Southwest Vacation - Day 5

This morning while getting ready we turned on the local news and learned there had been tornadoes in the area the night before and earlier in the morning.  As we looked outside we saw rain & dark clouds.  We wondered if we would be able to salvage the day.

First up on the agenda (as it was everyday) was Mikki D's $1 Sweet Tea for me and unsweet Tea for Mark.  Only at the Grand Canyon Villages it was Mikki D's $2.59 Tea!!   When the guy on the other end of the speaker said that will be $5.69 we about fell out! 

Next stop was the National Geographic Visitors Center to kill a little time (hoping for a ray of sunshine) shopping the souvenirs and while there we bought Mark a new jacket with a hood - that he graciously let me wear...since it was cold & rainy.  (Thanks, honey!)


Yaki Point

As we entered the park we were hit with a terrible thunderstorm complete with hail.  We really started wondering how the day would play out.  Would we need to reserve a room in the park and stay the night and try again the next day...that would mean we probably wouldn't get to Hoover Dam or Vegas.

The Canyon is truly amazing.  We drove to a couple of scenic overlooks, but to travel the rim and see the best vistas you have to take one of the Park's shuttles.  We were seeing a few pockets of sunshine so we decided to hop on the shuttle.  After driving around a while through every nook and cranny we finally found a parking spot and walked down to the shuttle stop.  And there we saw this:

Now THIS is the way to see the Canyon...by pack mule.  This 5 1/2 hour round trip ride takes you into the base of the canyon.  I would LOVE to do this...but I think I'd like to make it a 2 day trip and spend the night in the canyon at Phantom Ranch.  But they say you have to make reservations about a year in advance. 

There are several stops on the Rim trail and the shuttle runs every 12-15 minutes so you can get off when you want and stay as long as you like, just hop on the next shuttle coming.  Or you could walk to the next stop...some of them were as close as .2 miles.  Each stop offers its own unique vantage point.  The final stop is a historic cliff house, Hermit's Rest, built in 1914 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.     Hermit's Rest has the largest native stone fireplace -- it is massive!

Here's our tour of the Rim:

Colorado River

Amazing!

We enjoyed our day albeit damp & frizzy headed.    And I hear a mule calling my name for my next visit!

We headed south to bed down in Williams for the night.