Day 8: Moab to Grand Canyon National Park
Travel Location: Grand-Canyon,United-States
Today we got up early and loaded the cars with all of our gear. We went to Denny’s in town to get some breakfast since we had a long day of driving ahead of us. We got the atlas out and planned our route until our breakfast came.
After we finished eating we stopped at a gas station to fill up our tanks and get some snacks. I made the unfortunate mistake of not packing any cds and not having a cord for my iPod so I was subjected to the radio in Utah which mainly plays country music or horrible god-talk…….it was terrible. After awhile I just put on my iPod earphones and all and that helped some.
it was nearly sunset and the colors on the canyon were stunning. It brought tears to my eyes!
The drive from Moab to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon took 5 and a half hours. Along the way we passed turn offs for the Monument Valley Tribal Park, Natural Bridges National Monument, the Four Corners Monument. We decided to skip these since some were a considerable distance out of our way and we wanted to get to the Grand Canyon as quickly as possible.
We stopped about half way in Kayenta, Arizona to get some gas and stretch our legs. I called ahead to the Bright Angel hotel to see if they had any openings…they did not! The Bright Angel is one of the cheapest hotels in the Grand Canyon Village and is situated right on the Rim with fantastic views. I was a little disappointed. They referred me to the Maswik Lodge in the village and said that they had plenty of openings.
When we entered the boundary of the Grand Canyon National Park the rangers on duty gave us some maps. Along our drive into the village I could see hints of the canyon and it looked amazing. We stopped along the way at a few of the scenic viewpoints.
At my first glance of the Grand Canyon it was nearly sunset and the colors on the canyon were stunning. It brought tears to my eyes! You can see it effects everyone who sees it for the first time the same way. There were people from all walks of life, just staring in silence with their jaws hanging open. Amazing!
We continued on into the Village. Donna and Lindsay had decided that they wanted to camp. I only had one more full day before I had to fly home so I decided to get a hotel. I said goodnight to the girls and we made plans to go hiking the next day in the park.
I checked into the Maswik Lodge in the village. It ended up being quite a bit more expensive than the Bright Angel Hotel but it was on property so I wasn’t going to complain. I took my suitcase into my hotel room and began the task of repacking everything very neatly so it could get through airport security. While I was repacking I was listening to the hotel’s activity channel on the tv. It gave me a few ideas of things to do the next day.
After I finished packing I went into the main lodge of the hotel and did a little souvenir shopping. I came back to my room, showered, watched some tv and planned out my day in the Grand Canyon.
Things learned on Day 8 out west:
1. Its a long drive from Moab to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. It takes 5 and half hours and there aren’t a lot of gas stations along the way. Keep your tank full.
2. If you have the time visit Monument Valley Tribal Park, Natural Bridges National Monument
3. Monument Valley Tribal Park website http://www.desertusa.com/monvalley/
4. Natural Bridges National Monument website http://www.nps.gov/nabr/
