Grand Canyon Advice needed

[Brian Breadman]

Hi all. Wanted to ask another question.
I will be leaving Vegas on Sept. 5th, and want to drive and see the Grand Canyon.
I have done some checking and see that most lodging in the canyon or close by is out of my budget or booked.
Flagstaff seems a viable alternative, can some give me some info on where to stay?
I would like to keep the room price around 35.00 to 50.00 a night.
I'm also thinking of taking 40 East back to Columbus,Ohio,
based on individual choices obviously, is there a better way back?

Thanks,
Brian

[Mark Sedenquist]

There are plenty of reasonably priced motels in the Flagstaff area. I did a 10 second check using the motel booking engine on this site and found two national chains -- Red Roof and Quality in the specified rate range. But you can also check out the scores of old Route 66 type motels and find several in that range.

As far as routes go, there has been considerable recent discussion about different roads headed east. What are the parameters of your "individual choices"?

[Brian Breadman]

I have no parameters actually.
I think I was trying to hard to avoid saying whats the number one, all time best way back east.
As long as I get back to ol cowtown Oh before i have to be back to work on the 14th of Sept. I will be happy.
Once I get to the Canyon, will I be able to park my car someone around there? Do shuttles run from Flagstaff to the Canyon?
Being in flagstaff, am I overlooking any other sites I should see?
Thanks,
Brian

[Mark Sedenquist]

Park Shuttle Info is at http://www.nps.gov/grca/grandcanyon/
south-rim/transportation.htm

http://www.grandcanyonrailway.com/ at Williams is kind of a fun attraction. You might even want to stay at Williams, again choices exist within your price range. I know that there is bus service between Williams and the south rim.

North Rim is darn nice, although lodging options are less in number.

As far as routes go -- I would suggest detouring north at US-191 and check out Monumument Valley (use the Search function on this forum more directions and info) and then route through Durango and the Colorado Rockies before heading back to OK.

There are quite a number of interesting things to do and see around Flagstaff. Some that come quickly to mind are Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon, Wupatki Natl Mon, Sunset Crater Natl Mon, Walnut Canyon, the Arizona Snow Bowl at the San Francisco Peaks (main attraction in summer is a chair lift ride to the top of the ski slopes where a dizzying view encompassing 5 states can be had on a clear day). All of these are within 25 miles of Flagstaff. Wupatki and Walnut Canyon are ruins of native peoples' habitations, abandoned around 700 years ago. In Flagstaff itself, one can visit and tour the Lowell observatory which still houses the telescope used by Percival Lowell to study Mars (he believed there was life on Mars because he thought he could see "canals" on its surface) and equipment used to discover the planet Pluto (a device called a blink comparator) -- it still has the Pluto film plates in it and you can see exactly how Clyde Tombaugh (janitor and astonomer!) discovered what everyone else had missed for YEARS (to make a long story short, the orbits of the other planets near Pluto provided indisputable mathematical evidence that Pluto was THERE, but no one could find it)! I also recommend a visit to the Riordan Mansion -- a log home built back around 1900 that housed two lumbermens' families in two wings, with a "great room" connecting. The home is now a state park and rangers guide tours through the home (in Flagstaff). Be sure they show you how the "air conditioning system" worked. On Highway 180 in the north end of town, there is a good museum (I think it is called the "Museum of Natural History"). Within 50 miles of Flag, you could also visit Jerome (an old mining town now artist colony), Montezuma's Castle and Tuzigoot Natl Mon (two more Indian ruins), and Meteor Crater (near Winslow). If you take the eastern route to the Grand Canyon, via US89, you could also stop at the Cameron Trading Post. It's a tourist trap, but the food is decent and the building and trading post are original and authentic (and still in operation); they're worth a look. AND, at the junction of US180 and AZ64, the Planes of Fame Museum (of Chino, CA) has a satellite museum that houses some wonderful old aircraft, including the Lockheed Constellation that served as Gen. Douglas McArthur's transport when he flew to Guam to be fired by President Truman! Is that enough? Have a good trip! Here's an extra credit trivia question... can anyone tell us how the Grand Canyon got its name? The answer is simple, but maybe not what you'd think!

[Mark Sedenquist]

Trivia huh?

Ok, what is the answer?

[imported_Bob]

The Colorado River is comprised of the flow of several rivers (the Grand, Green, Colorado, San Juan, etc, and countless smaller tributaries, of course). When the Spanish and others explored the southwest USA, the canyons were sometimes named in accordance with the rivers forming them. In those days, it was thought the Grand River was the main tributary forming the Grand (river) Canyon. Later on, we learned through more exploration the main or larger branch was really the Colorado. This would be like if they had named the Mississippi River the Ohio River (by mistake), and then later discovered that the Ohio was really only a smaller part of the Grandaddy Mississippi. But, by then the name "Grand Canyon" was already entrenched, so now we just call it the Grand Canyon of the Colorado! Besides, "Grand" fits it pretty well, eh?

[Mark Sedenquist]

Bob,

Sounds reasonable, but what was the source of that bit of info?

but I THINK I probably picked it up years ago from presentation or display materials at the Canyon.

[Brian Breadman]

Thanks for the info. Might just have to put 2 days into Flagstaff.

I appreciate the responses. 8 Days 8 Days 8 Days

Arghhhh....... The waiting.

Brian BucksFan