Tag Archives: Travel

Grand Canyon Railroad

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It’s a chilly morning out there but the sun is shining so it will probably warm up as the day progresses. We’re on our way up 89 A, through Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff and then on to Williams to ride the Grand Canyon Railroad. I guess it gets light earlier in May than it does in October because I seem to remember this drive in October as being dark and cold. This time it’s a bit chilly but the sun is up.

We arrived with time to spare but boy was it windy. By now it had warmed up enough that when the wind didn’t blow it was comfortable with a light jacket but that wind was powerful and cut right through you.

We picked up our tickets and wandered around the gift shop and grounds while we waited for the Wild West Show to start. Eventually we headed over to the Wild West set to try to find seats that might be a little protected from the wind.

One of the cowboys was already on the set with a couple of horses.

 The horses looked like all they wanted to do was take a nap. 🙂

 Can’t say I blame them. Pretty soon more tourists started to arrive and fill up the bleachers. The other “players” came onto the set and the show was underway almost before we knew it.

 It segued from the cowboys chatting with the audience right into the show. People were picked out of the crowd to participate and jokes (really bad jokes) were tossed out right and left.

For example when one of the cowboys asked “Where are you from?” His hapless victim said “Canada”. The cowboy paused for a moment and then asked  “Do you know how Canada got its name? We’ll start with C, eh?” Groaner Ha Ha…and it continued along those lines. One cowboy kept getting shot” and then revived to play a different part.

 I think they did that about 3 times. It was fun and ate up the time we had to wait before the “All Aboard” rang out.

We are traveling in the “Dome” car or Observation car for the ride north to the Canyon.

Our return will be in First Class. A simple buffet of Danish, muffins, coffee and juice and some fruit was put out for the passengers in the dome car and first class.

The Dome class is neat because it has a great view. The windows wrap right over the car so you have a pretty much unobstructed view. It’s quite a long ride so we are entertained along the way. The “PSA” ,basically the attendant assigned to the car, was a fellow named “Bobby”. He was very funny delivering his announcements with stories and jokes. We also had a singing cowboy for the ride north. He was fun too. He had a great voice and also had a good repertoire of jokes. It takes skill to deliver a joke and make it funny. We were lucky that both Bobby and the Cowboy had that skill.

Upon arriving at the Grand Canyon we were directed to the bus for the tour we were taking. Once on the bus we were told that we would have lunch first and then take the rim tour. That’s a switch from my last trip but it works for me. As the bus pulled out of the depot the driver told us to take a look at our first glimpse of the Grand Canyon.

 It is as majestic as I remember but just as before it didn’t seem real. It’s so huge my mind insists it must be a mural! The bus took us to the Maswik Lodge where a hot buffet awaited. There was salad , spaghetti and meatballs, fish, chicken  soup and more. If anyone went away hungry it was their own fault. Lunch finished it was back on the bus for the ride along the south rim of the Canyon.

The stops were different from my last visit but no less interesting. I will say right here and now..the pictures cannot do justice to the canyon and I am not articulate enough to be able to describe it adequately. You just have to see it for yourself. Still if you haven’t been there, I will do my best to give you a glimpse of what it was like.

We made 3 stops in all. The first stop gave us a fairly long loop trail to take us along the canyon rim and then wind back to the parking lot and the bus. The high winds that the area has been experiencing was stirring up sand and dust so that it looked like a “mist” was hanging over the canyon but our guide said it was this dust.

The Canyon is spectacular enough alone but at the 2nd stop there was a biologist with a tracking device. He was tracking condors. Oh how I would have liked to see one of those magnificent birds. The Biologist was very gracious taking time to answer our questions. For example, he told us that all but one of the condors in the canyon are tagged so he could track them and know which bird he was tracking by the signal it was emitting. At that moment he was monitoring a female than was on a nest. The nest was on the cliff face  below where we were standing so we couldn’t see it from this angle. He said the bird usually flys about once per hour. Unfortunately it didn’t fly while we were there. The biologist also said we had missed about 9 condors that had been soaring over the Canyon in the morning. Just our luck!

Moving on to the last stop we found out that one of the other bus passengers had seen a Gila Monster at the previous stop and had the picture to prove it. The bus driver said that was unusual on the rim but that it certainly looked like one. Also at this stop we could see a trail along the canyon floor with hikers like little dots.

 It gives some perspective to the depth of the canyon. Too soon it was time to go back to the train for the return to Williams.

Rough start to vacation

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Maybe Rocky had it right and I should have stayed home. Today was  one of those days where for every good thing seemed like there were 2 bad. I don’t want this to sound like I’m whining because I’m lucky to be able to travel at all.  But let me start at the top.

Our plane was leaving from Albany at 8:10 am. We needed to be at the airport 45 minutes before takeoff. Sandy set the alarm for 5am so she could finish packing , drive to Albany, drop the car at Park n’ Fly and take the shuttle to the airport.  I should have know how the day was going to go when the alarm didn’t go off. Luckily since I was sleeping in a strange place I woke up a little before 5 so it was no harm done.

We made it to the Park n’ Fly with no problem where we were met by 2 parking attendants who just about grabbed our bags out of our hands and hustled us to the office. I didn’t think much of that until Sandy reached for her sunglasses in Phoenix. They were still back in Albany in the car. Sandy hadn’t thought of it until we reached Phoenix where the sun was shining very brightly.

In the meantime I noticed that I didn’t have my insulated “hoodie”. I must have left it or dropped it when we were boarding. Wonderful! If the weather was like the last time evenings will be very cool and then it will warm up during the day. In any case, I would need a light jacket or sweatshirt. The Southwest attendant called Albany to see if anyone had turned it in but so far no luck. She suggested I keep trying.

And if that wasn’t enough when we landed in Chicago the pilot must have thought they didn’t need the landing gears anymore. The plane felt like it just dropped onto the runway and then bounced twice. It was the roughest landing I have ever experienced.But again no one was hurt so no harm done. We exited the plane and enjoyed a great breakfast at Harry’s Grill while we waited for our connecting flight.

After breakfast we returned to the gate to board for the 2nd leg of the trip but there was  a “delayed” sign. Yup they broke it! Or lost it..or something. Sandy was telling everyone who would listen “Broken Plane!” Cracked me up! About an hour later, a plane was finally hooked up to the jetway for boarding.

This flight was uneventful and the landing in Phoenix was smooth. Maybe things are getting better? We headed down to the baggage claim, retrieved our luggage and went searching for the rental cars….way down at the other end of the airport we found a shuttle to the rental cars. Now you would think they would drop you off at the rental kiosk. No they dropped us off at the farthest point from the kiosk we needed. Guess who didn’t get a tip.

Finally, sweaty and huffing and puffing we found the Payless counter. Long line! At least we had time to catch our breath before we checked in. All was going smoothly until the attendant told me my credit card wasn’t going through. I said WHAT! since I made sure there was room on the card for the rental. Turned out that he was charging the rental fee of $404.00 plus an additional $250.oo deposit. They also wanted an extra $10.oo/ day to add Sandy as a 2nd driver.  I kicked and screamed and protested to no avail. Sandy finally stepped up and gave them a card for the deposit. You can be sure I will not use Payless again!

Finally in our rental and on our way we took a detour to try to find the Scottsdale Trolley. We saw the trolley stops but we never figured out for sure how to track down the trolley we wanted and the driver, Boston Jim, that we wanted to meet. With the time changes and all we had no idea what time it really was but we were hungry. By luck we picked a place called Clancy’s Irish Grill.

Sandy spotted the Green Bay Packer’s banner as soon as we walked in so we figured we were on the right track.

 Turns out our luck may be changing because it was really good. We met a very nice senior citizen there who chatted with us until it was time to get on the road again.( Mary Lou it was really nice chatting with you. )

Since by now it was 4pm  Arizona time we couldn’t fool around anymore in Scottsdale. We’ll have to catch up to Boston Jim on our next trip. We still had several hours to Sedona and check in was 4pm. Guess we’re going to be late. I think I’ll just blame Southwest for being late.

We arrived at the Sedona Summit around 6pm and began the check in process. I knew they would want a $50.00 room deposit and made sure I had that available on another card. It gets refunded when you check out unless you trash the place. Imagine my surprise when the receptionist gave me my check-in papers and the charge was $100.00. By now I am felling like a real loser with a Capital L! I have to cross my fingers that my direct deposit gets in the account before some outstanding checks come in or each check is going to cost me another $27.00! I was feeling pretty low at this point.

We took our keys and let ourselves into the condo. We both just stood there in shock as it was a studio but the receptionist had confirmed it was a 2 bedroom???I began to look around and then it hit me. Try the door next to the one we opened and there it was. Mystery solved. The condo is beautiful. Full kitchen, balcony, living room , diningroom , fireplace and a big bedroom. The studio is bedroom # 2. We called the front desk and they sent someone over to unlock the adjoining doors. We each have our own bathrooms with showers and there’s even a jacuzzi. Now I’m thinking that things are looking up.

We started to unpack. I was missing a camera battery and a brand new box of tea bags. Tea Bags? What does the TSA want with Tea Bags? Sandy’s bags had been rifled too and they opened her bottle of conditiner..and didn’t put the top back on. What a mess!

So after a day of ups and downs we are sitting here enjoying a glass of wine with some cheese and crackers and drowning our sorrows. I’m looking forward to tomorrow and since there shouldn’t be any more financial surprises, a better day for the start of vacation.

I will continue to keep you updated of our adventures (mis-adventures?) for good or bad because that is what this blog is all about. If I shared only the good, how would that help you with your travels?:)

Turner Falls, Flowers and Pot holes

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When my friend Nancy , her kids and I went to Magic Wings in Deerfield we came back to RT 2 this way and had seen the falls at Turner Falls. That day they were really flowing. Today I had to make my way over a bridge that was under construction and couldn’t see the falls at all.

When I reached the other side I saw a building marked Great Falls  Discovery Center .

 I found the parking area and headed down in hopes that they could tell me what happened to the falls. On the way I smelled lilacs! At first I didn’t see any lilac bushes so I wondered if it was my imagination. I slowed down as I approached the building and got a whiff again. That’s when I spotted the small white lilac bush. I love lilacs so of course I had to take a picture. I wish I could bottle that fragrance too!

“Time to smell the flowers” over I entered the Great Falls Discovery Center. I was impressed. It was huge and the displays were both educational and entertaining. The Center is run by the National Fish and Wildlife refuge. I was only there  for a few minutes but I wish I would have had more time to explore. The ranger explained that the flow of water over the falls is controlled. If some of the flow is being directed to the hydroelectric plant then the falls themselves will be smaller. When the plant opens the spillway, the flow increases. She told me I could follow the path around the building and across a little bridge  and I would be able to see the falls.

 There is also a canal that runs alongside the river.

 Before I left she also mentioned that they have a fish ladder exhibit that was opening on Sunday. It sounded interesting but since I would be in Arizona I explained that I wouldn’t be able to see it then. I would try to return at a later date.

I followed the path and crossed a foot  bridge over the canal. The path then wound down a little hill. I spotted a tree that a beaver had felled and then I heard the falls.

A young man was standing on  some rocks fishing. He pointed out where the falls were and explained that the water was low right now. He said if we heard a siren we needed to head for high ground in a hurry. The siren means the hydro-electric plant is about to open the spillway.

I watched the falls for a few more minutes and headed back up the path. After all, I still had more stops to make.

Back at the car I realized that the directions to get back to RT 2 that I picked up weren’t correct. I found myself driving around a bit before I got myself back on track. Once back on RT 2 westbound I started looking for the Bridge of Flowers. This was a must see stop for me this trip.

It has been years since I first went to the Bridge of Flowers. I thought it was in North Adams but I was wrong. It’s actually in Shelburn Falls. The Bridge of Flowers is the only one of its kind in the world. Originally built as a trolley bridge around 1908. The bridge crosses the Deerfield River between the towns of Shelburn and Buckland. Around 1928 the trolley was abandoned.

The bridge is a 400 foot, 5 arch concrete span. In 1929 Antoinette & Walter Burnham suggested converting the old trolley bridge into a giant flower bridge. It took about a year before it became a reality. The bridge is planted with over 500 varieties  of flowers, all planted and tended by volunteers. The flowers are chosen to assure that there will be blooms all growing season. The first blooms begin to flower in early spring and last all through late fall.

While I was in Shelburn Falls I figured I might as well take a look at Salmon Falls and the Glacial Pot holes.

 These are natural pot holes that formed over several hundred million years. It was getting late in the afternoon and I sill had the rest of the Mohawk Trail to finish before 6pm arrived so I didn’t have much time to explore. In the “old days” I can remember going right down to the rocks and exploring up close but today I didn’t see any place to safely get down to the pot holes. Still the falls were beautiful and the pot holes clearly visible from a wooden deck.

It was time to move on. The Mohawk Trail winds down as it enters New York and I mean that quite literally. The last bit of the Western section is a series of hairpin  turns and switch back curves.

 The drive is extremely picturesque. From the Elk on the trail 

to The Indian Trading Post

 there was still a lot to do but it was time to wrap up this journey for one day. I made it to my sister’s just in time at 6pm!

Tomorrow is another day and another adventure awaits!

Whales, Seals and Sharks!

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It promises to be great year for sea animals on Cape Cod. Already we have had record numbers of whales feeding off the cape coming closer to land than in recent memory. Now in the news are reports of Great White sightings.

This is not unusual. I chased the Great Whites all last summer without success but it is early in the year for them. Normally they come in search of the seals that live and play on the beaches and barrier islands of Cape Cod. They prefer it when the water has had a chance to warm up a little but the really large sharks can tolerate the cooler temperatures. The reports seem to indicate that this was a large one, 18-20 ft and 2000+ lbs!

The latest news report said the Great White was circling a whale that had become entangled in fishing gear. The Woods Hole people have since towed the whale carcase away to exam it to determine cause of death…could it be its entanglement or the shark? I’m sure we’ll hear more about this as the season progresses.

Speaking of seals, I recently found out that there are 4 different species of seals that like to visit the cape. I was aware of 2.

The big-headed gray seals are also the largest in size of the 4 species. It’s been said that their heads look like horse heads and I guess that’s true. Gray seals are year round residents. Naturalists say that the resident population on the cape is in the thousands. The colony in Chatham is certainly large and boisterous. Gray seals were on the decline because of over hunting until 1972 when the Marine Mammal Protection Act was passed. Removing that pressure has allowed their population to increase dramatically.

The 2nd species of seal that is a familiar sight on the cape is the one we think of at the aquarium. They have a cute upturned muzzle and are smaller than the grays. While the grays are said to look like horses these seals are most often compared to cocker spaniels. These little cuties are the curious Harbor seals.

Both the Gray Seals and the Harbor seals will interact with boaters. They swim up  to the boat and pop up out of the water to stare. Curiosity is certainly a trait they share with us humans.

The other 2 species are more rare. I don’t think I’ve ever seen either one in the wild. The first is the Harp seal which gets its name from the distinctive dark wish-bone shaped pattern against a silver-white coat. When you see all of those horrible posters protesting the seal hunts with the baby white coated seals about to be clubbed, you are looking at baby harp seals. The Cape seems to get the “in-between” harp seals. Still juveniles they are too old for the creamy white coat and too young for the silver-gray with the harp pattern. Most have a light-colored coat with irregular blotches of brown.

Last but not least is the Hooded Seal. These seals are the most rare of the 4 species. They, along with the Harp seal, are considered “ice seals” because they prefer to live on the pack ice of the Arctic. Still the long stretches of secluded shoreline and abundant sea food make Cape Cod an attractive place for these seals to visit.

I think it’s safe to say that as long as the seals keep coming to Cape Cod we will be hearing of Great White Sharks patrolling our shores. I can see I will have many entertaining hours to look forward to this summer on the Cape.

Writer’s Block

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Well it was bound to happen one of these days. I set a pretty ambitious goal to post something 6 days a week. The biggest problem is time. There is lots to write about but I like to give you up to date information and pictures. In fact, I subscribe to the old adage that a picture is worth a thousand words so if I have no pictures, I have no tales.

The past few days were a combination of things including weather that kept me from getting much exploring done. I didn’t even have much time to take pictures for my photo blog. I had my car in for maintenance so with no wheels to get around I missed being out and about gathering stories. It still need some more work too so I hope it won’t be tied up too long. After all I have places to go and people to see and things to do and then tell you all about it all here!

I asked Scout if he had any new tips and he admitted he hadn’t put anything together. He said he could have some in a day or two but by then I should be back on track.

I thought my friend Julie would bail me out with stories of her recent trip to Arizona and California but she had the day off so I haven’t caught up with her at work yet.

My cuz in Florida is going to share her experiences on trip she took to Ireland but she’s still putting that together. I have another co-worker that went to Ireland as well but I haven’t set up a time to get his stories yet. My fault on that one.

My friend Diane still has many, many stories and pictures to share but again I dropped the ball and didn’t leave myself enough time to get together  with her.

Another friend and co-worker, Jay, just got back from his rafting vacation but we haven’t had a chance to chat about that in any detail yet. I can’t wait to see his pictures and he says I can share them here. That will be a treat for us all, I am sure!

Well, sometimes it seems I spend more time making excuses and if I’d just taken that same time I would have had something to write but it’s just human nature, I guess.

I will be on my work schedule now for the next 2 days so I won’t have any time to go anywhere but maybe I can dredge something out of the archives that you might enjoy.

Or maybe I should remind you that you’re welcome to contribute too! I love your comments but you can also share you travel experiences too. Don’t be shy. Sometimes a fresh voice is just what’s needed. In the meantime I’ll share some photos from some of my jaunts. I’ve written about all of the trips shown in these photos but selecting the pictures makes me think that there may be more stories in them to share. Something to think about.

Well enjoy the pictures until I get my next post together. Remember my next trip is fast approaching and we know there will be a lot of things to share from that.

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