Sep 12, 2013, 2:17 PM
Today was the Grand Canyon. OH, how much splendor there is. It is wondrous!!!! I have to tell you about getting there though. So often, it's not the final destination, but the people and things that you encounter along the way. We were driving to the Grand Canyon and in Arizona, not very far from the state line there was a scenic overlook, so we stopped. There was an actual parking lot and restrooms and I noticed a couple tables set up like a yard sale kind of thing. So we walked out to the overlook and it was nice, but we have seen such spectacular scenery lately that we looked at each other, shrugged and walked back to the car. We wanted to use the restroom while we were there cause I'm of the mind that you use facilities when you've got them cause you just don't know when you'll see them again, the old "smoke'm if you've got'm" school of thought. Anyway, Steve went to use the restroom I put my cameras, unused, back in the car and went to use the restroom too. With that Steve came barreling out of the door with a look on his face. He wouldn't let me go in. He said it was SO BAD, so very very bad. Poor thing, he was green for quite some time. So I went and perused the tables instead. Well the tables were being manned by Natives and they were so sweet. I didn't buy anything and I wish I had. One of the little ladies was coming out of the restroom, Steve told me, when he was walking up and she shook her head and told him "very dirty". Of course we didn't realize that was the understatement like no other. After we got back on the road I thought I really should have supported those poor people. Imagine needing to sell little trinkets is bad enough, but to have such a need that you were willing to do it there, it must be dire. That's going to remain heavy on my heart for some time to come.
We got to the entrance into the park and we pulled in at the sign behind another car and as we were getting out, they said, "hey, we'll take your picture if you take ours". Well you know that was a real hardship for me. So I told them I was glad to take their photo, but we only take a photo of Spanky at the signs. Of course that got laughs from them and we talked to them for a few minutes. The four of them had been in Zion yesterday and were staying right outside the East Entrance, so they had the two hour drive back last night too. It turned out the couple were from the North Carolina mountains, not very far from where Steve had lived. Steve made sure to tell them if they needed work done to be sure to call Jimmy Lewis, so Jimmy if you're reading, we were advertising for you. So we chatted and told them about our ongoing adventure, which by the way in case anybody's noticed, we haven't been to a zoo in a while. This "Zoos Across America Retirement Trip" has taken a turn, it's now the "Working Our Way Across America One National Park At A Time". But that's neither here nor there, we said our goodbyes, wished them safe travels and we went on to the Visitor's Center to get Spanky his pin. I swear, Spanky is going to be 20 pounds worth of pins by the time we get home. We were walking back to the car and don't you know who we run into, THE NORTH CAROLINA PEOPLE. Can you believe that. So there we stood another few minutes talking. They really were very nice and we made sure to give them a card. We will be hearing from them again, I'm sure.
We finally got out to the edge of the canyon and OMG!!!!! I think the north rim might be prettier than the south rim. There is a lot more rim to the south rim, and it could be that the ten years since I saw the south rim are the difference too, but the north rim had much more vegetation. It gave some contrast and made for a more visually appealing photo, but maybe the south rim would this year too. Maybe ten years ago there was a drought or something. If we get to the south rim this trip, I will be able to make a better comparison. We walked out to the Bright Angel Point. The map said "0.5 mi round-trip 30 minute round-trip A short walk on a paved trail leads to a spectacular view of the canyon. . . " OH, is that misleading. This freaking "30 minute . . . short walk" was pretty much straight down. I kept thinking if I trip I'll just keep tumbling till I reach the bottom of the canyon. The trip down was murder, the trip up, suicide. Steve and I kept stopping, I told him we were taking a moment to reflect on the beauty surrounding us. There was another couple that had to stop with us and I told them they were more than welcome to "reflect" with us. They did like that slant on it. I stopped several times to "get pictures", actually I was taking pictures so that I had an excuse to stop.
After that we had lunch at the Grand Canyon Lodge. They had a nice lunch buffet, but the star of the buffet was their Cream of Cauliflower soup. Oh my gosh it was so very good. We had three cups! We made sure to send our appreciation to the chef too. After a nice lunch we drove to Point Imperial on Cape Royal Road. The Ranger at the Visitor Center told us that a majority of Cape Royal Road was closed because it was being repaved so we weren't able to get to some of the view points, but Point Imperial was accessible and it was a spectacular view and we should go. I'm so glad we did. It was very beautiful. Breathtaking is more like it and it wasn't a crazy hike that cause the shortness of breath. The only problem was bad weather was moving in. I no sooner got out of the car and a wicked rumble of thunder rolled in. Of course we are up high and to get to the overlook there is a metal pipe railing and you're out in the open. However, there was no way I was leaving without pictures. The lengths I go to to keep my blog visually interesting just for you. You readers are lucky I care so much. When we were out on the overlook completely exposed and another wicked rumble of thunder came through, that was enough even for me. So we got back into the car and headed home. Another day that was a complete success.
I told Steve I was feeling really troubled about not buying anything this morning so we decided to stop if they were still there when we passed. As we came up to the overlook I was concerned that if it had rained they would have left, but as luck would have it they were there. So I bought only my second souvenirs for the whole trip. Heck we haven't even been in any gift shop type places. I hate the typical souvenirs that are so cookie cutter in concept the only thing that changes is the name and they are all MADE. IN CHINA! No thank you! So I'm happy. I did ask, I hope diplomatically if they were indeed native although you could tell, but I didn't know how to ask what tribe without first establishing they were indeed native. How horrible would that be, "Oh hey, what tribe are you?", "Ah Salt Lake." That would be my luck. So this very nice man told me they were Native Americans, and they were Navajo. The little bowl I bought has the story of a woman that was a goat herder in the plains, and the little turtle is a totem.
OK, OK I HAVE TO TELL YOU WHAT JUST HAPPENED!!!!!! We stopped at this Beer, Liquor, Wine Border Store before we crossed over into Utah. The beer in Utah is watered down 3.2% and you can't get anything else. So Steve wanted to get some beer and a bottle of wine. I guess he's gone through the good stuff we got when we did our Sonoma Wine Tasting Day. As we pulled into the parking lot, if you can call it that, we weren't 100% sure the place was even open, it almost looked like it was out of business, but I could see lights on so we went in. When we went inside you still couldn't be sure if the place hadn't just gone out of business. The funky smell hits first, then you see all of the boxes just piled up all over. There were overgrown potted plants, a stuffed teddy bear that looked like it was 20 years old, just junk all over the place. Something dark on top of a stack of beer cases moved, thank God it was a dog, but what she was doing on top of the cases of beer is beyond me. This was the hoarder liquor store. REALLY!!!!! Then I saw this little old lady sitting way in the back, she had pin curls and curlers and she was so thin, so thin, but I guess she was the owner, I'm sure she was the hoarder. Behind her on a counter was a vase full of long dead flowers. Well I tried not to pay too much attention to my surroundings, instead I said hello to the dog, then a little black kitten came out. He was the most darling thing and he wanted attention. The woman told me someone had just left the kitten in her yard a few nights ago, oh he purred so loud. Trust me when I tell you, this was an experience. This woman, bless her soul, she was very sweet. She asked us where we were from, I don't know how she knew we didn't belong. She asked if we were retired, I told her yes in March. She said, "Oh how that must be?" My reply was wonderful, then she said "Oh to be not poor and ugly!" Well I hadn't heard that as I was saying my goodbyes to the kitten and dog, and thank God cause that would have gotten me laughing and I wouldn't have been able to stop. Steve told me what she said after we left. When we got back to the car Steve just stopped dead in his tracks and said "oh that was creepy", now he'd given me shit when we drove up cause I thought the place looked creepy, but it was an ADVENTURE, that's for sure!!!!!
Hey, good night guys. We haven't decided what tomorrows outing will be, so you will just have to wait and see. A little mystery will keep you reading.
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