.you could also see the high sierra by driving to toulumne meadows but if there is one thing that could put a damper on your visit it is the traffic in and out of the valley which can be brutal.if i where planning this trip i would try to fly from s.f. to las vegas and then on to boston. its about 275 miles vegas to g.c. and they probably offer a lot more flights from s.f. and to boston.also vegas has some sight seeing appeal if you end up spending a night there.

My family has driven to Grand Canyon twice -- once we flew to Las Vegas and drove from there, the second we drove all the way from San Francisco. Flying into Las Vegas, you can drive over the Hoover Dam on the way to the Canyon, but there isn't much else to see, other than the scenery. On the way back to Las Vegas, we took the northern route, through St. George in Utah, and the scenery was breathtaking.

The second trip, we drove south on I-5 and then west through Bakersfield. We stopped in Barstow for the night so the driving was split over two days. There is nothing in Barstow, it was just about half way. The scenery over the Tehachapi Range is also pretty amazing, and you drive through part of the Mojave on that route.

If you are interested in scenic drives, you could certainly take a day to drive and enjoy, and still see the Grand Canyon in two days. Yosemite is also amazing and well worth a couple days. I never want to leave once I'm there, but you could see most of the famous sites in a day or two.