Grand Canyon - Day 4

Day 4 – Bottom of the Grand Canyon
October 6, 2009

I’m writing about this on the 7th as we drive...last night I was too tired. I think I was in bed by 8:45 :) Earliest I’ve been to bed in a decade, hee.

Yesterday we got an early start. We left the hotel at 7:30 am and made a stop by McDonald’s for a quick breakfast. I have learned a lesson – Waffle House does not have the worst old coffee, McDonald’s does. OMG that stuff could walk by itself – I took one sip; that was enough. The Cinamelt was great though and it was enough to sustain me for a bit...

We then drove to Williams to meet up with our Jeep Tour. We left with them at 9:00 am and drove to Seligman. Seligman is the birthplace of the Historic Route 66. Not where the road begins but where the two businessmen that petitioned Congress to make it a Historic Road were from and where the town of Radiator Springs from Cars was based on. We spent about 20 minutes here taking pictures and etc... It was neat to see; defiantly a tourist trap but neat to see.

We then headed on down to the Grand Canyon Caverns – this is a dry cavern near the Grand Canyon. The person that bought it thought he had found his retirement plan in diamonds - > what he found was Calcium Deposits that sparkled... The Cavern was really just a stopping point so they could get the jeeps ready. It wasn’t anything spectacular and it was obvious they were doing everything they could do to make a buck. But it was something to do and I can say I saw the Grand Canyon caverns.

After we finished the tour we went out and got on the Jeeps. They were bright yellow and sat 6 passengers. We sat with 3 ladies who were older and quite humorous. We then headed on to Waalpi Indian Reservation – The Indians own the only road that goes down into the Canyon and you have to pay for a permit to ride down into the Canyon – which is a reason for using a tour company; they take care of all the politics for you...

The Waalpi Indians are one of the poorest Indian Nations and it was evident from the housing we passed. Maybe it was just the section of town but it looked like government housing and most of the roads were junky... with old cars and equipment sitting in the yards. It certainly didn’t look like the best section.

After we passed through this section we got on a dirt road which would lead us into the Canyon. The ride was bumpy and exhilarating. The guide was a middle age lady who really seemed to know a lot about the area and really enjoyed her job. She stopped often to let us take pictures (she would stop anytime you asked if you wanted a particular shot). She also stopped to tell us about the different plant life and rock types that we passed; it was neat to watch the rock layers change the further we went into the Canyon. The landscape really changed too; you would expect it to be dry and lifeless, it’s the opposite. The area has natural springs that feed into the CO River and the area thrives off the water. Greenery is abundant and apparently so is the wildlife, though we really didn’t get to see too much.

It took about 2 hours and we were at the bottom of the Canyon next to the CO River. We were given our sack lunches and were told to be back at the Jeep in an hour. The three of us headed off to a secluded spot next to the River to have our picnic. It was nice to sit there and eat next to the CO River; deep in the Canyon -> an area not many people ever get to see. I put my hands in the water and washed off my face; it was cool and refreshing.

After eating I walked around a bit and snapped a few pictures. The guide showed us a Pink Rattlesnake that was curled up sleeping; it was really amazing at how well he hid among the rocks. I would have never seen him, which is just another note to how wild and dangerous the place really is.

We then got on the jeeps and headed back up the Canyon, at a much faster pace than when we came down. However we did get to stop and see wild donkeys or boroughs... one was pregnant and they came right up to our jeep to get apples. They were very skittish so you had to be quiet but it was very neat to see and feed them. You wouldn’t know they were wild if you didn’t know it... It was quite neat.

We then continued our trek to the top of the Canyon, got in the vans and headed back to Williams. About an hour and ½ drive total – long enough for a good nap.

We got back to Williams, got in the car and went to Flagstaff for a much needed shower. I had dust in places I didn’t think dust could get :) We then headed out to Garcia’s Mexican Restaurant. This is a restaurant I would highly recommend if you are ever in Flagstaff. The food was excellent, the service good and the prices reasonable. We then went back to the hotel room and simply crashed...