Mojave - Redondo Beach (LA) Journey Day 18

Well, it’s the last day of the journey. It has been great, ups and downs but surprisingly few downs and massive ups. A “Journey” it really has been and it feels very odd to throw our bits into the Jeep for the last time in the auto-pilot manor that has developed. We have never agreed who does what but it now just happens. The same items are thrown into the same positions in the Jeep and we’re ready to go.
It is clear that we are now approaching ‘civilisation’, indeed, Mojave seems to be a stopping point associated with aircraft Indus; Edwards Airbase is very close to here.
As we head West, the ground appears fertile though it looks sandy. There are fields of orange groves and for some reason acres of tree nurseries, row after row of young slender palms and all sorts of other varieties. Fruit farms abound and the inevitable Pick Your Own strawberries. In some flatter sections of the valleys there are large areas turned over to turf, either ready to be cut as rolling lawns or ready to seed looking like wide flattened sandy motorways. I am guessing that all this feed an appetite in LA for gardens and landscaping.
We pass over a Small mountain range and then we are heading directly to the Pacific. The land is a bit scrappy and there is little investment. It is around here that we pass the 5000 miles mark.
At a rest stop, the local mileages are hand written on a scrap of paper and there are no free state maps. California doesn’t seem interested in spending money on visitors. There again, we have been hearing on the radio how the state is broke and there are strikes due to state workers having their pay reduced to the legal minimum wage.
Our initial Pacific coast fall is actually not very nice. The sky is greyish and scruffy crumbling cliffs fall to the sea. The sea looks dirty but it IS the PACIFIC. Elated but at the same time a little disgruntled at the location, we continue a couple of miles south and reach a pleasant beach with families playing. Off come the shoes and into the water we paddle for our feet dip shots. We have our Pacific arrival shot of the two of us taken by a nice guy with his two young kids building sea defences and channels just like we did with ours when they were young.

Carrying on south, the money becomes apparent as we reach Malibu, with the vast expanse of clean beach and lovely houses you can see why people would live here; though it seems the real moneyed live up on the boundary with the hills behind us.
We run down the coast maybe 40 miles including working our way through the outskirts of LA. Being in busy traffic (Friday afternoon 3:30), the six lane urban interstates are taxing after the last two weeks and following directions and traffic is a challenge.
At 4:00, we drive into the Redondo beach Sunrise Hotel. It’s a great spot, recommended by friends (Thanks Gill & John), and our luck continues are we get a room on the 2nd floor looking out to the Marina.
For the first time, we do a total unload of the Jeep and settle into the room; our home for the next 4 nights.

Journey’s End:
I would love to get around to a summary of our journey, but I may not manage it. I have written this piece on our final day in LA. On Saturday, we visited our Niece and her family in Santa Monica and yesterday spent all day in Universal Studios amusement Park. Today; we’ll probably drive to down to Long Beach for a look around, we’ll see.
We are finding it very odd, not packing and going each day and whilst I am not eager to go home, I am ready to move on again and I guess home is where it has to be to. We fly out of LAX tomorrow afternoon; 10.5 hours to London Heathrow then to Manchester for lunchtime Wednesday.
The Blog:
I have enjoyed writing the blogs though it has been time consuming and at times difficult what with Internet connectivity etc. It has been made worthwhile by the feedback from some of you so anyone – please leave comments because it’s nice to know that others got something from it. Any Photo’s still not uploaded will have to wait till then so come back later in the week and have another look.

FINAL Statistics:

Miles today: 200 miles; Journey Miles (Boston Hotel to LA Hotel): 5,082; Fuel used: 258 gals (between 14 and 20mpg); States visited: Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, California (total 14); Journey Duration: 18 Days; Time Zones crossed: Eastern (UK-5), Central (UK-6), Mountain (UM-7), Pacific (UK-8). Vehicle: Jeep Commander.

TEMPORARY POST

All sections have since been completed and photo's posted

Beatty - Mojave Journey Day 17

Mojave CA - Thursday

We woke a little later this morning, after the walking and late night of Las Vegas and the in and out of the Jeep in roaring temperatures yesterday I think we were tired. For some unidentifiable reason we both really liked this place even if the Internet didn’t work; it seems that it comes into the lodge in a guest room and they keep pulling the power out :o
Coffee from the pot in reception went down well and we packed the car. These lodges can be great if your room is convenient to the car rather than dragging in through reception and all over hotels.
We drove 200 yards down the road to the Stagecoach Casino where we ate last night and had breakfast of pancakes, sausage, eggs (sunny side up) and bacon with a pot of coffee. It is the first time all holiday we’ve felt like a proper breakfast and with lunchtime likely to be in Death Valley, stocking up now seems a good idea so we can miss or just nibble lunch. The Stagecoach is a combination lodge, hotel, casino and cafe and we got the pass code for their Wi-Fi Internet from reception and I stood in the casino bar checking mail and uploading mini blogs to keep it alive.
Beatty is a tidy little town which has grasped the nettle to make something of itself. Whereas most small backwater towns we have passed throughout our journey tend to be somewhat decrepit, this place had character. It is still spread out and nothing much here but the RV parks have grass and are neat rather than looking like junkyards and the Motel/lodge we stayed in as well as others all look neat and painted. We found it as a result of a leaflet the town has got together and they could become a gateway to Death Valley if they keep it up.
We set off North along the valley parallel to Death Valley and then turn West toward the Northern end of Death Valley. At the moment we are at 4,000 ft and the fields are green and the air cooler but we descend over 23 miles to about 700ft. The rocks and hills are flowing and for some intangible reason ‘friendly’.
Approaching the valley, we are suddenly aware of a mass of green foliage, evidently the result of springs emerging from the rock strata and the clock tower of Scotty’s Castle appears. This Moorish country house was built early 20th century by an Insurance millionaire from the East but was primarily lived in by a showman and bit of a con-artist called Scottie who had originally claimed to have found a gold mine to attract investment. The Insurance guy suspected a con and came out but loved the area and was entertained by Scottie and built the place as a holiday home but supported Scottie living there as he found him entertaining. We only visited the outside but it is wonderful for its very improbability.
Along the sort side valleys there are numerous patches of green where springs must be rising.
We diverted to Ubehebe Crater where we stood at the rim faced with a howling wind erupting in all directions from the centre of the crater. By now, the temperature is rising and it around midday and the temperature in the heart of the crater created by a massive volcanic explosion must be extraordinary. The winds feel like they are straight out of an oven door and are convection created. Away from the crater there is no wind.
Returning to the road, we turned South along Death Valley. A little way down, we turned off to visit a signed canyon. The road was two way up to the edge of the mountains which border the valley then we knew there was a one way road coming into the valley at that point. As we approached the rocks, there was no sign of a gap then, Indiana Jones temple of Doom like, three dimensions started to appear and the track wound into the cliff following a series of tight bends such that 30 yards in you would not know you were anywhere near the end.
We paused here for yet another drink of water; you really do need it, the humidity is very low and though the sun feels like it is burning into your skin, you are not short of breath of heavy as in humid heat. It is dangerous because you could stay unprotected too long and you really would burn severely. We pulled out the thermometer and left it in the sun for a while and registered 140 degrees F / 60 degrees C.
In this Northern section of Death Valley we remain at between 500 and 1000 Ft. What the temperature must be down at Badwater 200 feet below sea level is unthinkable. (note: August is not the recommended time to visit Death Valley but by Hell it’s an experience) [appropriate use of ‘hell’ there]
Continuing along the centre of the Valley towards the settlement of Stove Pipe Wells, there is a rough un-metalled track leading about ½ a mile to the west though it was no sign indicating why. As another chance to play with our Jeep, we head across creating a film set dust cloud behind and arrive at a stone marker indicating the site of the “Stove Pipe Well”. Out here in the middle of the valley and close to the sand dunes, is a well dating back to Native American trails. It is apparently the only water source in the middle of the routes and used to be marked by a stove pipe stuck into to the top which would be searched out by passing mule trains. The well is capped but has what it says is the original stove pipe standing proud.
We decided to take a couple of photos here and set the camera up on auto intending to sit on the stone that surrounds the well. When we came to sit, we could only manage a few seconds and when we leant toward each other we both grabbed our hands back from the stone which you could have fried an egg on. Next attempt was by the Jeep where I made the mistake of leaning on the bonnet with no sleeves – damn that’s hot!
In the middle of the Valley we backtrack a few miles of last night’s route before heading West on the 190 through Stovepipe Wells. On the way, we pass stereotype desert sand hills. These are not typical of Death Valley which is more about rock formations and colours and salt flats than sand. The dunes, which are quite beautiful remain in one location where the winds centre the sand from all over changing shape but never moving.
We stop for a while crunching Crisps (salt) and gulping more water down. It is approaching 4 pm as we leave the valley heading upwards gaining height rapidly.
We have enjoyed Death Valley for which we both had low expectations. The Southern section is low or below sea level and is the most odd whilst the Northern section was mainly above 600ft. Experiencing them over 2 days we both agree would be the best, the heat would become oppressive and viewing fatigue would set in if attempted in a single session.
We climb 5000 ft out of Death Valley and run through pleasant mountain scenery winding around switchbacks. On the high ground, Joshua Trees grow all around pocking up out of the baron landscape. These are a sort of cross between cactus and palm tree – we must look up what they actually are.. sometime.
Eventually dropping into the flat valley in the east we are faced by the high mountains of the Sierra Nevada which are apparently snow capped for much of the years. We turn South West and run parallel to them for the 100 miles or so that we manage for 7pm when we search out accommodation in Mojave and hotchpotch bunch of small hotels, garages and fast food joints run down one side of the road and a railway down the other. Its near to a major road crossroads and is no picture.
For the last time, we go to the office and ask,”Can we get a room here tonight?”, the answer is yes, the price is low and the Internet works.
Denney’s for food and then out comfortable room for a shower and some authoring.

Statistics: Miles today: 297 miles; Miles so far: 4,882; Fuel added so far: 250 gals; States: Nevada, California; Time Zone: Pacific (UK-8)

Las Vegas - Beatty Journey Day 16

Beatty NV - Wednesday

We arose from out slumbers in the Egyptian palace (sic) and at 9 am prompt, the pneumatic drills recommenced. The TV, which had been on the blink finally gave up completely when I moved the cable for the modem which was stupidly tied up behind it. Hello Las Vegas – I’m happy to be saying goodbye to you to be honest. Lovely room mind you, just the Luxor is on the way down I think, character is not existent and attention to non-earning element non-existent. The building works don’t help with the noise of drills and banging echoing around what is an engineering marvel. Large areas are sheeted off and in the middle of what should be Egypt is a Body works exhibition in modern black exhibition enclosure. It just seems a desperate measure to earn some more.
We packed and dropped the key in the express checkout and headed out taking care to keep our sense of direction to avoid dragging our luggage across the gambling hall in a roundabout route again. All these damn places are designed so that you cannot go in a direct line to where you want to be; you must go passed and around gambling opportunities.
Fortunately, we parked in the covered area. There is no assistance to the self parking area, doors are manual, no moving walkways. Its a long way and its bloody hot and it’s not even 10 am yet. Car loaded, water drunk. Let’s get breakfast and think positive. [in fairness, Lynne is not a patch as negative as I am]
Luxor had nothing to offer so we crossed through to Starbucks in Mandalay where we enjoyed Latte and pastries for breakfast. We had an amble around and went outside so we could see Luxor in daylight. Outside, away from the building and now relaxed to be moving on, the pyramid and the surrounding decor are actually very impressive and my mood continues to improve with me actually enjoying looking around. We head across the gaming hall again to return to the car park and have to stop at a one armed bandit which has a handle; turns out its cosmetic and you have to push a button. (“Not that button bacon brain!” – our kids will understand) We put in a $1 note for 4 x 25c credits and promptly will $3 = 12 credits. Pressing the button it takes a couple of runs before we notice that it bets 2 credits every time unless you force 1. They have you everytime. So, we wasted our winnings and left Las Vegas $1 down.
I volunteered to drive down the Strip, clearly in a better frame of mind, and we realised how far we had walked last night. The South end of the strip where all the big hotels are has some huge building enterprises ongoing then there is a stretch between the South and the North which has no identity, running down to near Circus Circus which is at the southern end of what we considered the North Strip. I’m afraid to say that we both thought the north strip was a dump. Not even Blackpool on speed, more like brown ale. Tacky in the extreme and if you were lodging down here you would have severe difficulty getting to and from the South Strip – we gave up on buses last night to move along it as the queues were horrendous.
Then the Wedding chapels started to appear. The disappointment that must come from the use of some of these must be unbearable. Some are barely white painted sheds with a bit of wrought iron. Typical signage reads, “A Famous Las Vegas Wedding Chapel”; the “A” is however buried between two red painted hearts so that you only really see, “Famous Las Vegas Wedding Chapel”.
We leave Las Vegas laughing. I will never return but I am very glad to have been (for one night).
As we drive to our next point on our journey, Death Valley, my spirits are low. The journey end is in sight, there are now signs for Los Angeles and it is confusing. Las Vegas has broken the flow of the journey for me and there was so much of it I didn’t like.
We stop for lunch with yet another McDonalds salad and do some re-planning of routes. We agree on targeting the southern section of Death Valley and then coming out to a town to the east, Beatty for which Lynne has found a pamphlet indicating accommodation.
We fill up with fuel before entering the national park, a good precaution as the air con drinks the stuff.
Death Valley!!
Time getting on and we only have a few hours before dark. We turn the road to Dante’s View. This is about 23 miles and we are a little concerned over the time usage but the view from the top into the lower reaches of Death Valley is unbelievable. The panorama of mountains enclosing the valley presents all hues and down below the dry salt flats of Badwater stretch out. This is not what either of us expected and it’s looking good.
We descend and enter the main valley before turning south to Badwater. Here, we are around 200 ft below sea level. The temperature is 113 F/ 45 C and it 6pm evening with sunset only 1 ½ hours away. A small pool of water is always present here which is not poisonous but is so full of salts that it is undrinkable. Dig a hole anywhere and water appears 6in down just like on the beach at the seaside if you go on the sand the sea has just retreated from.
Running North, we take a diversion to see the Artist’s Palette where the rocks present a range of colours from rich golds, pale greens, blues, purples and reds. The sun is setting and the rocks are all lit up with the low sun and around us the shadows build enhancing the strange beauty of this extraordinary place.
Describing this place is difficult; it is full of contrasts and surprises and presents a strange but captivating beauty. We meet hardly any Americans but are surrounded by Italians, Germans and French.
As the sun sets we drive out of the valley to the East and to Beatty. We find a motel quickly which has a good selection of tourist cars already parked and looks OK. They have a room for us at a measly $50 (£25); it is clean, comfortable and homely though appears to have no Internet in spite of advertised. We are recommended to Rita’s Cafe in the Stagecoach Casino for dinner and walk up the road with the stars and the moon overhead. A good dinner is enjoyed with a beer, a rarity on this trip and we return to the lodge happy and tired.
Statistics: Miles today: 239 miles; Miles so far: 4,585; Fuel added so far: 234 gals; States: Nevada, California, Nevada; Time Zone: Pacific (UK-8)

Kanab - Las Vegas Journey Day 15

We were very satisfied with our stay in the Four Seasons lodge last night, partly because we have broken away from the big brands which we weren’t sure we’d have the courage to do. We had coffee from the pot in the lobby and a couple of pastries from the garage next door and headed off.
The scenery is a contrast from the last few days climbing through cool wooded mountains. Through the trees we spot the black crumpled and broken rock of a large lava flow. We would not have recognised this had we not been educated by our visit to Sunset Crater a few days back.
At a high point we pull up to look at the views out across the rolling hills and a lake. Here we encounter an American family and take groups photo’s for each other. The Mum is actually a Nottingham girl but has lived in the states for 20 years.
Trying to keep our food intake down a little, we grab a small burger and chips in the town of Mesquite where we also fill up with gas.
Today is really just the journey to Las Vegas and we carry on across wide open and baron routes interspersed with climbs over brief mountain ranges. I am still affected by LA being reachable on road signs and feel confused as journey’s end seems to near and Las Vegas seems to signal the end of this wonderful journey rather than being a point on it.
We reach Vegas about 4 in the afternoon and locate the Luxor hotel where we are to stay for the night. We find the parking lot quickly and drag our luggage through the stifling heat toward the entrance. Sadly, Luxor proves disappointing. Inside it is dull and unspectacular; building work means pneumatic drills running inside the building from 9 in the morning ‘till 9 at night. Signage is misleading and we drag our luggage the full length of the gambling hall twice before locating the reception where we join the long queue to register. We then drag our bags right across once more to the Inclinator #2. As the building is a pyramid, they are not lifts or elevators but “Inclinators”. As they rise or fall you are pushed sideways which is really weird.
The room is attractive with hieroglyphic patterned material and polished woodwork. Here it becomes more apparent how they manage the prices as everything is geared to getting a little more cash out of you. There is no Internet access unless you pay extra; there is no in room coffee facility, water or anything. Throughout the hotel (and others on the strip) signage and layout is such that you cannot negotiate from place to place without wandering in varied paths through the slot machines and gaming tables. Signage is (deliberately?) dismally inadequate; I would be very concerned as to emergency routes if needed.
Early evening and we set off to walk the Strip and see the sights. Initially we take the free monorail linking Luxor to Excalibur which is reputed to be castle like. ‘Castle like’ extends to some very false stone panelling and fairy tale pastel coloured pointed tops on false towers. There are some flags around but it’s a pretty poor stab at “castle like”. We exit to the open air where, as it is now early evening, the temperature has reduced to bearable levels. New York New York is next, reputed to have a marvellous replica of Central Park; well we couldn’t find it. The outside has a scale Statue of Liberty and false building frontages which is reminiscent of Disney MGM or Universal Studios back sets. With the lighting and adverts in all directions it is all impressive on the outside. Now Monte Carlo; well, we have been to Monte Carlo a few times and I don’t think whoever designed this place has; it’s only common factor is expensive shops. Opposite, MGM had little to entertain and adjacent to the Monte Carlo is a massive building site; whatever is going up here is going to dwarf everything else.
Annoyingly, everywhere as you go along the Las Vegas Boulevard there are men and women in tee shirts advertising Girls snapping and pushing cards into anyone’s hand that isn’t firmly closed. The floor is littered with cards advertising partly clothed girls. There is clearly a heavy underlying sex industry which is fine but not when couples and families with children are subjected to the bombardment. The sidewalks narrow due to the building works but we emerge opposite Bellagio and next to Paris.
The building for Paris is superb, attention to detail and pleasant with fountains and a real French feel. Inside this is reflected and we head for one of the free attractions we have read of to find that actually you have to pay $10 to go up the tower if you do not have a meal reservation. Oh well.
Across the road we see the end of the quarter hourly water fountain display outside Bellagio which looks wonderful. We end up seeing this another three times during the evening; a complex powerful water display accompanied by music with each display different. The pulses firing water into the sky at the highlights make an explosive noise which simply adds to it. This water display was at the time, and remains, our best feature of Las Vegas.
We thought we’d take the Deuce double decker bus service to Downtown and Freemont Street but the queues were massive and we abandoned the idea.
From here we continued to Ceaser’s Palace and TI (formally Treasure Island). Ceaser’s Palace was good with sculptures and ceiling paintings. At TI there was a free show on the pirate boat outside but the next show was 30 minutes away, our feet were dead and we still hadn’t eaten so we started to retrace our steps.
We did wander around the gaming halls as went moved through and watched the many characters. At a roulette table where one guy was doing very well, a girl came and bought about $60 (£30) in chips and sat down to have her holiday gamble. A few minutes later, having not even had a bite, she wandered away from the table to her friend with her pockets lighter. People sit at the slot machine with a loaded card on a string inserted looking as if they are tied to the machine; I cannot figure this which doesn’t even have the action of inserting and winning coins.
The contrast of people late on is remarkable from elegant expensively dressed girls gliding on stylish high heels to families plodding along with rucksacks and push chairs.
Our meal for the evening ended up as coffee & a cookie at midnight. We determined to have Margareta before retiring but on returning to the Luxor the bar had no atmosphere and after a wander around we decided to jack it in and go to bed at 1:30.
The South Strip we visited tonight is like Blackpool on speed mixed with the visual kidology of studio sets at Disney and Universal. The trouble for us was that at Disney and Universal there is loads of entertainment you have already bought but here, contrary to what we had read, there is no free flow of entertainment. Nothing we found other than the fountain and the TI show was available free and unless you were attracted by paying a fortune to see a show, or if gambling is you bag, it is a place to see and sample and move on.

[Apologies to those who love it; maybe I just didn’t get it?]

Statistics: Miles today: 261 miles; Miles so far: 4,346; Fuel added so far: 224 gals; States: Utah, Arizona, Nevada; Time Zone: Mountain (UK -7) to Pacific (UK-8)

Williams - Kanab Journey Day 14

Our lodge room in Williams was a nice change. Sort of themes with stone tiling and lots of dark wood. 50’s style pictures on the wall highlighting that Williams town is on the old Route 66. The town appears to live on the Route 66 connection and last night we walked the high street and explored gift and novelty shops still open at 10:00pm. Adverts for car meets all over the place.
Still, it’s our helicopter adventure this morning so we enjoy breakfast under a gazebo the other side of the road and then get going. We liked Williams.
We arrive at the heliport promptly at 9:30, check in and relax watching helicopter come and go. Joel, our pilot, shouts out our names and together with another English couple and a French family of four we walk out to the ‘copter. A safety briefing then onboard. Seating is allocated by the pilot so he can balance the aircraft and we were too lucky for words ending up in the front where we had unobstructed view forward and up and even down through the floor section of the globe. A gentle take off, slight tip forward and we were away. I was surprised and glad to have no feeling of vertigo and we glided slowly over the forest to the canyon. The contrast as you pass from flat forest to the sudden cut out drop into the canyon is stunning and the views down give a completely different perspective with surprising definition. We flew right across and up a side canyon returning on a parallel route which sounds a little restricted but it is not, it was worth every penny (cent) and I think I will always remember the point where the forest ended and the canyon dropped away. Everyone where headphones and voice activated mikes so self consciousness meant a rather quiet flight but that if anything enhanced as you looked around all the time. Joel gave us a non-invasive commentary and the quiet music in the background was just pleasant. I lifted my headphone at one point for a sneaky how load is it and those blades and the engine would certainly drive you mad pretty quickly.
We landed and bought the DVD of our individual flight before heading off.
After the high of the helicopter trip, I had a bit of a down period during the afternoon. We re-looked (enthusiastically) at a couple of the canyon views, checked out a few shops and ate before leaving the Grand Canyon. The Observatory has real time and daily displays of visibility and other data; today it is 65 miles. We also revisited Mather Point which was one of our favourite spots and finished at Desert View which is at the Eastern extreme of the park. Desert View was the destination we abandoned last night due to time; you can see the cliffs which would be lit up by a sunset the other end of the canyon. Here there is a watch tower lovingly designed with Native American decor inside. The views from here are excellent including an odd idea of inverting mirrors which you look down into and see an upside down reflected image. This sounds odd but if you are a driver you may have noticed how sometimes views behind look highlighted contained in your mirrors and this had that impact. Our visit has been limited to the South Rim.

The day was hot and we now hit the road later than intended. I seemed to be on a bit of a downer now, maybe after the high of the helicopter which I had had to psych myself up for. I felt, probably incorrectly, that time had been wasted re-looking at same views and around shops. Road signs mentioning LA, our ultimate destination, confuse; having seen the Grand Canyon it seems that we have achieved all targets.
East of G Canyon we drop down to under 4000 ft to cross the Colorado River on a wide steel framed bridge where we stop and walk out half way. This river has narrowed, in the Grand Canyon it is 300ft wide though it doesn’t look it from the rim.
The temperature in back to uncomfortably hot though humidity seems to have finally passed – no rain all day which is a first for a while.
My downer is exacerbated when we travel 10 miles of same road we were on 2 days ago albeit in a different direction. We are heading North and East when we our destination is West. Over the last few days we have gorged on extraordinary views and features and are feeling a little scenery fatigue. We realise this and it helps to acknowledge it.
Near Vermilion Cliffs (town not description), open desert and high red cliffs climb and suddenly turn into soft green forest.
Kanab is the first real town we have seen for a while and feels pleasant and mature. Apart from Flagstaff and Williams, everything we have seen recently has been isolated homesteads with a feeling of poverty and neglect. The main brands we have used; Holiday Inn Express, Comfort and Best Western are all full but we are diverted to Older Lodge which is nice, characterful, clean and cheap.
There is no Internet access though it is advertised. I asked in the morning but girl on reception had little English and “Wi-Fi” and “Internet Access” meant nothing to her.
Back in Utah and Mountain Time for this evening and tomorrow morning then we’re back into Arizona and Pacific time so we are sticking to Arizona time and ignoring the clocks and TV for the evening.

Statistics: Miles today: 269 miles; Miles so far: 4,085; Fuel added so far: 202 gals; States: Arizona, Utah ; Time Zone: Pacific (UK-8) to Mountain (UK -7)

Flagstaff - Williams Journey Day 13

Flagstaff is a mature large town sited on the old Route 66.
We head off fairly early with our minds set on booking a helicopter trip across the Grand Canyon.
The road north to the Canyon starts pleasantly forested with grass growing under the fir trees where in the UK it would be baron. I guess the light from the intense sun gets through to the ground here. The forest gives way to open land, crossing open plains with isolated groups of buildings.
The homesteads are ramshackle, often decrepit caravans with wrecked cars around. A lot of the land outside the towns we have encountered in this part of the journey has shown signs of subsistence / poverty living and is seems to focus around Native American areas. Individual properties are maybe .25 miles apart, there is no feeling of neighbourhood and they could not be categorised as farms. This area is OK but some areas we have seen in the last couple of days were visually deserving of the description shanty town.
We reached Grand Canyon airport and pulled into Papillon helicopters were there were throngs of people. It is clearly a large operation with ‘copters landing and taking off continually. The news that met us (this being Sunday) was that they had no available slots until TUESDAY! Having psyched ourselves up we were very disappointed. However, we decided to drive to the southern airport entrance and try Maverick who are a little more expensive. We were really lucky, they had a slot at 10:00 am tomorrow and our itinerary was to still be in the area so we booked and headed off to the Canyon chuffed.
The time invested in planning before we left has worked out very well so far. We had 2 float days in the middle to manage disasters or changes of mind. One day we used to allow us to do the Arches Park and stopped at Blanding. As we are spot on time apart from that, we think we will use the second to split the journey to Las Vegas which is currently 360 miles and means we would arrive too late in the evening.
So, back to today, we head off to the Canyon stopping at the Visitor Centre outside the park. There is a popular IMAX theatre here but as we are going to spend the day seeing much of the Canyon and fly over it tomorrow we give it a miss. They actively encourage the use of shuttle buses rather than taking the car in but our strategy it to be at the fat (East) end for sunset.
We actually park easily and soon get our first view. It is odd; it is so vast that you cannot see it as anything other than a picture. When the sun is high there are few shadows to define the shapes and there is no way to scale. The first views don’t actually see to the bottom and I am keen to walk the western end where I have read that the views into and along the canyon are goo. Unfortunately, only the 1st point is reachable with works closing the rest.
We return to the car and move east checking out different viewpoints. It is awesome to use the appropriate Americanism.
We spend the whole day at the Canyon. There is food available, though the Ham and Cheese sandwich at lunch was basic – dry white bread with and handful of ham and a slice of processed cheese. For tea we picnicked out as sunset approached with salad and pizza slice.
Our favourite view point today was probably Mather Point though every stop has something. As the afternoon went on, shadows developed giving much more contrast and shape. A couple of times we walked too far when we could have used the free shuttles or in some cases moved the car. There are main car parks identified but there is also short term packing near most viewpoints though it is very busy and you may miss out if you try to move the car.
We were heading to Desert View for sunset which was due 19:25 but got caught out by the distances. It is 25 miles from the central area to Desert View and we stopped short and enjoyed our picnic sitting on a low wall watching the sun go down and the cliffs at the eastern end of the Canyon glowing red in the evening glow.
As the office at tonight’s accommodation closes at 10, we headed off to drive the 60 miles to Williams. Tusayan is the only closer accommodation and all beds here are said to be booked 3 months in advance.
Williams is a delightful little town which makes the most of its position on the old Route 66. It is full of old time shops and garages with ancient petrol pumps. We would have loved to have an amble around the next morning but we need to leave by 8:30 for our helicopter ride so instead we have a walk downtown in the evening then settle down in Route 66 Downtown Lodge to sleep.
Statistics: Miles today: 184 miles; Miles so far: 3,816; Fuel added so far: 186 gals; States: Arizona ; Time Zone: Pacific (UK-8)