We headed North and after some more crazy altitude changes, complete with headaches and dizziness, we leveled out right before entering the Grand Canyon National Park. Matt wanted to fill up on gasoline, and I wanted a snack and water so we stopped at a gas station right before the park entrance. At the register as he was going to pay Matt notices little paper packets held closed by a paper clip advertising Rattlesnake Eggs for sale. He asks the cashier what they look like - hahaha - and she says 'They're just little things. You should open it and see'. So he does. I'm guessing some of you know what happened next.
I have never seen Matt jump like that. Of course there aren't rattlesnake eggs inside, because there is no such thing. Instead when you open the packet it activates a simple twisting mechanism inside that unwinds loudly and shakes the little envelope. He jumped back looking shocked and then we both laughed along with the cashier. I think she must be bored and enjoys duping tourists.
Then we entered the park and drove to the rim. We parked in a massive parking lot full of cars and trucks and RVs and tourists. There were all different languages being spoken, children everywhere, and people being pushy. I was immediately not a fan. We walked down a little paved path along with the horde and this is what we saw.
There it is. All grand and canyony. I have to tell you I had trouble really seeing it. We were there at noon on a very sunny day and the lack of shadows coupled with my lousy eyesight made it very hard for me to differentiate the hills and valleys. I think had we arrived closer to dawn or dusk I would have been more awed because I could have really seen it; shadows mixed in would have helped immensely. The constant people everywhere was also very disconcerting because I get nervous in crowds and I am afraid of heights. Matt wasn't really impressed either so we took pictures of each other and planned to leave.
Back in the car Matt decided that seeing as we paid $25 to get into the park we should drive down the road a bit to see if it got better. About a mile farther along the rim there start to be spots that you can pull over to and be right along the edge. There aren't a ton of people at these spots - or at least there wasn't on the day we were there. It was instantly so much better than the zoo that was the first place. We could stand there and just look at it. I still had trouble seeing all the nuance but it was calmer and definitely interesting along the other places. Matt had to try and give me a heart attack by climbing over the wall and closer to the edge. He wanted to throw a rock into the canyon and watch it drop. Boys . . .
We did have a nice time at the canyon after all. I will recommend that if you want to go and see it, do that, but don't plan on staying very long. Go to Sedona to stay instead.
Now we did leave the park. $25 for a quick look at a big hole, and we were off.
Lake Havasu City was our next stop. We wanted to see the famed London Bridge. Some rich guy with time on his hands bought the actual London Bridge, had it shipped to Arizona and reassembled, and now it's the second most popular tourist attraction in the state, after the Grand Canyon. We thought it would be neat. Sadly this just wasn't our day. We drive all that way and actually get to the bridge and drive right on over it. You can't tell that it is anything special, you just drive right on over because they've integrated it with the road. Super boring!! We had to follow signs and park and walk around to even get down to see it. The weather was nice and warm though and it was great knowing we were only 9 miles from California - our new home :)
By now the sun was setting and Matt was tired of driving so we looked for a place to stay. We had done this a few times before and always found a place really easy. Not this time though. We drove around from place to place and something was wrong at all of them. Certain places calling themselves resorts were charging an arm and a leg for one night and others were deserted and creepy looking. I wasn't getting service on my phone so I couldn't look up much to help out. We stopped at a random Travelodge and Matt went in but no one was inside. He called and rang the bell but no one came. It was just weird. Finally we stop at the Bridgewater Motel and are able to get a reasonably priced room that looked to be without bed bugs. The woman at the desk was also incredibly nice - apparently she is also a kindergarten teacher. We were so tired and hungry it was good to be done for the day. It had taken us over an hour to find a hotel within a 2 mile area!
The motel had a pool and after a dinner of pseudo Italian cuisine Matt went for a swim. He is part seal I think.
For those of you who are probably desperate to know, we have changed the stickers in the truck to a seasonally appropriate spooky cat and pumpkin.
Matt and I went to bed early because it had been a long day. We weren't sure where we were headed next and we spent some time looking at options on the computer but didn't make any decisions before we fell asleep. In the morning we both woke up early - 7ish - because I wanted to write a blog post and we needed to figure out our next destination. We are laying there debating locations when there is a LOUD popping noise, yelling and sparks so bright we can see them through the curtain. Instantly the room goes dark and we loose power and internet. Matt jumps up and looks out the window to see this:
A guy had driven a firetruck with the ladder up straight into a massive bunch of power lines. I think the flag on top is a funny touch. The guy was so embarrassed he wouldn't get out of the truck. Police, more firetrucks, ambulances and power guys all show up to the parking lot of this little hotel and stand around talking about what to do. It was free entertainment. Matt stood outside watching for a while. Luckily we had parked closer to the motel and not near that mess. I ran and got in the shower in the dark because without power we thought we might run out of hot water. There was no way this was going to be fixed anytime soon.
After the fastest shower and repacking ever we hopped in the car and went in search of the Starbucks we'd spotted the evening before because we needed to use their internet. We still had no idea where we were going to go. Sadly my blogging was going to have to wait, too. While all the firetruck drama was happening Matt had called his dad and let him know where we were and that we weren't sure where we were going but that we had no internet and had to figure it all out. When we got to the Starbucks he looked at his phone and saw that he'd missed a call. It was his dad calling back to offer to get us a room at a resort in San Luis Obispo.
Such a sweet offer! The place was called Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort. We did really want to relax after driving so far and it looked amazing. Every room has its own mineral spring hot tub! It was going to be another long day - 7 hours or so from Lake Havasu to SLO - so we got in the car and headed out. It was exciting to be going to the coast and finally cross the border into Cali itself!
The last hour of driving was a nerve racking panic attack for me and a bit of stressful - but I'll admit skillful - driving for Matt. If you are ever heading to the coast from Nevada or Arizona, Don't Use Route 58!!! Google maps sent us that way because it is the shortest distance but nowhere do they say 'It's going to be nothing but steep hills full of tight twists and turns on a tiny road'
You can't even really tell from the map how bad it is, but never before in my life have I been on a road that felt like a roller coaster and literally made my stomach flip!
It was worth it though because this is what was waiting on the other end:
Ahhhhh! How perfect. The long driving was over! San Luis Obispo is only 4 hours from LA, but now all Matt and I had to do was unwind in our lovely hot tub. Thank you, Kerry!
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