November 26: Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon. Starting mileage: 38,616.
We were up early again in this desert city that rarely sleeps. Today, we were driving out of the Nevada’s desert mirage to the Grand Canyon. Las Vegas loses a little sparkle in the daylight, though the bright sun does glint off sidewalks littered with feathers and the ubiquitous stripper business cards. We stretched our legs walking to breakfast and looking for a post office box, before loading the car and leaving Las Vegas. We crossed into Arizona over that titanic Hoover Dam bypass bridge.
Route 66
After Kingman, we decided to take the old Route 66. Out in this empty land, away from busy Interstate 40, was a old-timey USA. What fun! But, I don’t know which is sadder, to see so many places shuttered and run down, or to see those that have had to become tourist traps to survive. It’s as if they are living ghosts. For the thousandth time on this trip, I wished I could have seen this land before….before interstates, and before “civilization”.
Mama and I got into a conversation about road trips of years ago. She mentioned Burma Shave signs. I didn’t know what that was, and just as she was describing them, we saw a small red sign with white writing, very close to the road, that simply said:
If you don’t know
And then a second sign, about a football field away, said: whose signs these are
Then a third, equally spaced from the second: you haven’t driven
And a fourth, very far
We erupted into claps and laugher at the final one! Burma Shave
Burma-Shave was a brand of shaving cream famous for this fun advertising gimmick in the 1930s-1960s. We were thrilled to see several more of these sign sets:
- Thirty days … hath September … April and June … and the speed offender … Burma Shave
- Slow down … Sparky … Ma missed … signs four and five … Burma Shave
- Don’t lose your head … to save a minute … you need it … because your brains are in it … Burma Shave
Grand Canyon
Sometime later, we made a left turn to head north. And we arrived into the Grand Canyon area around sunset. We snacked from our food stash and tucked in early. Tomorrow would be a grand, canyon day!
November 27: The Grand Canyon!
The Grand Canyon is 277 miles long, about 18 miles wide, and over a mile deep. It was carved by the Colorado River and erosion over millions of years and is truly a wonder of the world. Early explorers called it “profound” and an “astonishing natural curiosity”. Of course, like many of nature’s wonders, there are no words to define the scale, the beauty, and the happiness in the heart to stand before it. We were at the South Rim and our first view today was at Mather Point. We stared, smiling.
Along the edge
Through the day, we made our way to several viewpoints along the South Rim, either by the convenient shuttles or the car.
As we stood at various views, we noticed tiny little people off in the distance, standing on ledges over the great precipice. One of the shuttle drivers told us that the Grand Canyon has several deaths every year, lately from people who were taking selfies. There is a book that morbidly documents all the canyon deaths: “Over the Edge: Death in the Grand Canyon” by Thomas Myers. There are fatalities from falling, drowning, crashing in airplanes or helicopters, flash flooding, rocks falling, suicides, homicides and freak accidents.
Shuttles in the Grand Canyon
GIDDY UP!
We decided to ride up to Hermit’s Rest on the red shuttle. We had a delightful driver guide who told jokes, explained what we saw, and slowed down (or stopped for a 30 second pop out….shhhh don’t tell anyone!) for photos on the seven-mile ride to Hermit’s Rest. Every time he started the shuttle, he said, “Say Giddy-up!”
Hermit’s Rest, originally constructed in 1914 as a rest stop for the Fred Harvey Company coach, now has a gift shop and a tiny little snack shop. As it was a cool, blustery day, I got the Hermit’s Mocha–hot coffee with chocolate. What delicious moments sitting there admiring that view and sipping hot drinks!
Desert View
Later in the afternoon, we found the car and drove about 25 miles out to the Desert View Watchtower on the eastern end of Grand Canyon National Park. The wind was whipping now. Along the road, we saw warning signs for…what is that?…a MOUNTAIN LION?!? Every time we stopped, we watched carefully for any wild cats, and we held on tight to fencing and trees. From this vantage point, we could see the Colorado River, a mile down in the canyon, snaking along.
We finished this grand day getting our pressed pennies, writing postcards, and finding a mailbox to drop them in before getting pizza and settling in for the night.
November 28: Leaving the Grand Canyon. Starting mileage: 38,969.
Our road out of the Canyon was the road to Desert View. And we stopped again, many times. It’s stunning how morning light changes the colors and the mood of the canyon. I would have liked to sit there on the ledge in that soft, clear morning light, sipping a hot Hermit’s Mocha, and listening to the sounds of the canyon.
Photos are available on Etsy.
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