We set off early today to make the trip down to the Grand Canyon in Arizona, leaving behind the choked freeways of LA for the open road.
It was a long journey; we arrived at our hotel The Grand Canyon Plaza to a significant temperature drop. The rooms were quaint, the main hotel cosy and the food good:
We were up early the next morning to catch sunrise over the Canyon. Freezing at -10 degrees but I had packed for the cold as well as the temperate climate. It was absolutely worth it. There was a peaceful hush as about forty of us gathered to witness a true wonder of nature.
Grand Canyon National Park, in Arizona, is home to much of the immense Grand Canyon, with its layered bands of red rock revealing millions of years of geological history. As the sun came up I was truly humbled at the greatness of nature.
We drove back to the hotel for hot coffee and pancakes dripping with butter and maple syrup then back out for a helicopter trip over the Canyon.
Coming into the Canyon over the South Rim.
To quote one of the Canyon’s many information boards
Gazing upon this view, one is struck by the canyon’s vastness. The mind struggles to comprehend it. Try to describe the canyon’s size in words. Try to measure in your mind the canyon’s depth, width, and length. Measurements like 1 mile (1.6 km) deep, 18 miles (29 km) wide, and 277 river miles (446 km) long leave us scratching our heads. Perhaps the best we can do is just feel the canyon’s enormity. Measure yourself up against it. We are minuscule in comparison, but still, through the keen receptivity of our senses, we can appreciate Grand Canyon’s immensity.
Grand Canyon Information Board. Edge of Vastness.
After a spectacular, bucket list experience we boarded the bus and journeyed on down to Las Vegas, our final destination. I was excited to see that it covered part of Route 66.
The romance of Route 66 continues to captivate people around the world. Starting in Chicago and ending in Los Angeles, “over two thousand miles all the way” in the words of the popular R&B anthem, this legendary old road passes through the heart of the United States on a diagonal trip that takes in some of the country’s most archetypal roadside scenes. If you’re looking for great displays of neon signs, rusty middle-of-nowhere truck stops, or kitschy Americana, do as the song says and “get your kicks on Route 66.”
The iconic American highway would’ve faded into a distant memory of a bygone era, were it not for the excellent work of Angel Delgadillo.
The passion Americans have for their automobiles is inseparable from the thrill of exploring the open road, visiting villages few have seen, and discovering humble hamlets like Delgadillo’s hometown Seligman, Arizona. Dubbed the “Guardian Angel of Route 66” and the “Mayor of the Mother Road,” the 94-year-old Latino American barber still oversees the Angel & Vilma Delgadillo’s Original Route 66 Gift Shop daily, greeting anyone who comes by to speak with the man who saved Route 66 from the sands of time.
I have that same passion for the open road and discovering new places ‘few have seen’.
The Roadrunner Cafe across the road from the barber shop provided a probably unnecessary, but very nice beer stop:
Milly Space 