Grand Canyon and Flagstaff

The Sedona visit definitely made a powerful impression on me, and I felt like I was already in a dream as I went to sleep.  Another night of extended sleep, and I was ready to tackle the Grand Canyon.

Getting out of Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon couldn't be easier.  Route 180 runs right through downtown Flagstaff, and eventually runs into 64, which takes you right into the Grand Canyon National Park.  By the way, this was very reminiscent of D Street in Petaluma, CA, which would take you right through downtown Petaluma into the gorgeous vineyard hills of Sonoma County.  But here, the whole trip was almost flat!  Not surprising, since the South Rim of the canyon is at roughly the same elevation as Flagstaff - what a relief!  However, once you get beyond the Flagstaff region, the drive gets pretty monotonous, with little in the way of curves in the road, or interesting foliage, so the satellite radio that Hertz had thrown in really came in handy.

As 180  turns into 64, there's another stretch of straight road for the most part, then you hit the park.  The $25 per car fee is valid for 6 days, so its a really great deal if you're planning on spending some time there.  Speaking of spending time at the rim, I believe the experience is such that you either spend a few hours and leave - like I did - or spend several days.  There is no in between.  Ideally, you want to stay there for a week or so and soak as much in as possible, knowing that even that is way too short.

The drive past the Park entrance finally takes you to the parking lot - very uneventful, as you drive on South Entrance Road to park.  I parked, got out my water bottle and started walking, wondering where the spectacle was.  There are trees around the lot, so you don't see anything for a while.  Then, a sign for Mather Point, which you just know has to be a scenic lookout - little did I know how scenic and how extensive.

As I approached Mather Point, I finally saw it, and literally froze.  Slowly, I had to find somewhere to sit down.  It is no exaggeration to say that I had never seen anything like it in my life!

All the sounds around me faded, and it felt like my mind was grinding to a halt.  No pictures, videos or even IMAX movies, can capture even a fragment of the experience.  It really does defy all human imagination.  I remember sitting there completely stunned, as if the world had stopped, and I heard myself say.."Oh my God!!!!"...I realized I had said it out loud when I heard someone standing next to me say.."Thats why its one of the wonders of the world".

Nothing I say here - or anywhere - can even begin to describe this place.  I'm honestly at a loss as to how people can just walk around there casually.  It is truly a mind shattering phenomenon, ideally experienced in total silence.  If this doesn't completely prove human insignificance, I don't know what does.  It just goes on and on and on - no beginning, no end.

In my case, of course, the experience was even more profound, and truly painful, as a result of my dread of heights.  I couldn't get within 20 feet of the guard rail, and when I would try to venture closer, I would feel the ground sway below me and get dizzy.  This was primal fear! Given my state of mind, I had to ask myself - what is this guy thinking????

 

Oh her, for that matter??

 

There were several people like that.  I suppose for those who don't fear heights, it seems like fun, but I heard the ranger say that people fall off all the time.  Can you imagine falling off something like this?  Maybe I should count myself lucky for having this paranoia, but for the rest of you,  it may still be best not to tempt fate!

 

I had to leave by mid afternoon.  The experience was so traumatic and painful that I felt like I had barely escaped from a free fall from space as I walked back into the parking lot.  This was literally a once in a lifetime experience for me.  I will never go there again - but I'm glad I saw it.  A woman I talked to while making a feeble attempt to get a little close for a picture, who laughed at me at first. said that she comes up there many times a year for spiritual rejuvenation.  She said the native peoples considered this part of Arizona (all the way down to Sedona) sacred ground - I could see why! 

 

It is not much of an exaggeration to say that I ran to the parking lot, and drove the hell out of there!  As I got further away from the rim, I started to breathe easier, and finally ended back up in Flagstaff late afternoon - just in time to kill a few hours and get dinner.

 

I did not sleep well that night.  Nightmares of tripping on the edge of the canyon would wake me in cold sweat.

 

The next day was all Flagstaff, since the train left at about 9 PM.  This was the same train that dropped me off three days back - the Southwest Chief.  I would be taking it to LA, then getting on another train from LA to Seattle.

 

This may not be a particularly useful tip, but the laundry machines at the hotel work pretty well.  All you do is take along a small bag of laundry detergent packs (the ones that look like little balls), and you won't pay through the nose at the front desk.  The nice thing about using these facilities is that you can leave town with freshly laundered clothes for the next stop.   After all, I couldn't bill hotel dry cleaning expenses any more!

 

Packed and ready to check out at noon, I spent the next few hours at Walnut Canyon, which is a few exits away from Flagstaff off of 17.  Granted, you don't even want try to compare anything to the Grand Canyon, but Walnut Canyon is pretty amazing in its own right.

 

 

The park itself was very relaxing to walk through, and the weather did not hurt all - low 70s, dry, mild breeze...what more could you ask for?  I don't know if Walnut Canyon is on most peoples' list, but I would recommend it very highly.

 

Back to Flagstaff to spend a few more hours.  Flagstaff is a very small town, no question.  The main organization there, as far as I could tell, is Northern Arizona University, so it is a very youthful college town.  The downtown area is a few blocks around the Amtrak station.

 

 

 

I was reminded of 6th St in Austin, or Telegraph Ave in Berkeley - not as crazy, but with a very similar vibe.  You could walk a few blocks and find wine bars, regular bars, vegan restaurants, Thai cuisine...if somebody had told me this was Arizona a few months ago, I would never have believed them.

 

Flagstaff also gets my vote for inclusion into the Top Ten Friendliest Places in America list.  Everybody - but everybody! - was nice, pleasant and friendly.  I had to drop off the car at 6 PM since the Amtrak counter closes, and there I was at the one room waiting area, with only the Amtrak agent behind the window.  Without a moment's hesitation, she told me to just leave my stuff with her, and have fun downtown - and get back by 8:45!  I was free to walk around, get dinner, and get a beer before the train.  The bartender could tell I was not a regular, and asked what I was doing, and listened to my story about the trip - eliciting comments from a couple of people at the bar.  Very, very nice!  Much to my surprise, she told me that Flagstaff is an ultra liberal town.  "In Arizona?????", I asked....and she said yes....people just don't realize it.  Sort of like Austin in Texas, and Chapel Hill in NC, I guess (Jesse Helms was once reputed to have said that a fence around Chapel Hill would work in lieu of a state zoo!). 

 

Finally, back to the station, and on the platform waiting for the Southwest Chief!

 

 

 



This would be overnight to LA, then a scheduled 2 hour layover to catch the train to Seattle - would the train be on time? And what would happen if it wasn't?

 

Stay tuned!

 

Grand Canyon and Flagstaff Pictures