A Very Grand Canyon

So a month in Sedona is very nice, but I felt we needed a diversion.  The South Rim of the Grand Canyon is a two and a half hour drive from Sedona.  As I mentioned before, in 2013 I had made plans to visit the South Rim before the Government Shut Down. I had even made reservations at the historic Harvey House El Tovar Lodge on the South Rim.  Because of our government folly, for that trip, I had to make do with visiting a Grand Canyon tourist destination on the Hualapai Reservation called "Grand Canyon West."  It differs from the National Park in that you are bussed to a specific location, can pay to walk on a "sky walk" and basically are there with busloads of tourists.  You can't really walk the Canyon and have a relationship to nature there.  So on this trip, I wanted to take advantage of the proximity of the South Rim to Sedona.  (The North Rim isn't open in the winter.)

So I made reservations at the Yavapai Lodge on the South Rim, which is the only hotel there that takes dogs.  Dad and I hopped into the Ford Escape and drove the scenic route there, which included this lovely pass high over Oak Creek Canyon.

6420 feet up

We stopped in the Navajo Nation town of Cameron, Arizona to eat lunch at their historic trading post (now a huge gift store and restaurant) and then continued west to the Canyon.  That drive offered these extraordinary views:

Sunset on the South Rim our first night there

We had a nice dinner at the Yavapai Lodge Tavern (the cafeteria uses electronic kiosks to place orders, something that Dad would HATE) and retired to our rooms, which were on the cold side that night.  I took a shower the next morning and it was tepid at best.  But we told the staff that it was cold in our rooms and they fired up the furnace for the second night.

Tuesday afternoon Alfie and I took a walk on the Rim Trail, which had been cleared of snow. Before arriving, I had hoped to do a little hiking, but I don't have the equipment necessary to hike on real rocks in real snow.  So I settled for the views from the Rim.

Later, Dad and I had dinner at the El Tovar Lodge, which is a lovely 1906 tourist lodge with a view of the Canyon.  It's built of large, dark logs, and has a decor that includes regional Indian traditions and designs.  Dad had pasta and I had steak-- it was very nice.  We also went there the next morning for breakfast.

Here we are breakfasting, before our trip back to Sedona.