Travel: Grand-Adventures and the Grand Canyon, Arizona

It looks like I have been missing in action lately as there hasn’t been many updates here. Well, I can assure you I am still around, just have been busy and also trying to take it easy during my winter break from school. I have 1 more term to go and then I can go back out into the work force, which I miss quite a bit actually.

One of the things that Robyn and I got up to was a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada. This being a wedding present, we actually had to reschedule it from its original date to my winter break. This was alright, with temperatures between 10 and 18 Celsius in Las Vegas, we weren’t really going to complain. We would be staying 4 nights at The Mirage, but this post is how we booked a tour to the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

Originally, we were going to book the 3-in-1 tour of the Grand Canyon. What does the 3-in-1 involve? A airplane ride out to the Grand Canyon were we would meet up with a helicopter to take is down into the Canyon itself to the Colorado River, which we would then take a boat down the river to a spot for a picnic. This didn’t pan out due to me being a student and the 3-in-1 tour being quite expensive on a per-person basis. What did we do then?

A quick look at Google for tours at the Grand Canyon left us with many options. Mainly, a lot of them for those large tourist buses that cram 40 or so people into them. Since the drive from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon is about 4-5 hours, we thought that perhaps we would try and find a tour operator that dealt with smaller groups. A quick visit over to Trip Advisor proved to be most effective, as we went through the top 3 Grand Canyon tours listed and read over the comments that people posted about each company. We settled for Grand-Adventures.com, a tour company that deals with smaller groups for a more personal experience.

Robyn sent an email about availability and found out they were all booked up. Before we left for Las Vegas, Robyn was contacted by a friendly representative saying that 2 spots on a tour were opened up due to a cancellation, it was for the 27th of December (my Birthday) so we booked it right away. Our arriving flight into Las Vegas actually brought us in at about 8:30PM the night before our tour, we didn’t get to The Mirage until about 9PM and our tour was to start at 6:20AM. We pretty much went to bed when we got checked in.

December 27th: 6:20AM

It was a early morning after a long day. Luckily, The Mirage has a Starbucks inside, just off the casino floor and that helped start our day right. I also have to say that, that particular Starbucks never failed to make me a good Soy White Mocha while we were there, whereas some of the Canadian locations we visit tend to make them poorly. Anyway, that is another story.

We got to the pick up location outside of The Mirage’s front entrance. We were the last to be picked up and we were greeted by Dan, our driver and tour guide. Our particular tour consisted of 2 other families for a total of 9 people on our tour. Much better than being stuck on a bus with 40 or so people.

Dan informed us, that our first stop would be breakfast (at a McDonald’s) in the city of Boulder.  Dan was great for talking about the history of how Vegas was born and various other tidbits. As we got into Boulder City, we continued to talk about Boulder City and our itinerary for the day. Did you know that Boulder City has deemed alcohol and gambling illegal? It is a pretty small and quite town, with 2 casinos at its borders though.

First Stop: Hoover Dam

Now, I was going to keep up with posting the rough time-line of our tour, but I cannot really remember when we got to our little points of interest, I will tell you that we left at 6:20AM and returned back at The Mirage at 8:45PM. That does include a few stops on the way to the Grand Canyon and stopping for gas once on the way back. It’s a LONG drive both ways.

After breakfast we drove to our first destination, the Hoover Dam. Thanks to 9/11, there is a security check-point that you go through when you get closer to the Dam itself. While they checked the back of the van, we were entertained by a family of Big Horned Sheep.The nice thing is we did not have to get out of the van during the check.

Unfortunately I didn’t get a decent photo of them through the tinted windows of our van. They were just grazing along the side of the check-point keeping an eye out for dangers (us). Dan was saying there are usually 2 scouts looking out for a larger group, so if we were lucky we might see a herd of about 20 of them. We only saw about 7 near the check-point, but I kept my eye out for any more.

A quick drive from the security check-point to the parking lot and we were out of the van and on our way to see the Hoover Dam. Robyn was giddy with excitement and quoting Beavis and Butthead the whole time. You know, when they screw around with the controls inside the dam and it bursts?

Anyway, a 15 minute walk up and around one of the hills put us on a Memorial Bridge that was constructed over the Colorado River and gives you a good view of the Hoover Dam itself.

At this time, we have also entered the state of Arizona. Though, we will be going much further into Arizona on our way to the Grand Canyon. As for the Hoover Dam itself, I was a bit disappointed that we didn’t go over the dam itself, as I would have liked to walked along the top of it. I guess I can see why they don’t really allow for it anymore. If the dam were to break, not only would the amount of water devastate the area down river, but Lake Meade would empty rather quickly and I do believe it is a vital source of water for the neighbouring towns (perhaps even Las Vegas itself).  We have a bunch of photos of the dam, including a panoramic I need to switch together. It is pretty impressive, and that the cement used to create is is STILL curing! Dan was also telling us that he does kayak tours which put in at the base of the dam (to the right just before one of the spill ways). The dam itself is a magnificent piece of work, if you get the chance to see a documentary on how it was built, you should watch it. Dan also mentioned that one of the inventions created during the construction of the Hoover Dam was the Hardhat, neat eh?

On our way back to the van, the tour buses started to arrive. 3 buses of about 40 people each poured out too! We noticed each person had a sticker on them, and when they returned to the buses, they were all accounted for. Looked more like herding cattle actually. Glad we spent the extra money on a smaller tour!

Next Stop: Seligman, Arizona; Birth Place of Route 66

Now most people have probably heard of Route 66 right? Also known as Main Street of America too! Well, its birthplace was a small town called Seligman. This is the same town where the creative director of Pixar got the idea for their animated movie Cars. It was pretty neat to see and be on Route 66, though it’s pretty quite in the winter. Even with the interstate 40 being so close, the towns along Route 66 are slowly becoming neat little tourist places once again, thanks to a local barber in Seligman by the name of Angel [wiki]. Angel was working when we drove into town, but we didn’t have enough time to go in and say hi. Angel is responsible for getting funding for the small towns that dot Route 66 in order to keep them alive and a part of American history. I think it’s pretty cool to see the small town along what used to be such a busy and historic route. It would be cool to see they these little towns look like in the busier tourist seasons.

I wanted to get a photo of the Road Kill Cafe, but we were too far down the street for me to go back and get one. Oh well, perhaps another time right?

Next Stop: Grand Canyon

If I can remember correctly, we did arrive at the Grand Canyon in about 5 hours or so, which means it was a perfect time for lunch. When you book your tour with Grand-Adventures.com not only do you get breakfast, you also get lunch too! You get to pick a type of sandwich (we had turkey) and are also supplied with water, fruit, cheese and crackers. Also there are yummy cookies for desert too. The sandwiches were large and quite good! They definitely filled us up!

Throughout our trip to the Grand Canyon, Dan would talk about the various areas we drove through, giving us little history lessons and info about the surrounding areas. It was quite informative and I enjoyed everything. He talked about the Joshua Trees, the Copper and Turquoise Mines that dot the landscapes as well as things like how the road networks were built and why they were built to even how places got their names such as Flagstaff. I find it odd how I know more about the US and its history than I do of Canada’s.

Once we got to our little overlook place for lunch, we got to see how first full view of the Grand Canyon.

Photos can never do this place justice, it should be on your bucket list! Robyn and I sat on a ledge while eating our sandwiches overlooking the canyon as the rest of our tour stayed in the warmth of the van. Yes, there is snow and it was about 2-3 degrees Celsius. Which of course, us Canadians can brave

After lunch we headed to the main area of the canyon where the hotel is located as well as the tourist shops. Here Dan dropped of us and let us wander around for about 40 minutes as he drove the van about a mile or so further along.

Robyn and I bumped into another Canadian couple (from Ontario I believe) who told us they were on one of the big tour buses and had 40 people. They mentioned that when they got to the Grand Canyon, their driver told them to get off and he would be back in 3-hours to pick them up. We both also noticed the onslaught of people at this little touristy area. We were glad we were on a much smaller tour.

When Dan got back it was time to start our little walking tour of the South Rim. We started at the tourist area and headed towards the Geology Museum. This was about 1.3 Miles and took a decent amount of time to do. As we walked, Dan pointed out the various layers of the rock that make up the Grand Canyon as well as how it was formed. For Robyn and I, this all seemed to be more of a review of early highschool geology, but it was enjoyable anyway.

There were lots of photo-ops along the way. We were glad we had a clear sky even if it was a little chilly as the sun slowly set.

The path lead along the edge of the canyon, though not close enough to be dangerous, but close enough to make things more spectacular. The flora among the path was pretty interesting to see, a variety of pines and low shrub. There were juniper trees (don’t eat the berries!!), sentry plants and even wild Thyme.

With the recent snow fall, there were some slippery spots (we did see people fall painfully) but that’s what you get when you wear sandals or even high-heeled shoes.

With the winter season, our tour was there to see the sunset. It is beautiful to see the sun set and the colours and shadows change constantly on the canyon walls.

Next Stop: Las Vegas

After the sunset we all got back into the van and Dan took us back to Las Vegas. The trip back was much quicker due to the fact we only stopped once and it was for gas and a bit of a stretch as well as some snacks. It was a quite ride home as the rest of our tour seemed to be exhausted. I just watched the night scenery go by and awaited for when the lights of the Strip showed up. As we were approaching Paradise Valley (aka Las Vegas), Dan mentioned how from the crest of the hill we could see how vast and how far the valley of lights spanned. The area of Paradise Valley is pretty massive, and reinforces how the area is running our of water, but it seems little is being done to conserve it on the Strip itself, though that is another story.

It was a fun, but long day. Definitely worth if if you ever find yourself in Las Vegas and want something different to do!

• Tour Company: Grand-Adventures.com
• Tour Size: 8-9 people max/van
• Our Tour Guide: Dan
• Food/Snacks: Breakfast and Lunch included
• Time: ~All Day (6:20AM-9:00PM)
• Cost per Person: $150 US
• Points of Interest: Hoover Dam, Seligman (Route 66), Grand Canyon
• Was it worth it? Yes! Definitely worth is! Highly recommended!