LAST DAY IN GRAND CANYON

On my last day at Grand Canyon, we tried to fit everything we had not seen or done into one day.

We packed a lunch, snacks, and water and decided to use the shuttle bus system to see the west side of the canyon.  Remember me talking about the hike that I asked the Ranger about?  He explained it to me and told me that he recommended the hike to Ooh Ahh Point instead?  Well, the original hike I talked to him about was on the west end of the canyon.  It starts at Bright Angel Trailhead.

Bright Angel Trail is not as steep as the other trail.  There are 2 short tunnels located close to the top of the trail.  They are Upper Tunnel and Lower Tunnel.  Original names, huh?  We decided to hike down to Upper Tunnel.  It wasn’t far.

Upper Tunnel

 

The west end is also where Hermit’s Rest is.  Supposedly, Louis Boucher, was a hermit who lived in this part of the canyon.  However, when I reached Hermit’s Rest, there was information on this guy. Seems he saw an opportunity in tourism and built a remote lodge that he promoted and rented to tourist.

A sign right outside of Hermit's Nest

Replica of the hearth area of the original lodge

One of the stops was where most of the mining had taken place.  It started out as a copper mine, then a silver mine, and then became the biggest supplier of uranium in the USA for many years during the Cold War.  Who knew?  We sat at another stopping points and ate our lunch.  How often can you picnic and look at the Grand Canyon?

 

This formation is called The Battleship. It has many caves and openings.  California condors live in  this rock formation.

 

On our way back, we decided to stop at the lodges and look around.  There is Bright Angel Lodge and El Tovar Lodge.  We had eaten dinner one night at the Arizona Room at the Bright Angel Lodge and it is right on the rim.  The food was just OK, but the view was great.

Bright Angel Lodge

Bright Angel Lodge Lobby

One of the hallways

The El Tovar Hotel is a former Harvey House hotel situated directly on the south rim of the Grand Canyon. The hotel was opened in 1905 as one of a chain of hotels and restaurants owned and operated by the Fred Harvey Company in conjunction with the Santa Fe railway. It is at the northern terminus of the Grand Canyon Railway, which was formerly a branch of the Santa Fe. The hotel is one of only a handful of Harvey House facilities that are still in operation, and is an early example of the style that would evolve into National Park Service Rustic architecture. The Hotel is also featured in the 1983 film, National Lampoon's Vacation.

Outside of the El Tovar

The flag flying on the rim of the canyon by the El Tovar

 

All the rockers on the front porch.

At one area in the park was the Pioneer Cemetery.  Most of the founders of the canyon and most of the people who have worked at the canyon for many years are buried there.  Some of the graves have been there since the 1800s and the markers are no longer readable.  Some of the markers I found to be interesting.

 

 

 

There is a headstone with the names of some of the people who were killed in the plane crash over the Grand Canyon. Their remains are buried in this cemetery. The 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision occurred on Saturday, June 30, 1956 at 10:30 am Pacific Standard Time when a United Airlines Douglas DC-7 struck a Trans World Airlines Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation over the Grand Canyon in Arizona, resulting in the crash of both airliners. All 128 on board both flights perished. It was the first commercial airline crash to result in more than 100 deaths, and led to sweeping changes in the control of flights in the United States. The location of the crash has been designated a National Historic Landmark.

There always has to be a phone man.

Before I went to the Grand Canyon, I had several people tell me that it was just a hole in the ground.  It is not just a hole in the ground.  It is amazing.  After visiting here, I really want my kids and my grandkids to visit.  Words and pictures can't begin to describe it.

The company, Xterra, is now running a lot of the park.  They hire all the bus drivers doing the shuttle buses.  They hire all the employees who work at the lodges, the restaurants, the stores.  They employ the maintenance people, they own/run the RV section, and most everything else.  In fact, one of the bus drivers said he had been employed there 31 years.  However, they have sections in the park where the employees can live.  These areas are junkie and trashy looking.  It ruins the whole spirit and atmosphere of the park.  Too bad.