Journey to the Edge
They had never been caravanning. They didn't have a proper map. But two women in their 50s took a 27ft Winnebago through the desert to the Grand Canyon . . and lived to tell this tale.
Nobody walks in Phoenix
“Don’t do a Thelma and Louise!” This was the cry from our friends when we told them we were off to the Grand Canyon. Having not seen the film we did not understand the comment so got a copy out of the video shop and then realised that we had a lot to live up to. Picking up strange men in roadside bars, killing them, going on the run, blowing up trucks and driving off the edge of the Grand Canyon; it seemed we were in for some adventure.
Arriving in Phoenix fresh off the plane we headed for the one night compulsory stop over before we could collect our RV - recreational vehicle to the uninitiated. Taking the advice on jet lag we decided to try to get onto US time by having dinner and going to bed around ten o’clock local time. Seven hours time difference made it five in the morning in the UK but we were determined to behave like seasoned travellers.
We asked at reception for the address of a local restaurant serving Mexican food that we could walk to. The look of horror on the receptionist’s face should have given us a clue. “Walk to!” she screamed “You can’t do that!” She had told us it was only two blocks and we said we would like to stretch our legs as we had been on the plane for ten hours. “Nobody walks in Phoenix” she informed us. “Take a cab”.
Having negotiated the two blocks without mishap we settled down to drink in the atmosphere by ordering two tequilas over crushed ice - complete with lemon wedges and salt. Wow! We could get used to these. At the meal we only managed to get through the starters which were served up with obese giants in mind. The plate was enormous and consisted of every Mexican dish we had ever heard of –guacamole, fajitas, tacos with cheese and more. Neither of us could finish and the waiter offered us a “to-go”. Full to bursting we politely refused in our best English accents, saying we could not manage another thing. After a strange look and enigmatic smile he showed us a “to-go”. Doggy Bag in English – another lesson learned.
"If other people could do it . . ."
Next morning bright and early we were whisked off to the Cruise America depot and given instructions on how to use the effluent pump, hitch up the water and electricity and shown our home for the next two weeks.
The RV was enormous and it suddenly hit us that neither of us had driven on the other side of the road or handled an automatic. Well if all these other people could do it we just hoped we could.
Baseball caps firmly on our heads and Yorkie Bars on the dashboard, we drove out into the Phoenix rush hour. We had consulted "the map" and decided that we would make the short hop to Black Canyon City for the first night. Looked easy, just take the Interstate 60, join the Interstate 10 then the Interstate 17 straight to our destination. No problem.
What we had not taken into consideration was seven lane highways. We told ourselves we would stick to the slow lane but nobody had told us that the two inside lanes always peeled off and after going round the block twice we headed into the fast lane to play with the big boys. We sang at the top of our voices to cover our nervousness and “Whenever I Feel Afraid” seemed an appropriate song.
Black Canyon City did not live up to its name. A one horse town out of a cowboy movie with a main street including hitching rails for our horses, if we had any with us.
The old fashioned General Store sold blueberry muffins and we just had to have a sarsaparilla to wash it down with. Sitting on a mounting block we munched away and looked around our home for the night. By the Old Saloon was a barrel which had a notice on it “Beware Baby Rattlers” Wandering over to look into it we were not surprised to find exactly what it said on the tin. The baby rattlesnakes writhing about in the gloomy darkness gave us quite a shock.
Coffee Pot Mountain and Chimney Rock
Day three we headed for Sedona – home of the new age communities and the vortex sites. Hippies and energy line straight from the 60’s – we remember that scene. We found a lovely, leafy camp site beside a river and then headed up into the town. We could see why this had been a major location for the film industry. Red rock cliffs sculpted by the winds had been given wonderful names such as Coffee Pot Mountain and Chimney Rock.
We were sorry to leave such a pretty place and head on up towards Flagstaff. Climbing up the steep Oak Creek Canyon we were blown away by the views and quite forgot the hairpin bends.
Flagstaff was an uninteresting town but we needed to fuel up and stock up on foods for our journey to the Grand Canyon. The one claim to fame this town had was that it sat astride the famous Route 66. So we shopped, got our kicks and quickly headed out.
The long drive to the Grand Canyon National Park was a surprise. Everyone has heard of The Grand Canyon but the approach is over flat land with nothing much to see except scrub land with tumble weeds blowing in the wind. The highway was straight and we felt as though we could have put the RV into automatic drive and let “George” drive whilst we sat in the back with a cup of tea. The sun shone down on us and the temperature was in the low sixties.
Arriving at the National Park gates we handed over our twenty-five dollars and drove for another three miles. We were both so excited that we had arrived safety with no mishaps and we were going to see one of the major wonders of the world.
It is not possible to describe our first sight of the Canyon. To coin a cliché, it was gob smacking.
The Understatement of the Last Two Millennia
The Spanish Conquistador El Tovar’s comment came to mind “We have reached a stream and are unable to cross”. Ten miles across and one mile deep, with the mighty Colorado River thundering at the bottom; this seemed the understatement of the last two millennia.
Pictures do not do it justice. The sheer scale was breathtaking. We were both speechless and afterwards admitted that we almost cried at the spectacle laid out before us.
The following day we watched the reaction of tourists getting out of the endless stream of coaches. It was always the same, chattering and laughing on leaving the coach and utter silence when confronted by the view.
The crimson and scarlet dawns were worth getting up early for and the incredible velvet blackness of the nights was magical. Shooting stars lighting up the sky added to the mystery and we were like children making wishes on each falling star.
We spent several days on the rim and each time saw something new. And "new" came as a massive shock. Snow, heavy snow had fallen in the night and we were not prepared for it. We kept thinking snow in the desert impossible, but there it was, big white flakes settling quickly. We enquired at the Rangers’ Office and were told we should get out now or we may be there for up to three weeks.
We packed up and headed out to join the convoy on Route 180 heading back to Flagstaff. It was unexpected and the road clearers had been caught out. It was a nightmare drive back to Flagstaff. Cars slipping and sliding on the icy roads and we were lucky to get back unscathed. Nine hours driving on a journey that had taken us three hours to complete five days before. When we got back to black tarmac I could have kissed the ground. I know why the Pope always kissed the ground when he left the aircraft – he must have been afraid of flying.
And finally, a Moon Landing
Our holiday nearly over and it was time to head back to Phoenix but not before a visit to Meteor Crater. This is a gigantic hole in the ground caused by a meteor crashing to earth. The first astronauts trained here and you can see why when you look at the dead lunar landscape in the massive crater. If you believe in conspiracy theories this is where it is alleged that the first moon landing was filmed.
We could not resist one more night experiencing the delights of Black Canyon City and found a real cowboy bar and restaurant with original swing doors and long bar. We imagined ordering a foaming beer and it sliding down the whole length to stop in front of us. The men leaning on the bar were wearing cowboy hats and chaps but they had arrived in pick up trucks so there were no horses hitched to the rail.
We ordered our favourite tipple – tequilas – and were not surprised when they were served up in half pint dimple mugs. So much for drinking and driving but at least we could sleep in the car park as we had our home with us. The steaks when they arrived were just like those eaten by Desperate Dan in The Dandy, but we tucked in with gusto. In America big is beautiful.
That night we dreamed of gunfights and baddies riding off into the desert, card games and dancing girls but it was now back to England, pension books and travelling on our Freedom Pass. Unlike Thelma and Louise we had survived to go on many more adventures . . . we hoped.
Links
Package
We travelled with Trailfinders who have offices all over the country and can make up the complete package. Tel: 0845 054 6060
www.trailfinders.com
Flights
BA flights are direct into Phoenix from Gatwick. Tel: 0870 850 9850
www.ba.com
Winnebago Hire
Cruise America - 150 RV Rental locations. Tel: 001 800 983 3184
www.cruiseamerica.com
Campsites
Koa Kampgrounds. Tel: 001 406 248 7444
www.koakampgrounds.com
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