Winter at the Grand Canyon

Friday, February 15, 2008

It is never a good time to drive in Los Angeles.  Timing your departure for a road trip on the Friday before a holiday weekend is pure skill.  There is a small window of opportunity, when morning rush hours ebb but before the mass exodus of the city takes place.  Andi and I begin our journey at 10:30A.  Our goal is Williams, Arizona, an eight hour drive.  Williams, at an elevation of 6,770 ft., is considered the gateway to the Grand Canyon and was the last town on Historic Route 66 to be bypassed by the freeway. 

The drive, after we get through the Los Angeles and San Bernadino suburbs, passes along the Mojave Desert and reminds me that we are a vast nation with great expanses of beautiful land.  We make our way through massive deserts, old volcano fields and mountains that rise, beckoning in the horizon.  For much of the drive it seems that we are the only car on the road, sharing the lanes with only truckers and their eighteen wheelers.  As night approaches and our elevation climbs, we see the white glow of snow on the highway banks and we know we have entered the high country.

We pull into the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel, in Williams, around 6P Los Angeles time, 7P here in Pacific Time.  The hotel was built, along with Max and Thema's Restaurant, to service the Grand Canyon Railway Tour Packages.  Originally Andi and I signed up for their Railway Getaway, which included one night at the GC Railway hotel, round trip train ride to the Grand Canyon and dinner and breakfast at Max and Thema's Restaurant.  We canceled all but the hotel, due to the timing of the late return train for Sunday.   The hotel is large, with a heated pool, lounge, dial up service in the rooms, wireless in the lobby.  We settled into our room, located on the top floor (also known as the 2nd floor) and head out to dinner.

The temperature had dropped dramatically during our drive, and by the time we made our way to Max and Thema's it is hovering around freezing.  Snow is piled on the lawn and we have to watch for icy patches on the sidewalk.   Max and Thema's is a large restaurant, geared towards churning large quantities of tourists through its doors.  The $16 a plate buffet, which did not look worth the price, features roast beef, pork loin, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, garlic mashed potatoes, corn, cowboy beans, various cornucopia of mixed veggies and an accompanying salad bar.  Andi and I choose sandwiches off the limited menu and were pleasantly pleased with the results. 

I'd like to tell you that we had a pleasant uneventful evening of sleep that night but I can't.  I must first tell you that,  although I am fascinated by ghosts and spirits, the thought that my hotel is haunted rarely crosses my mind, in less of course I am staying at the hotel from The Shining.  A haunting never occurred to me here at the modern, busy Grand Canyon Railway Hotel.     It began with the slight pulling of my sheets  while I was falling asleep.  I ignored it.  I was restless all night, waking more than once to the feel of a slow tug of my sheets.  I woke up once, unable to catch my breath, feeling as if something was sitting on my chest and  another time I woke up to the distinct smell of cinnamon and cloves (no we weren't near a kitchen).  Andi did not experience any of these things.  You be the judge.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

We hit the road early and on a tip from one of the girls behind the registration desk, decided to get gas in Williams, just a couple of blocks south of the hotel.  Historical Williams has charming diners, a bakery/bed and breakfast and dozens of  speciality shops that beg for a visit.  However, we were on a mission. Getting back on I-40, we drove two miles to the Grand Canyon exit (Hwy 64) and began the last hour of our journey through rolling ranches and ponderosa pines. 

Five miles outside the South Rim park entrance, National Geographic has built an IMAX theater and gift shop.
We stop, pay our $12 each to watch the "most watched I-Max movie of all time", and also buy a park permit.  Purchasing the permit here allows us to move quickly through the park entrance and not get trapped by long lines.  Not an issue this weekend it could be a real time saver in the busy summer months. 

Finally.  the Grand Canyon.  The first viewing point we get to is Mather's Point and we stop for a quick look.  The sight is spell bounding...it is so....grand.   We want to book a bus rim tour so we head to our hotel, Maswick Lodge.  There are only a few hotels on the south rim, all managed by Xanterra Resorts.  Advance reservations for these hotels are a must.   Our hotel is flanked by cabins on one end and two story, outside entry buildings that remind me of apartment on the other.  Normally check in is 4P but we are able to get into our room early.  We have signed up for the 4P combo tour of Hermit's Rest and Sunset Rim.  Normally these are separate tours but because of the early sunset they combine them and we get a two for one treat!  We have a few hours before our bus leaves so we  head out to explore.

Our first stop is the El Tovar Hotel, overlooking the rim. This hotel, built in 1905 by the railroad, is compiled of stone and Oregon pine and is designed to emulate the hunting lodges of Europe.  For its centennial celebration, it was renovated and is now a historical landmark.  Across from the El Tovar is theHopi House, designed by famed architect Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter, using traditional Hopi materials and workers.  The Hopi House,  also a National Historic Landmark, offers tourists a wide selection of Indian art, pottery and jewelery.

Our tour guide is Jerry the bus driver.  He is a small, lean man, with a long gray ponytail hanging from his baseball cap.  His face is leathered but holds hints of young handsome features and he has a temper.   He proudly proclaims that he saw all 48 continental states by the time he was forty, spent eight of those years homeless and for an eight month span, he had $28.31 to his name.  (Andi and I discuss this in hushed whispers and determine that indicates jail time.)    He is good at his job, driving the bus, spouting out canyon history.  Occasionally he goes on tangents regarding unrelated facts, such as 
Pluto not being a planet, but overall he is a good guide to have, stopping along the narrow path so we can watch mule eared deer nibble on brush, pointing out specatular vistas, not wanting us to miss any of the grandeur of the Canyon.  We are on a tight schedule because of the sunset and at one stop Jerry is under the impression that somebody is late getting back on the bus, he lays on the horn and begins ranting and raving.  The action is inappropriate and unprofessional and gave us a glimpse of the uglier side of Jerry.

The tour is fantastic.  We stop at the memorial to John Wesley Powell, the first white man to navigate the Colorado river as it winds through the Grand Canyon.  The monument is on a point jutting out over the Canyon and the view is breathtaking.  We also see Mohave Point, The Abyss (a vertical drop), Hermit's Rest
and finally our sunset vista at Pima Point.   (Jerry tells us this portion of the road will be closed starting in March as they completely redo the rim.  I don't know how long it will be closed.)

The sunset have a purifying effect on me, the final rays of the sun capturing the magnificent reds
of the canyon walls.  I feel so very alone and at the same time surrounded by all things living.  Peace settles over me as I stop snapping pictures and just breath in, taking the crisp air into my lungs, clearing my mind
of all that keeps it busy, and I am still.  Closing my eyes I hear people jostling for position, angling for their perfect sunset picture and I feel the icy gusts of wind whipping from below the rim, as if the canyon itself is exhaling.   It is times like this that I feel closest to the greater power of earth, of living.

The bus ride back to our lodge is quiet except for Jerry's spurts of conversation.    I feel a kinship with these fellow tourists, this bus full of people, Americans and visitors.  As we ride this bus and we  watch the setting sun over the edge of the  Grand Canyon, we are not Democrats or Republicans, liberals or conservatives, Christians, Jews or Muslim.  We are Americans, bound  by our love of this country for all its achievements, faults, and spectacular landscapes.

Andi and I eat a quick dinner at Maswick Lodge. Their dinning room is set up with different stations that you order from; pasta, Mexican, home-style plus an assortment of salads and fruit.   We crash in our cute room and have a good solid night of sleeping. 

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Our room is comparable in size to any hotel room in the U.S. and has framed photos of the Grand Canyon above the beds along with a mule lamp. Although we can't see the rim from our lodge, we have a pristine view of the snowy woods and in the morning, when I wake, I see tracks in the snow.  Deer or perhaps a rabbit.  Nature is right outside our window.

After a quick breakfast, again at the Maswick Lodge, we head back out on Hwy 64 with one last stop at Yavapai Observation Station. This rim stop shows the best cross section of all the canyon's geology.  If you go to the Grand Canyon and only have time for one stop,  this is the one.  There is a learning center which maps out the millions of years it has taken for the canyon to form, with lots of items for kids to touch and turn.  Andi and I walk the rim one last time, reluctant to leave it.  The vastness of the space, the glimpses of the Colorado River over a mile below us, the eighteen miles across to the North Rim, all beckon us to stay, to know it better, to understand its timelessness.  We finally drag ourselves away, leaving the park between 12-1P, heading home.

TO DO NEXT TIME

This is new feature that I will be adding to my travel blogs.

**Complete my South Rim tour by driving twenty three miles to Desert View.
**The North Rim--a five hour drive from the South Rim.  The North Rim is over 1000 ft higher in elevation than the South Rim and is closed in the winter months.  The South Rim remains open year round.
**Hike down to Plateau Point. Most canyon hikes are steep and you need to be in good shape to try them.
Always hike with plenty of water and food and allow  for twice as much time to hike up than down.
**Take a mule to the river and spend the night at the Phantom Ranch
(advance reservations a MUST)
**take a smooth water rafting trip down the Colorado

COSTS

Another new feature, in case you are inspired enough to take the journey:

Round trip Gas                                 $108.20
Grand Canyon Railway Hotel                $57.84 (rack rate of $110.00 + tax)*
IMAX                                                 $24.00
Park Entrance Permit                          $25.00 (good for seven days, four people per private vehicle)
Maswick Lodge                                 $172.91 (double occupancy)
Sunset/Hermit's Rest Rim Tour            $40.00
Food                                                $200.00

Grand Total for two people:              $627.95

Notes:

The Grand Canyon Railway Tour is a great bargain for families.  The train rides begins with a
wild west shootout and, rumor is, that the train is "held up" in route to the Grand Canyon.

Parking at the Grand Canyon is very limited.  Even if you take your car, its best to park at your hotel
and use the free shuttle.  The bus stops at all the lodges and almost all of the rim stops, and in
the summer month more routes/stops are added.

Winter in the Grand Canyon has its pros and cons.  Seeing snow along the rim and sprinkled throughout
the upper elevations is beautiful, crowds are thinner but trails, even along well traveled paths are icy
and can be dangerous.   

We were there on a holiday weekend and even though Friday and Saturday were manageable, Sunday
was very crowded.  I can't imagine seeing the Grand Canyon during the busy summer months.  Plan, plan, plan!  The National Park Service website is very helpful.

Cell phone service is spotty and check with your hotel regarding the Internet.  The Maswick only had Internet service available on their lobby computer but it was down the days we were there.

The Grand Canyon demands your respect.  Much of the Rim Trail does not have guard rails and the drops are steep and dangerous.  A man died the weekend we were there.  Keep a close eye on your kids and don't think that the one step closer to the edge makes a better picture.  It doesn't.

From Los Angeles:

Take the I-10 or I-210 to the 15 North.  At Barstow, hang a right onto I-40.  Follow I-40 to Williams, AZ.
One way from Los Angeles to Williams is approximately 528 miles.  Make sure to gas up in Barstow on the way as gas prices rise in the desert and availability of stations are few and far between.  On your return, fill your tank before exiting Arizona.

For alternative information on getting to the Grand Canyon, check out Grandcanyonhiker.com.

*We originally booked the train tour and then canceled all but our room.  Normally if you don't take the train tour you would have to pay the rack rate of $110.  They allowed us to pay only the train tour rate.  Don't bank on this happening to you.