The Canyon ~ it was Grand

Monday – Needles to AZ
After a semi decent bagel and gassing up (as well as procurring the required snacks) we hit the road. Eastbound on Rt 40 with the goal of the Grand Canyon. We have a little rain but it isn’t enough to dampen our spirits (yea, that reads as lame on paper as it sounded in my head).
We try a turn off onto old Rt 66, but it turns out not to be a thru street. Only 42 miles of old Rt 66 are paved… this is a road that once stretched from Chicago to CA. But it gives us an opportunity to stretch and get some good shots of the mountain range and a train running along the Colorado River.
We pop back onto 40 and cross the river to officially put us in Arizona. The next exit for Rt 66 is more promising, with the potential of a ghost town! After a lot of rocks, cactus, and a few stops for some awesome pictures (and wild sage) we are surprised by the cute and rustic town of Oatman.
We could not have had better timing because there was a gun fight in the street 10 min after we got into town! The cowboys were hysterical and did a great job entertaining the crowd. They were even nice enough to pose for a picture. We then poked into a few shops, bought some postcards, and tried on some cowgirl hat (pink of course) before hitting the road.
Rt 66 climbed up a mountain and the constant switchbacks made me thankful for taking Dramamine earlier in the day. We eventually reach Sitgreaves Pass – elevation 3550 ft (about 2pm). The view is phenomenal and we saw a coyote!
After taking some choice shots and video of the scenery we take the fun switchbacks back down the mountain and finish our trek to Rt 40. We pass many “shanty towns” and trailers we can’t imagine people living in.
Once back on Rt 40 we break for lunch in Kingman at the local Cracker Barrel. Listening to the local is entertaining (I think they think the same of us) and my Apple Harvest Grilled Chicken Salad is tasty. After perusing the gift shop we hit the road. It is about 2 hours to the Grand Canyon.
3pm – We just passed an elevation sign ~ 5000 ft… wow. No wonder my ears feel solid. It is odd to see “flat” plains so far above sea level. But there are still fabulous views of mountain ranges and it reminds me of where we are. Only 103 miles to the Grand Canyon!
3:40 pm – Candi asks Bill if he wants to take a nap. He says “No.” “Why?” she asks. “Because I might miss something.” He says. “Right,” I say “like a tree.” As we come around the bend I am in shock and say “Or a rainbow!” It was a beautiful and complete arch of colors.
4:15pm – Herd of sheep ~ Alex says “Holy sheep!”.
We stop for gas @ Rt 64 & Rt 40 and the chick behind the counter said they are expecting a storm, possibly snow ~ wow.
4:24 – New elevation ~ 6000 ft.
4:52 – New elevation ~ 6540 ft. We have arrived at the little town outside of the Grand Canyon Park. Onto the Canyon itself! We shielded out eyes as we drove up, got out of the truck and put our shoes on. We all wanted the first look to be non-moving and undistracted. There are no words for how awesome I found the canyon to be. I teared up as I looked across the expanse. I could have sat for hours and still found new things to look at. We walked west along the south edge, trying to see as much as we could before the rain caught up or it got dark. I think we might have used more than 2 rolls of film trying to capture the view. I knew the colors I saw wouldn’t be reflected in the photos, but I could try.
The rain is starting to move in and we forced ourselves to turn around and head back to the car. Walking briskly uphill at this elevation proves to be a challenge and we are pleased to make it back with both lungs. After checking into the hotel we have dinner at a nearby sport’s bar. It has been a long day and we are quickly starting to wind down.