Serendipity is a funny word and an interesting experience when it happens to you. Looking for some more wisdom in my monkey mind, I stumbled upon BeCurrent meditation classes with the aerial meditation in green silk hammocks hanging from ceiling hooks. The first class is free (and got me hooked btw) and there is a table you congregate at afterwards to have some tea and chat if you feel like it. It was there that I met the mom of the owner of Grand Canyon Adventures and so starts the story of checking off another bucket list item.
Since tours begin at the Flagstaff, AZ location downtown, it is best to stay as close as possible and they will even pick you up at your hotel! I opted for a guest house at a ranch on AirBnB in the middle of nowhere in Parks, AZ about a half hour away where I met a handsome ham of a horse that had sparkling blue eyes. Meeting time was 8:30 a.m. at the Flagstaff address and I arrived early as usual and not very awake. Key things you will need on the tour: sunscreen all over any exposed body parts, drink tons more water than you think you even need and take your time – as much as you can, that is.
Grand Canyon Adventures offers daily Grand Canyon tours from Flagstaff to the South Rim, Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend, as well as private tours and Grand Canyon Hiking Tours (which is what I thought we were doing). But instead we climbed in an air conditioned van with a cooler full of soda, water and basket full of snacks and headed out for a 75 mile drive to the South Rim area. It is important to note that normally one cars cost $35 to enter the Grand Canyon on your own, however seniors have special discounts available.
Our very knowledgeable Google-like guide, Ryan, filled us full of fun facts along the way and broke things down for us from area laws to tourist traps. We had the inside scoop. Our first stop was a pit-stop at the Trading Post, where you can book a room and get some nice mini canyon views from the nearby bridge.
We hit the road again and eventually landed at the Desert View with watchtower on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Photos and video just don’t do the Grand Canyon justice, it’s truly breathtaking!
We ate through the snack bag on the road back and some people even took a nap. I need to learn this witchery as I am sitting-up nap resistant. Melanie and I went to get some grub in “Flag” as the locals call it at Root Public House where I inhaled a chefs preference (always) cooked burger and fries. It’s amazing to me that this inspiring landscape is so close to me now and makes me happy to return, absorb and maybe stay in the canyon next time! For those who don’t like to DIY, we highly recommend these guys to explore Arizona.
Grand Canyon Adventures also offers Grand Canyon tours from Flagstaff, tours to Antelope Canyon and Horsebend (aka Horseshoe Bend), day hiking tours and tours to Sedona. And for those who aren’t so fancy, Grand Canyon National Park has an excellent bus system that will take to all major locations along the South Rim.