Celebration Road Trip - Final Two Stops

So far, our two week road trip to celebrate our upcoming 25th anniversary was filled with surprises, incredible scenery and lots of fun.  From the beautiful and magical North Rim of Grand Canyon and the awesome time we had in Capitol Reef / Goblin Valley / Cassidy Arch to the spectacular adventure we had exploring slot canyons in Escalante.  But, we still had a few more days and two more destinations to enjoy.  Next stop...the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.

We headed out early from Captitol Reef National Park and the scenery along the way was beautiful.  Part of the drive went up from the east side of Bryce Canyon National Park.  I snapped a picture through the windshield of some of the amazing roadside scenery.  I like how this photo even caught the reflection of it on the hood of our truck...

We had made reservations at one of the many campgrounds in Grand Canyon National Park.  That's a must because it's very popular and spaces fill up fast.  We got there around mid afternoon and set up.  Shortly after that, we headed over to the rim for the sunset.  The Elk were out for some late day munching.  Hubby got a picture of this guy with huge antlers.  He was bending young trees over to eat their tender tops.  The Elk made very weird sounds to communicate with one another...something we'd never heard before.

It was very cloudy but the sunset was still beautiful.

Here's a photo I took...

As the sun disappeared, we turned to walk back along the rim and hubby got this gorgeous picture looking east.  We could see rain storms over the canyon and they moved so fast that in no time at all it was pouring right over us.  Good thing I'd brought a jacket to protect my camera!  We got drenched pretty quickly but the rain didn't last long and we dried quickly too.  Another magical night at Grand Canyon!  I love that place so much!

The next morning, we had a good breakfast, loaded our packs, and headed out on our bikes to ride from view point to view point.  Our first stop was the visitor center to check things out.  There was a Raven in a tree there that had an audience of people watching him as he talked and talked.  I wonder what he was saying?

After a few stops, we arrived at the El Tovar Lodge.  It was built in 1905 and is one more of those amazing National Park lodges that are so much fun to see.  Since it was already mid-day, we decided to treat ourselves to lunch in their elegant restaurant.  It was beautiful and so fancy with staff that were extremely professional and treated everyone like royalty. We got there early enough to be seated near the window for an view of the canyon while we dined.  There was some old and interesting artwork on the walls that they're happy to provide a printout that tells about them.  Oh....and, the food was really good too! 

I love the dishes they use there and they have some on display just outside the dining room...

There are a lot of stops you can make along the rim.  Some are simply a place to take in the view.  Others have a museum, an art gallery or something else too.  I fell in love with the amazing view from this stop.  I think it was the Yavapai Museum of Geology.  The building sat right on the rim with windows all across the canyon side.  What a great living room that would make!!!  I snapped a picture but everyone else was enjoying it too so it was impossible to get a picture with no one in it.  But, I like the silhouette of this lady in her cute hat enjoying the view...

I don't remember how many miles we rode that day but it was quite a few.  There were a lot more stops and miles to the end stop at Hermit's Rest than I thought.  It was a lot of fun though and nice to take our time and enjoy the park without using the park shuttle bus.  Although, it's a great option and I did take advantage of it and rode back from Hermit's rest to the El Tovar Lodge.  Hubby rode back to meet me there.  I locked up my bike and headed into the bar to order a drink and before they'd finished making it, hubby called me to let me know he was there.  That was fast!  He got a drink too and we sat on the front porch of the lodge to relax and take in our amazing time there.

I had a prickly pear margarita.  It sure was pink!

When my daughter and I stopped at Grand Canyon in July, we found a cafe in the Market Plaza (inside the park) with that was very affordable and had lots of food options.  I was pretty tired from our long bike ride and didn't really feel like cooking.  Besides, this place was so good that we couldn't miss it.  So, hubby and I headed over there for dinner.

We got up early the next morning and got one more look at that amazing canyon before we left.  Salsa got to go this time and we took her picture.  I think she likes it there!

Then, we headed back to camp to pack up, hitch up, and hit the road for our next stop.  One last picture before we left....the view from our campsite.  Beautiful!  And, now this place has so many awesome memories....from the wonderful time I spent there with my daughter in July and, now, the great time I had there with my hubby.  I was a bit teary eyed about leaving.  But, I'm sure we'll be back!  And, we were heading off to see and experience more places.

Our next and last stop of this trip was going to be Sedona, Arizona.  We enjoyed more beautiful landscapes and blue skies filled with puffy clouds along the way.

And, many more miles of golden yellow flowers...

We had a reservation on this stop too as the only place we know of in town is the Ranch Sedona RV park and we didn't want to chance not getting a spot.  It was pretty hot when we got there and we were pretty hungry.  So, we got all set up, turned on the AC for Salsa and Penelope (our dog and kitty) and headed out for lunch!  We went to the Oak Creek Brewery and Grill at the Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village.  It was a good choice.  It was nice and cool inside, we had a window seat with a nice view of the village below, the waitress was really nice, and the beer and food was great!

We ordered a sampler of some of the beer they brew...

The little mugs were so cute!...

We tried something we'd never had...deep fried pickles.  But, not just any deep fried pickles.  These were "Wicked Pickles" that had been infused with jalapeno.  YUM!!!  The rest of our food was great too!

The main thing we'd planned to do on this visit to Sedona was to go for a mountain bike ride.  So, the next day, we headed out for a late afternoon/sunset ride near Bell Rock and Courthouse Butte.  Trail parking areas now have kiosks to purchase a parking permit for $5.  We had no trouble at all finding spaces to park.  And, as always, the scenery there was spectacular!

That's Courthouse Butte that I'm pointing at.  We were riding to the base of it.

Fun!

But, watch out for some of the obstacles sticking out from the edge of the trail!...

We capped off the final night of our trip with an amazing meal at the Taos Cantina (funny name for a place in Sedona!).  Hubby had a "Dirty Sedona Margarita" with pineapple, orange juice and cinnamon in it.  It had a very unique flavor.  He loved it!  I had a Blackberry Lime Margarita.  Cheers!

I'm not sure if we were just hungry after our bike ride and because it was late or if the food really was really amazing but that meal was SOOO good!  Hubby had tamales and I had shrimp street tacos.  I'm getting hungry just thinking about it all.  Incredibly delicious!

A perfect end to a perfect trip!

P.S.  If you haven't had a chance to see photos and posts from the rest of our trip, I've provided links at the top.  Just click on one of the places and it will take you to that post.  Once there, if you just want to see the photos, click on any photo and it will bring up just the photos and they'll be larger.  We had an amazing time and saw so many spectacular things!

Thanks for stopping by!  :-D

Celebration Road Trip - North Rim, Grand Canyon

The second day of our celebration road trip started early in Las Vegas as we headed up through the south east corner of Utah and into Arizona to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  We saw some amazing storms as we got closer to our destination...

We knew that the North Rim of Grand Canyon was at a higher elevation than the South Rim and that there would be trees but we were really surprised at how green and beautiful it is.

We couldn't get reservations in Grand Canyon National Park because it was all booked up.  So, we had reserved a spot at a campground just north of there called, Demotte.  Just as we pulled in and turned off the engine the sky opened up and the rain poured, hard.  We sat in the truck for a while and watched it.  The ground was quickly covered in water and tiny streams began to run.

When it slowed down a bit, we headed out in the rain to get the trailer leveled and set up for our stay.

Our view from the trailer windows and campsite was wonderful.  What a gorgeous area!

Since we live in an area affected by a serious drought, it's always extra wonderful to see rain.

The campground was just off the highway that goes directly to the National Park.  The road runs through the longest meadow we'd ever seen.  It went on for miles and miles.  On each side of it is some of the most beautiful forest we've ever seen.  It's dense with Pine, Fir, Spruce and Aspen trees. 

We saw a few deer along the way but they ran off very quickly as drove closer.

The skies began to open up and sun was shining as we neared the park.

This was the first time my husband had ever seen the Grand Canyon and I was so excited for him!

It's such a spectacular and magical place.  I love it!  And, he does too.

We made sure to get there in time to see the sunset.  The clouds prevented it from being super spectacular but it was still wonderful...especially with my dear hubby.

After hanging out near the lodge and the rim for a while, we headed back to camp for dinner and a good nights sleep.  We enjoyed sleeping to the sound of rain on the roof most of the night.

The next morning, the sun came out for a while and we quickly went out for a walk before it started raining again.  This area was so beautiful and magical...it was like stepping into a Christmas card.  It was amazing!  I realized even more on this day and as the trip went along that there is so much that just can't be captured or preserved with a photo.  Some things and places are too big, immense, amazing and magical.  It can't even be captured in professional photos.  It's something that you just have to experience in person.  This is one of those places!

This is the dirt/mud road that lead to the campground from the highway....

looking toward the highway...

This is the same road looking back toward the campground...

A closer look at part of that huge meadow and some of the bordering forest...

Incredible blue skies!  And, skinny trees like those skinny Christmas trees I've seen.  I'd never seen real ones.  That was pretty exciting!  They're so cute!

I can't remember the name of this flower even though I've seen it many times.  I saw more of them on this trip than ever.  I saw areas along roadsides that had hundreds of them.  This one was especially tall...maybe six feet!  It was just outside of our trailer...

Here's a close up looking up at the top...

After our walk, we headed back to the National Park that was about 25 minutes away.

Here's the lodge at the North Rim.  Just wait til you see the inside!

The moment I walked inside, I gasped!  It was gorgeous!

This is the entry area, looking toward the dining room...

The dining room was huge.  I love the rock walls, wood beams, the beautiful lights and the rug...

And, then there's the view....it overlooks the Grand Canyon!  Spectacular!  The menu looked great too but we tried too late to get reservations for that night.  They didn't have anything until late and we were too hungry to wait.  Next time, it'll be the first thing we do when we arrive...make a reservation!

Toward the back of the lodge was a huge sitting room with comfy leather couches and chairs and...you guessed it...that amazing view of the canyon through huge windows...

Here's a great panorama shot that my husband took...

There were doors on both sides of the sitting room that lead to stone patios...

Both patios were lined with chairs to sit, relax and take in that spectacular view!

In another part of the lodge, there's the "Roughrider Saloon".  It's a cute little place that's quite busy.  We ordered a couple of locally brewed beers and headed over to the patio to relax and stare at that magnificent view.

Here's one of my Instagram photos from that day.  Cheers to the Grand Canyon!

Underneath the dining room of the lodge is a stone room that most people walked right by and didn't seem to notice.  That's ok because we had it all to ourselves for a while.

 And, you guessed it...it looks out over the canyon.

This huge stone fireplace was on the east patio.  The opening was at least six feet high.

On the opposite side of the lodge from the dining room was this room.  It has a stage in it, big windows, and lots of chairs.  They had old photos of entertainment that's been on that stage.  It looked like a great place for weddings too.

Here's a view of the canyon side of the lodge from one of the canyon lookouts...

There's an easel in the lobby with framed letters about the various Native American rugs hanging in the lodge.  This rug was obtained in 1940, took 25 months to weave, and at the time was believed to be the largest Navajo rug that had ever been woven....10 feet by 27 feet!

The lighting in the lodge was interesting and beautiful.

These are the dining room lights at night...

There's a bronze statue of "Brighty" in the lodge sitting room.  He's a burro that was used to haul water from the canyon to the lodge around 1917.  There's even a famous children's book about him called, "Brighty of the Grand Canyon" by Marguerite Henry.

He's so cute!

There are photos of him on the wall nearby...

He was good with kids and he let them ride on his back.

Those wooden canisters were filled with water for him to haul back up.

They say that he was paid each day for his work with a pile of flapjacks.

There are various cabins and motel rooms to stay in at the lodge.  These are the cabins that are closest to the lodge.  They look cute and cozy.  They all had fireplaces and little porches with rockers.

A few of them even have a view of the canyon.  This one is right next to the east patio.

Here's another angle of the same cabin...

If I stayed in this one, I'd have a hard time leaving the porch!

Doesn't this look like the perfect place to hang out all day?!

On our drive back to the campground, we pulled into a rest stop to see the beautiful flowers.

There were picnic tables near and in the woods.  So pretty!

We saw SO many wildflowers on this trip!  And, like many trips, the biggest concentrations and often the ones that I've never seen were along the roadsides where we couldn't pull over.  Luckily, there was a place to stop and get a closer look at these.

This was the only gas station/market for miles.  It was close to the campground and so cute!  They'll only be open for a few more weeks as the North Rim Lodge and Park will be closing for the season.  The gas station/market only stays open for a couple more weeks after that for the hunters.

The rain poured all that night...even harder than the night before.  We even had to hitch up in the rain the next morning.  But, it was still such a treat to see rain that we didn't mind.  It was wonderful!

We needed to stop to get something out of our trailer shortly after leaving and there was a surprise waiting for me....these wildflowers!  I've never seen them before.  They're itsy bitsy and so unique!

The rain continued most of the day as we drove to our next destination.  Here's a photo of a nearby area to where we camped that had burned recently.  The fire had burned for miles and miles.  In it's place are millions of baby Aspen trees.

Our next stop was wonderful and filled with surprises!

Stay tuned!