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What a welcome sight to have a swim in the hotel pool at the end of our long drive through Monument Valley. We were very tired and it was a great way to relax and unwind after so many miles on the road. We also found a pc with internet connection a real treat it has been so frustrating not being able to update our travel blog and send some emails.
So the next morning with the car pointing in a southerly direction we headed for the east entrance to the Grand Canyon and the last National Park on our hit list. The road was so very straight and very uninteresting which made it more impressionable when I realised after 55 miles that I had left my camera by the side of my bed! So having found a telephone that worked, confirmed that we had left it in our room we had to turn around and drive all the way back to Kayenta! An experience we could have done without. So with camera safely returned and stowed away we started again on our journey to the Grand Canyon. It was difficult to believe that I was returning to the same sight
after 30 years with the boys.
The weather was not brilliant and we found the clouds closing in on us and everywhere was very grey the land around was very bleak and noticeably poor and run down and the shopping precinct we found ourseleves popping into for some lunch time nibbles was very tatty and in desperate need of a coat of paint. Unemployment was also noticeably higher here and the condition of the roads and houses were very poor. Despite this the people were very helpful and managed a smile especially when trying to buy a phone card and then find a phone that worked! After a few wrong turnings we found ourselves driving up the side of the Grand Canyon National Park and headed for the Watch Tower Lookout Point. Here the canyon foked and joined creating a huge 'Y' as the two rivers below converged. The colours of the rocks changed constantly as the sun shone and then the clouds cast huge shadows over the jagged edges of the canyon. It appeared to stretch right down into the bowels of the earth.
Driving on we stopped and gazed in wonder at the different rock formations and the
huge single funnel mountains that protruded up from the middle of the canyon with their stripey layers of colours becoming lighter and lighter as they grew taller and taller.
We even saw a Condor fly over our heads, an unusual site as they have only recently been reintroduced to the wild after having been bred in captivity for the past 21 years as they had become an endangered species. Its wing span of about 2 1/2 metres was huge and had very distinct wing patterns of white and brown.
Scotty and Bradley Bear both enjoyed the experience when visiting the canyon and posed for the camera as promised Robbo!!!
The lodge we stayed in over night was very central and allowed us to stay in the park over night. We settled down to watch the sunset but due to the low clouds it was very disappointing and we saw very little. It did however mean that we could be around for the sunrise, at 4.45am!!! Something we talked about and something Tristan suceeded in doing!!!!!!!!!!! You need to look on his Face Book for his pictures.
So farewell to the Grand Canyon and off to Flagstaff to exchange the car
for a different model as I had been driving for the past 350 miles with the service light on. So having taken a 55 mile detour through a blizzard and freezing hail stones we drove to find the Avis Company somewher in Flagstaff!! Once explained our situation it was uggested that I took the car to the garage and got it serviced, paid for it and then asked for a refund at the end of our trip, well you can imagine what I told them !!!! So half an hour late we left Flagstaff in a replacement car and headed for the west coast.
This time I had Cruise Control on the car so I was able to set the speed accordingly, which was just aswell as there were plenty of police cars on the road and I did not want a repeat performance happening despite there being many hills!
With 230 miles behind us we found another Motel 6 to stay in and crashed for the night. Look out LA here we come!
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