Well here I am finally back and live from Moab, Utah!
There was no internet access in the rooms at the Grand and the WIFI in the lobby was s o s l o w. There wasn't time to wait for pages to load - except perhaps late at night and I was way too tired (Cindy I don't know how you did it!).
We packed up and left the Amara reluctantly - it was very nice there and Sedona is so beautiful. As we were leaving I discovered two things
1) We owed $$ because we forgot to leave a credit card with the front desk and had charged a few things to the room. The way you check in, just getting the keys and going straight to the room, it was easy to forget - luckily they caught up with me though so I wouldn't be on a wanted sign!!!
2) This is Geraldine's last trip for the season! She is awesome and it was easy to see that it was sad for her to leave the Amara. One of the aspects that makes this trip so wonderful is obviously the great relationship that our ABD guides have developed with the staff at each resort.
Our nature walk was very nice and amazingly not too hot. Our Red Rock State Park guide was very knowledgeable (this has been the case throughout so far) it is amazing the difference a little water can have on the landscape!
Back on the bus we made great time and arrived a little early at Grand Hotel. Geraldine decided we should go straight to the Canyon before checking in - we were pleased and excited. You really could feel the excitement build on the bus as we entered the park and got closer. Also you could see very dark clouds forming overhead. You could also see lightening and you could hear thunder. Geraldine talked to us about her "special" plan of how we would all first see the canyon - sap that I am I am tearing up as I type- she also passed out ponchos because it was starting to rain rather hard.
I can't remember right now if anyone else described this particular method of 'first sight' and I'm a little torn about giving it away - but I don't think anything can take away from that moment. So..
She had us all hold hands with our families and look down at the ground. We followed the sound of her voice across the street and to the guardrail. All of us, in line, holding on to our families, NOT peeking. Then she said "OK now" and there was this collective gasp that could be heard over the pounding rain. I'm sure in that moment everyone squeezed their families a little tighter. I know we did. There is no way I could describe the sight. All I can say is that it is a sight that you do not just see, you feel it to the very core of your being, it's an overwhelming feeling. Having seen many pictures and videos I can now honestly say, none of it can really give you any idea how it is to stand on the edge of the canyon looking out into it.
We spent a little more time looking, but it was raining REALLY hard by now, so we ran first to the gift shop and then to the bus.
The Grand Hotel really was fine. I thought the staff all went out of their way to be very friendly. My only complaint (again - so maybe it really is just us) my kids found the dinner buffet not to their liking. It was sliced beef, ribs and chicken all slathered in a very red barbeque sauce. Geraldine did get us some chicken w/o the sauce (she is so good) and we ordered - from the menu- some macaroni and cheese, we offered to pay for it to the waiter but he said not to worry about it. So the great staff really fixed our only issue.
Next morning the step on guide was great and the views from the spots that the bus took us to were fabulous. You get let off inside the Park at Bight Angel Lodge which is right next to the Thunderbird that ABD will be using next year. You folks should have great views and easy access to the canyon all the time. I asked Geraldine if it wasn't a little weird working with the staff at the Grand now that ABD has announced a new hotel for next year. She said it is a little weird but they know the manager well and because of the good relationship the guides have with him it is a little less weird than it could be.
Everyone had a great time going back for sunset views even though it was an "on your own" time. The guides played games with the kids on the grass near the El Tovar and we took great shots of the sunset. Then we all went back to town on the bus to a pizza/pasta (and Beer I should add) place. It was loud, crazy fun. The kids by this point were well bonded and sat together. Grownups enjoyed talking and having a cold adult beverage. My son started not feeling well - I think inspired by riding in the back of the bus with the other kids, he of course disagrees!- but it was a very short walk back to the hotel.
So the next day was another moment when I was glad I was on this tour and NOT trying to drive this on our own. Yes, 6 hours on a bus is a very long time. But it was our own little rolling island of civilization. You go for LONG times where there is really nothing. I live in upstate NY and have driven across western NY. I thought that there was nothing. This seems like a whole different country, sometimes planet. If we were on our own we would have been worried about where to buy gas, food and have rest stops. Heaven forbid anything go really wrong. You could go 100 miles and see nothing but a few trailers in the middle of a desolate field. If the years and having children have reduced my adventurous spirit to riding on a bus watching Disney's Cars movie, so be it, sign me up.
Just priceless ! Thanks for sharing your adventure
