Jan 9, 2013 - The Grand Canyon and A Night of Blackjack

It was a very early start for us today. After getting to bed at about midnight last night, I set my alarm to wake us up at 5am for our early morning helicopter flight to the Grand Canyon, in Arizona. The alarm went off and I showered, did my hair and make up and was waking up the boys, when my eye caught the time on the alarm clock in the hotel room. I had changed every clock and watch from Florida time, except on my iPad, which id used for the alarm! So it was only 2.15am!! It was mixed emotions then - everyone was happy that they could go...

Jun 20, 2010 - A Grand Day Out

Grand Canyon day! We had booked the trip on the Grand Canyon Railroad, and set off at 9.30, after a Wild West Show. The train is very well done, with a “host” in each carriage who is both knowledgeable and funny, and (good) entertainers coming through the train. We had glimpses of the Canyon from the train and again from the bus that met us, before we stopped at Hopi Lookout and saw it in all its glory for the first time. My first impressions were that it is absolutely massive (18 miles across), and quite spectacular, but it didn’t really...

Jun 16, 2010 - The Grand Canyon.....breathtaking!

Today is the day anticipated by all……THE GRAND CANYON! 9:00am we begin with an old west gun fight, then board the Grand Canyon Railway for a back in time train ride! The landscape on the way in was so beautiful. They even provided on board banjo and guitar players for entertainment….yee haw. Our ride in came to an end and we made our way up the steps of the depot . The view that met our eyes at the top of the stairs was breathtaking! Words and pictures do not do justice to the beauty of the Canyon………..absolutely BREATHTAKING! This place is...

May 10, 2010 - The GRAND Canyon

Because of our base camp on the NE side of Flagstaff the closest entrance to the Grand Canyon South Rim was through the east entrance so we headed north on US 89. The east entrance is less crowded then the the south entrance and we arrived under clear blue skies and 50 degree temperatures with gusty winds. Desert View is the first visitor stop with trading post, restrooms and the Watchtower, one of several buildings designed by Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter from 1905 to 1935, the Watchtower offers the highest views on the South Rim. Tusayan...

Apr 24, 2010 - Finally, Sunshine

This morning, we were finally greeted with clear skies and sunshine! It felt good to open all the shades and let the inside of the rig heat up good with the sunshine streaming in through the windows. The corners never seem to get warm with just the heater. I thought my feet would never thaw again. -- We packed a picnic lunch and headed out to catch the shuttle bus to Hermit's Rest. There are no cars allowed in this area along the Canyon rim except for handicapped people. There are several stops along the rim and the road stretches for a...

Apr 22, 2010 - It's Snowing!!!

I know I said I would not be doing any more journal entries, but we are having such a fantastic time, I couldn't resist. Yesterday afternoon, it started snowing. We headed out to the Canyon rim only to discover that you could not see anything. It was total white-out. We toured one of the museums there at the rim and bought a couple of beautiful books. Since it was not a great outdoor day, we decided to head to the Imax theatre located just outside the Park boundary to see the film on the Grand Canyon. On the way, we passed a couple of elk...

Apr 20, 2010 - Grand Canyon - Day 2

We were prepared for frigid temps last night and were surprised that it only got down into the 40's. For the first time in a while, John had the heater going this morning but we much prefer the cold to having to run the AC. This morning, we were also greeted with partly sunny skies with lots of puffy white clouds, so we decided we would go explore before the weather changes. -- Before we left, we stopped to visit with our neighbors who were leaving today for Moab. Brett and Pamela and their Mastif Dino are newbie full timers who have been...

Apr 19, 2010 - I'll Huff and I'll Puff . . .

This morning, we headed out of Williams towards the Grand Canyon. It was a nice cool 40 degrees. -- We arrived at the Camping Village RV Park inside the boundaries of Grand Canyon at around 10:30 am and were surprised to find out that we could not check in until noon. So, we went over to the Market Plaza and found a parking place. I made us a quick picnic lunch and we headed out the door and caught one of the shuttle buses which took us over to a nearby observation point. -- This was John's first view of the Grand Canyon. There are not...

Apr 2, 2010 - Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon - what can I say - Great day - a little too crowded for my liking - but a wonderful trip - We are staying in Williams about 50 mi. from GC Village - My newest camera the Cannon I carry and use all the time took a dump and went thru 3 sets of batteries so I switched back to my old reliable Sony - I'm glad I had it with me - also turned over 110k on the truck on the way back to the trailer in Williams

Mar 30, 2010 - The Grand Canyon

Hello everyone from Cottonwood, Arizona! We're hanging out at the Verde Valley 1000 Trails park! We're scheduled to leave here next Monday, 4/5. We'll head to Page, Az, to see Antelope Canyon then. We took a day trip to Grand Canyon National Park with Ron and Nancy, friends of ours from Virginia. We actually met them at Ponderosa 1000 Trails in Coloma, California. That's the great thing about this lifestyle, you're meeting great people on the road all the time. It helps to make up for missing your family & friends back home! We had a great...

Jan 17, 2010 - Grand Canyon

Notre periple continue et le stop marche super bien meme si les gens sont etonnés de nous voir lever le pouce, ils disent;" ça se voyait plus dans les 70!!". Nous arrivons facilement au Grand Canyon. Le spectacle qui s'offre devant nous laisse bouche bée. Nous en avions vu des canyons au Pérou et en Colombie mais celui la remporte toute les medailles...! C'est juste immense et magnifique! Nous nous preparons a passer une autre nuit froide car nous plantons la tente dans la neige et la rumeur d'une grosse chute de neige est dans l'air......

Nov 20, 2009 - Grand Canyon

I took a lot of photos of the Grand Canyon and saved the best. Isn't digital photography wonderful. As the saying goes, "A picture is worth a thousand words." We left the state park in our car at 8 am to drive about 160 miles north from Cottonwood to the Grand Canyon. We arrived at 10:45. Our altitude was now over 7000 feet so our pace of walking was fairly slow. Jerry and I had been to the Grand Canyon once before but this was Mandie's first time. We got our first view of the Canyon from Mather Point. Then we went to one of several...