The Grand Canyon

Arizona is incredibly beautiful. The views are expansive - escarpment, mesas, hoodoos, snow capped mountains (highest is over 12,000 feet and visible today from 140 miles away) and a wide blue sky.

The earth is layered in every hue of grey, yellow, red and purple imaginable.

Everywhere you look there are canyons and hills and piles of rock and sand, that look as though they were left behind after mining, carefully placed. 

We left Page early and headed south on Highway 89 towards the Grand Canyon. Our original plan was to see the north rim, but it's still closed after the winter.

We decided to see the south rim together, then stay at Flagstaff. 

We stopped at a scenic overlook at Little Colorado River Gorge, a park managed by the Navajo using donations. It was an incredible first look into the canyons, to the dry river bed at least 300 feet below. 

The Navajo make jewellery and pottery, and set up in stalls at the viewing areas. We bought a few pieces, and took photos of the artisans. 

Each of the national parks has an entry fee ($10 or $12 per car) but you can buy an 'Agency Pass' for $80 that enables entry to most parks (not the Navajo managed). Grand Canyon entry was $25. I'm more than happy to pay for the upkeep of these beautiful parks. 

We'd entered via the east gate, allowing us to drive along the south rim towards Grand Canyon Village. 

The park is enormous, with excellent facilities. I'm so glad that it's Monday, as I think it would be quite crowded on the weekend. 

The first glimpse of the canyon was breathtaking. I'd completely forgotten how impressive it is. How enormous. It's over a mile deep! 

Arriving at the village, we found a car park (not easy) and had an excellent lunch at the Bright Angel Lodge. Afterwards we walked along the rim, drinking in the majestic view, to the El Tovah, an imposing hotel, in search of stamps.  

It was a beautiful day today - we've been very lucky with the weather again. We walked down into the canyon on the Bright Angel Trail, rugged up. After 15 minutes in the sun, no wind, it was shirt sleeve time.

Not having planned to come here until yesterday, we'd not intended to do the full walk to the valley floor. I do want to do this one day, but it's a two day affair. We walked 30 minutes down, thinking it would take us 40 to get back out. So tempting to keep going as it was a lot of fun. 

There were many people on the trail - some returning from the overnight hike, some just out for a stroll. 

Seeing the canyon from below the rim makes it easier to gain some perspective on its enormous size. The colours in the rock layers are incredible. 

Back at the top, we set off for the airport. We thought we'd take a ride on a helicopter - something I'd not been able to afford before. Funnily enough, many other people had the same idea. All of the companies were booked out for the day. We could have gone for a ride on a plane, but we'll save the experience for next time. 

We saw a roadrunner today! Looks like he did on the cartoons. We also saw squirrels (not timid) and elk! 

We drove on to Flagstaff, arriving around 4pm. We took a room at the Hilton Garden, on Route 66, and then headed back into town to a brew pub, Lumberjack, recommended by the hotel staff. Food and craft beers were excellent! So good that we had to take a turn around the (very pretty) town to let dinner settle. 

We'll definitely come back here. 

Antelope Canyon

From Mesa Verde we headed west on the 160, through snow showers, past impressive mesas and single rock formations, shaped by millennia of wind and rain.

We came across the Four Corners Monument, and braved the wind to stand simultaneously in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. 

Despite stopping often to take photos of the incredible landscape, we made it to Antelope Canyon early enough to take a tour (helped by the extra hour we gained travelling west!). 

All entry into both the Lower and Upper canyons require a guide these days. We joined a tour for the lower canyon with 15 others, descended into the red earth, and were immediately awestruck by the beauty of the rock. 

An hour and a half, a one-way trek along the narrow canyon floor, and hundreds of photos later, I was very glad we'd stopped. It had been on our itinerary this time last year, but we'd run out of daylight.

I find that it always takes longer than I expect to travel distances here in the USA. The country is vast, and my brain subconsciously estimates time based on kilometres rather than miles. I really appreciate having the Garmin GPS, despite being a late acceptor (real navigators don't need machines, right?!) 

It was a magnificent thing to do - all for $28 each. The hotels in nearby Page were quite busy due to bus loads of tourists arriving for the evening, but we found a room at the Holiday Inn Express - clean, comfortable, free parking, wi-fi and breakfast. Dom had spied a Texas BBQ diner across the road - excellent ribs and pulled pork, to go with my wine that came in a pre-packaged glass with a foil lid! Noice. 

Mesa Verde

We woke early and enjoyed our free breakfast. It had snowed overnight, and it was exciting to see the cars in the parking lot dusted in white.

Setting off west from Durango, we climbed steadily through beautiful snow covered scenery. It started snowing heavily, with darkened skies above. 

We arrived at Mesa Verde before 9am, a little concerned that the snow would hamper our visit, but the rangers at the Visitor Centre expressed no concern. From there it was a forty minute drive to the top of the Mesa, with no view available at all. 

At the top, the snow clouds lifted and the sun shone, melting the snow from the branches in fat drops. It was still very cold, but we enjoyed a quiet viewing of the Spruce Tree House, one of the sites that could be seen without a guide. These sites are even more fabulous than those at Bandelier - more intact, more advanced. 

There was a driving loop that provided easy access to several of the archeological sites. We enjoyed seeing how the Ancestral Puebloans lived, and how they developed their living spaces over time. 

The drive back down the mountain was clear of cloud, revealing the incredible views from the Mesa that we'd been oblivious to on the way up. As far as we could see, the country was blanketed in snow, with huge mountains rising all about us. It was a fantastic experience. 

Bandelier National Monument

A delicious room service breakfast and we were on our way north to Bandelier National Monument to see the cliff dwellings.

We took a short detour via Los Alamos, a sleepy town renowned for developing the atomic bomb in the mid 1940s. We took our photo with Dr Oppenheimer, and had to show ID (Dom was impressed) to travel past the research facilities (one of only two in the US classified to undertake nuclear weapons research).

Bandelier National Monument ('park' to the Aussies) has a modern information centre and gift shop. Some of the camping facilities were washed away in a flood in late 2011, and haven't been repaired yet. 

A five minute walk presented the first of the Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings, hewn and built into the sandstone from 1150 to 1550 CE. The architecture and detail is impressive. 

A further 30 minutes upstream brought us to the Alcove House, 140 feet above the canyon floor, accessible via stairs and ladders. 

From Bandelier, we crossed the forest covered mountains (to a height of almost 10,000 feet!) to Cuba (not the hand-rolled cigar Cuba) where the temperature plummeted. 

A windy drive on the highway north, dodging tumble weeds and dust, with nodding donkeys, burning gas wells and oil refineries for company, saw us to Durango, Colorado. Dom saw several high speed convoys of blackened windowed oil exploration vehicles overtake us. (Why didn't I? I'm pretty practised at high speed napping)

Having checked out the accommodation choices in Durango on the internet, we turned into the Doubletree by Hilton, and scored a large room and free breakfast. It was very cold by this time, and it had started snowing intermittently at ground level (which was 7000 ish feet above sea level!). Dinner was across the highway in town, at a brew bar. The town itself was quaint, and reminded us of a cross between Aspen and Glenwood Springs, which we visited last April.

Santa Fe

New Mexico is nicknamed 'Land of Enchantment', is ranked 36th of the states in population size and 5th in land area. The capital is Santa Fe, where we are bound for today. 

Neither of us has been to either of these cities, and I have not been to New Mexico before.

We took a smaller highway between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, as it was only an hour's drive. It was beautiful countryside - mountains with a little snow still on the peaks, canyons coloured in layers, cactus flowers and sage bush. 

We stopped on the outskirts of town at an outlet mall and Boot Barn, and a small taqueria for a fabulous lunch. The proprietor was a very helpful Mexican man who guided our choices. 

Santa Fe township is an attractive place, of traditional buildings set around a square. We really liked the cool vibe here, and happily wandered the shops and churches, soaking in the atmosphere. We'd been warned that it was four times more expensive than Albuquerque, but I'd happily have paid it for the experience. 

I had pre-booked into the Rosewood Inn of the Anasazi on Washington Avenue, in the middle of town. It was not cheap, but it was worth the pennies. The hotel is beautifully presented, in traditional architecture of the area, in an excellent location. We were upgraded to a large king room, with sitting area and fire place. It was comfortable, quiet, and luxurious. 

We settled in and then headed out on foot to explore the town.

Albuquerque

Departure from LAX was on time, and the flight smooth. It was an hour and a half flight through clear skies. The earth beneath was a kaleidoscope of colours and textures, with rivers and canyons and dusty roads stretching out far into every direction. 

Albuquerque airport was a hassle free experience. Our bags had made the journey as well, so we hopped on the shuttle bus to the car hire offices. No problem there either - we ended up with a Ford Explorer, quite new, very comfortable. 

It was a short drive to Downtown and the Hotel Andaluz. 

Check-in time was 3pm, but we asked politely (plaintively?) whether we could access the room early. Ten minutes later, permission granted, and gratefully into bed for a nap.

Our room is on the 9th floor, with a view towards the airport and the mountains beyond. Very nicely furnished, spacious and comfortable.

Not knowing much about Albuquerque, we took a town map from reception and headed off on foot for the Old Town. Despite being a Thursday afternoon and this the most populous city in New Mexico, we didn't see many people out and about, or even much traffic. We saw lovely tree lined streets off the main road, and a mix of architectural styles from 1950's brick office buildings to weatherboard houses to the traditional style houses and buildings - low rise, no eaves, thick walls.

We wandered through the Old Town centre, which was lined with tourist shops selling shirts and traditional blankets and rugs. Keen to try the local food, we shared a Mexican tasting plate and beers, with a view of the plaza. 

As we had not come across a taxi, and it was still daylight at 7pm, we decided to walk back to the hotel, where we enjoyed the view of the mountains at sunset from the second floor terrace attached to the in-house tapas restaurant, Más. Best mojito I've ever tasted, made from tequila rather than rum. 

In Transit

We departed a little late due to technical issues, but arrived on time. 

I feel very lucky to have the time and means to travel, and someone wonderful to share the experiences with, but half way through these 12 hour crossings I consider the sanity of it all. 

It was a crowded flight. The Qantas crew were fabulous - happy and always ready to help and chat, regardless of the hour. 

We arrived at the new Tom Bradley terminal. LAX is the only international airport that I've come across in the world that has no duty free on the way in. 

The wait at immigration was about 40 minutes. It seems very slow when you have a connecting flight. There's a new system, though, called Global Entry, I think, where pre-registered passengers can pass through without visiting with an official. I'll check it out for next time. 

Whilst in the line we chatted to a guy who told us that our connection would require a bus transfer. I'm so pleased we got that info, as it's a bit schmozzle and we could easily have dallied and not left enough time. 

So, from immigration, we collected our bags, passed through customs (fast), walked up ramps to the connecting flight bag drop, outside and turned right for Terminal 4, upstairs, in a line for security, took shoes and belts off, through the scanner, down the concourse to our 'gate', stood in line, onto a bus which proceeded to drive on a four lane 'road' on the tarmac, in between taxiing and starting jets (which was fun for plane geeks) to a very small terminal! 

Safely in our correct terminal, we managed to grab our first, awful American coffee. 

Why did I tell you that? Just in case you need to transit in LA. It's tough work after a long flight. Patience is required. 

We're onboard our American Eagle CRJ, ready to go to Albuquerque. 

What is it about the USA

...that draws us back so often?

I am asked this question often, and not surprisingly, when we are about to set off again to explore that big country, less than three months from our last visit. 

We enjoy the variety and vastness of the landscape, the friendliness of the people, the long concrete highways umbrellad by the bleached blue sky, the beautifully kept National Parks, the bucolic permanence of rural America. And to be honest, the outlet malls and gas guzzling cars and trucks! 

This time we are connecting through Los Angeles to Albuquerque, where we'll hire a car and drive to Santa Fe, Bandelier National Monument, Durango, Mesa Verde, Page, Antelope Canyon, Zion National Park, Page, Las Vegas, Death Valley, and Los Angeles. 

That's the plan. However, we have only booked the first night and last nights' accommodation, so anything could happen! I am not a huge fan of 'winging' an international holiday, but there are definitely times when this relaxed approach is warranted. 

We are between seasons so we shouldn't run the risk of places being closed due to Winter, or fully booked due to high Summer. 

Check in was a breeze, thanks to the (somewhat hard to identify) Qantas Club lane. Pleasant staff checked us all the way through to Albuquerque, despite me booking the tickets separately. Swiftly through immigration, and into the Qantas Club for a coffee, where we sat next to the entire Queensland Reds rugby team, enroute to New Zealand for a weekend match. 

It's a lovely day here in Brisbane. The plane is here and we're boarding soon. Farewell. News from the other side.