It’s not the first time I’ve visited the canyon. The last time was about 12 years ago and only spent about 30mins viewing the canyon before heading towards Sedona, Arizona. This weekend, however, was the full experience (well, for the most part). We left Saturday morning at 11am – just 2 hours after I decided to head down there. I drove the WHOLE way there with two stops for gas – a total of 500 miles in about 9 hours (there was traffic). That’s a new record for me; I’m surprised of my driving endurance (all without coffee!!). We arrived about 8pm (that’s 9pm Arizona time) or so and spent the night at the Holiday Inn. We had dinner at the “Coronado Room” at the Best Western Hotel (it was one of only two places that was still open!). Dinner was great (I had the Filet mignon) but the temperature outside was literally freezing cold. I was not prepared at all. All I wore were shorts and a T-shirt. Luckily I always have a sweater in my car handy. It was about 30 deg. F. and there was snow and ice just about everywhere. Ok, I didn’t mind the cold that much – and I enjoyed the snow. I consider the snow to be the highlight of my trip (well, after the canyon, of course) since I haven’t seen snow in so long. I felt like a kid again stomping on a pile of snow. LOL.
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The next morning we headed out to the canyon’s south rim – the most popular spot for the canyon. And boy was it packed! The only parking spots left were handicap. Thankfully, California considered me to be a cripple and awarded me a handicap placard. You can’t imagine how much time that placard has saved me in finding and waiting for parking spots. Just about everywhere I parked around the canyon I used the placard because there was no other place to park! Hey, I deserve it after what I’ve been through,
The views of the canyon were unquestionably spectacular. The touch of snow around the canyon just made it that much more fabulous. I tempted fate several times by leaning over ledges – hey, it’s what makes me feel alive inside. I find myself to be more of a risk taker since being diagnosed with one of the worst cancers there is. And I’m ok with that. My mom, however, is not. After spending a few hours gazing the beauty of the canyon (and slipping on the slippery ice on the trail), we had lunch at the famous El Tovar lodge/hotel. Great dining experience with a fabulous view of the canyon a few hundred yards away. What takes the cake though is our 1 hour helicopter tour around the canyon. It was awesome! Not only was it my first helicopter ride, but we were going over the canyon itself! It was expensive as heck, but I guess it was worth it for the experience. A truly memorable experience that no one would forget. Next time: water rafting on the Colorado river!
