Grand Canyon

We headed toward the Grand Canyon next. I’ve lived in Southern California my whole life yet I had never been to the Grand Canyon. It was amazing. But before we get into how cool it was, there are a few things I found surprising. Going to the Grand Canyon was like going to Disneyland. There are cars lined up in several different lanes just to get in and you pay to get in. Fortunately if you are a Veteran and have your card to prove that you are, you can get a state pass and your entrance is free. Jimmy has his card so we were able to get in with no charge. If you are coming for the day it is $15 per person or $30 for your non-commercial vehicle and all of its passengers. It pays to carpool 😉 Also, there are several areas that you can park to take in the view. There are plenty of bathrooms and the walkways are paved.

We found a parking spot among a sea of RV’s, campers, vans, busses and cars. Used the loo and then walked along one of the paths to see the Grand Canyon. And then, there it was. Huge and vast- a big hole that dropped straight down. It was surreal. It was like a painting. The layers of colors – amazing. Truly a sight to be seen. The grandness almost unfathomable. I am not afraid of heights so I did step to the very edge to look down. Wow! I even dangled my feet for fun. Jimmy’s stomach was in knots watching me do this and had to look away, so I didn’t do it for long.

Before we stopped at the Grand Canyon we made a pit stop at Valle Travel Stop. It’s a gift store that has a ton of interesting things including full Indian Head Dresses, dolls that look like old people and a very strange looking mannequin.

We met Faye at this store and she was most helpful. She recommended stopping at the Grand Canyon Caverns after our stop at the Grand Canyon. Jimmy had driven the freeway many times passed the Grand Canyon and never knew that there was such a place to stop. This also happens to be one of the places that was the inspiration for the creative in the Disney movie Cars. If you have kids, or you are a kid yourself you would enjoy seeing a tow truck that they have that is reminiscent of “Mater” and a police car like “Sheriff”. The dry cavern itself is fascinating. I was intrigued by the giant prehistoric sloth that had fallen through the natural opening at the top that could not escape and there were the scratch marks on the wall to show that it had tried to get out.