Mom and I made good time getting to the Grand Canyon on Tuesday. We stopped first at the South Rim. It was my first visit there... and Mom's first visit to the Grand Canyon at all.
My sweet Aunt Lennie said we really must have a meal at the famous Harvey House restaurant on the South rim.
So I found a place to park near the secondary Visitor Center. We checked it out, and were told it was an easy five minute walk from there.
It was a walk all right. And for flatlanders, the 7000 ft. elevation was breathtaking. Literally. We were both out of breath in a hurry. So we strolled slowly along the safety wall, pausing often for *photo ops*.
South Rim
Just as we were reached the entrance to the Hotel (the restaurant is inside the hotel), a sassy squirrel hopped up on the wall to talk to Mom. There were a number of signs posted warning people not to approach wildlife, and strictly enforced fines for feeding wildlife.
Well, this little squirrel couldn't read. It approached us! We were scared it was going to jump on Mom, so fierce was it's chatter at her.
We got inside, and went to the restaurant. There was a line. And once we waited through the line... we learned we needed to be on a waiting list. So we were added to the wait list.
Eventually, we were seated. Half an hour after that, we were offered water or beverages of our choice. We always choose water... and this water was $3.50 for a glass. (Still our beverage of choice). We had fantastic hot honey fried chicken sandwiches.
While seated and waiting... I looked up the drive time to the north rim. I thought it would be a couple of hours drive. Our reservation was for arrival after 4 pm. It's a four hour and 20 minute drive to the north rim! It was already almost 3 pm.
I left Mom to awaiting our tab... and went for the car. I was literally gasping for air by the time I got to the car. Thankfully, we had carried *recreational oxygen* along for the trip. It took me three loops through the one way village to find a parking spot closer to pick up Mom.
We headed towards the north rim. About an hour into the trip, Mom got a message on her phone. Our reservation for the Lodge at the north rim had been *modified* to be only for Wednesday night.
We were over a hundred miles to the nearest town. It was raining, the temperatures over night going to be in the low 40's, with severe storms expected. Literally in the middle of nowhere... and no room for the night.
And... we had to pee.
We prayed as we drove , for God to provide us a place for the night. We came to a crossroad. There was a sketchy looking gas station and a defunct grocery store.
Do we turn back towards Flagstaff? Or towards the North Rim. I decided to head closer to the north rim and hope for the best. A couple of miles beyond the crossroad, we saw THE FAMOUS HISTORIC CAMERON TRADING POST AND RESTAURANT! JEWELRY! SOUVENIRS! and inn.
Hey! Did you see the small print on that sign? It said they have an inn! It was not an auspicious sign. I went in and enquired about a room. They had one. We took it.
The Cameron Trading Post was a great stop. I don't know that we met friendlier, more welcoming people anywhere. The room was huge, by hotel standards. It was clean. And it had a balcony! Our prayers for a good, safe place for the night were answered.
The storms set in in earnest as we settled into the room. Looking into the distance, we could see the storms raging across the horizon. We were exhausted. Angry and disappointed at not getting to stay at the North Rim Lodge. (A severe storm earlier in the week knocked out power to the Rim. Things like that happen. However, being notified and hour before check-in to a location as remote as The Grand Canyon is just not right. And we were informed that our second night was still on reserve. You are charged if you cancel under 72 hours beforehand.
Wednesday morning, we breakfasted at the Famous Cameron Trading Post restaurant. Mom and I chose to try Indian Fry Bread. Now, I have no basis of comparison... but this was fantastic!
We took our time getting ready for the two and a half hours remaining to the North Rim. A stop for pricey gasoline at Jacob Lake. We debated having lunch there, but decided we really wanted a nice meal at the North Rim Lodge restaurant. We drove through intermittent rain and light fog into the park. Saw our first mule deer!
There was plenty of parking available, unlike when Becky and Ruby's and I went with the kids. First things first... the potty! While ensconced in the stalls... Mom's cell phone dinged with a message. It was the North Rim Lodge... canceling our reservation. Mom was out of breath. (Altitude 8,200 feet). There were lots of stairs. Oblivious tourists looking at their phones nearly knocked Mom off the path! They never noticed, nevermind apologized.
It was after 2:30 in the afternoon. Once more, Mom and I are literally more than a hundred miles away from any place to stay overnight. Mom was So. Done. with her visit to the Grand Canyon. I cried all the way back out of the park, and well down the road. Originally, I wanted to take Mom through Zion. But what do we see in Zion? Canyons and tunnels. What does Mom like less than looking down into the depths of canyons? That would be going through tunnels. Especially going through long, long, looonnng tunnels.
I scratched Zion off the list.
We headed west. I let Google maps choose our best route to my Aunt and Uncles house, barring the route that took us through Death Valley. We stopped for the night in Mesquite, NV.
It was reached by traveling through the Virgin River Valley. That was an amazing drive.
We had dressed for the 45* weather expected at the North Rim. It was 102* in Mesquite. Once more, we were too mentally exhausted to even get food, much less go out to the pool.
Stay tuned for the next day of our adventurers, where the Grannies get to California.
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