Disappointed with the hotel last night, albeit “budget”. The guy who checked us in was so “un-American” with his service. Made us wait while he took a series of calls on his own mobile, and was brusque even when he eventually deigned to check us in.
The room was shabby chic without the chic, the aircon wasn’t cold enough, and the breakfast was, well, basic. Aye well, it was just one night and we’ve moved on again.
We set off around 7:30am and had a well planned route up to “GC”.
Back along Route 66, and then a left onto the 86 North. All very casual for us now! After a half hour or so, we turned off and headed around the Sunset Crater Volcano loop.
Our first stop was at a short trail which took us around a basalt lava field, the product of the volcano, that overshadowed us.
We parked up in an empty lay-by, only for the next car to park immediately next to us, making it difficult to even open the doors. In fact the berk also walked off without closing his sliding door on the side. I had our door open to get the camera out, he pressed his remote door close and his hit our door, thankfully not marking or dinting, but bloody annoying all the same.
Anyway, the trail was really cool. A huge swathe of Black lava, that had ripped up trees before solidifying. If my memory of my O Level Geography and plate tectonics section serves me well, the high basalt content makes it flow, whereas lower basalt is more rocky. Or it may be the other way around. Anyway this was sharp, pumice-like rocks, that weigh very little. A’a lava, I think?
On from there we did another, longer trail, which started from a newly redeveloped car park and trail head. A bigger lava field and literally onto the side of the volcano.
Sated with volcanoey things for one day, we moved on down the road, stopping briefly to see the “Painted Desert Vista”, another pueblo (Charlie confessed he’s “pueblo’d out, so gave that a miss), and then back on the main road towards the Grand Canyon.
The road in is long, and we’ll be driving back down it in a couple of days when we head up to Lake Powell. To break it up, we stopped at the Little Colorado River Viewing point, and gave Charlie his first take of a big canyon and drop off.
A touch of vertigo later, and down the road to the main entrance, where the “America is Beautiful”
annual pass served us proud again and got us in for nowt. To be fair, it’s $35/vehicle which is a decent price to see such a wonder.
First stop was at the Desert View Watchtower (which looks ancient, but is actually steel framed and then clad!). Charlie sat right on the edge and took it all in. Even the unflappable can be flapped at such an impressive view!
To give an idea of scale, it’s a 23 mile drive from the entrance to the main “hub” at Yavapai, and there’s another 7/8 miles further west.
We stopped at a few more views and:
a) admired the view
b) questioned people who bring dogs to a very very hot, high altitudes desert
c) watched natural selection at work as all sorts of eejits, climbed beyond the guide ropes just to get that real “on the edge” selfie.
Eventually we got to Yavapai and checked in to our family “lodge” – 2x queen beds plus a bunk bed. Done really well, and as you would expect, very ecologically/environmentally low impact where possible when catering for over 5 million visitors per year.
We had a quick meal in the restaurant (cantina, tbh), and then a mooch in the General Store. My purchase was a six pack selection of my own making of beers.
I’m writing this as I just start on an orange and tangerine-peel infused New Belgium Brewing “Citradelic” IPA at 6%, but confess that I had previously had their Voodoo Ranger, which has a picture of a skeleton in a WW II flying suit on the front. He must have crashed, to inspire the “cut pine and citrus” flavours, but given its 9%(!) ABV, was probably the reason he crashed in the first place!
We’re knackered so going to skip tonight’s sunset, but I’m aiming for “sunrise on the rim” tomorrow. Is this a theme emerging here?
Night all!