NOTE: The posts from here one are after the fact (ATF) — I have pics and notes from each day, but had no internet for 6 days!
We met the group early this morning to begin the drive up towards the Grand Canyon, with a stop for a quick hike along the way. (I’ve discovered that most trips do this — it’s so the guides can measure the fitness and abilities of the group before the big days ahead). We drove through the Sonoron desert onto high plateaus and the red canyons of central Arizona. We arrived in Sedona’s Rock Creek State Park and followed a trail up to a ridge line with a vista of Cathedral Rock and a 360 degree panorama of the entire area. Along the way we learned about bird and plant life, and crossed over Oak Creek several times. At the visitor center was a hummingbird garden with dozens of them flitting about. We picnicked at the park and climbed back in the van for the trip up through the canyons north of Sedona– a beautiful drive considered by many to be one of the most scenic drives in the U.S. Our destination is the Grand Canyon Caverns Inn on old Route 66 near Seligman, AZ.
The motel is classic — old, kitschy and a bit tacky. There’s a mini golf course with big dinosaur models, a tribute to the early belief that bones and evidence of dinosaurs would likely be found in the caverns nearby. They weren’t. But those playing mini golf likely don’t really care. We are at about 6,000 ft, so it’s a bit chilly once the sun goes down. There’s an equally kitschy restaurant connected to but down the road from the motel, so we head there for some basic food. We all have to re-pack our belongings for the next 4 days into small duffel bags we are provided with, and we have an early, 5:45AM “call” time, so we retreat to our rooms for the last night of television and showers. It will be an adventure for sure.
