Round The World and other travel

By air and by shuttle

I had set my alarm for 0700 in order to ensure that I would be ready in plenty of time for my scenic flight, preferably with breakfast digested. As I contemplated getting out of bed, it suddenly occurred to me that there was something about the light creeping in from gaps in the curtains

that didn't look quite right. I looked outside and, sure enough, it appeared that the area had received a good overnight soaking. This was not a welcome development, especially with a sightseeing flight already booked!

I drove round to the airport after breakfast, with encouraging signs of better weather on the way, and finalised my booking. It got rather busy when a coach-load of Koreans suddenly showed up.

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(Link to flight log in side panel)

That flight proved to be one of the most memorable experiences of the entire trip. It hadn't seemed especially bumpy at the time, yet I felt just a teensy bit woozy for a couple of minutes after returning to terra firma. I briefly returned to the hotel, simply because it was on my way, and had a fast food lunch in Tusayan in a restaurant that unexpectedly resounded to the strains of Mozart. I didn't remember fast food ever being like this, but needless to say I was lovin' it!

After this unexpected and somewhat incongruous cultural interlude, I drove back into the National Park, intent on exploring the section of the south rim to the west of Mather viewpoint. This section of the road was closed to private cars and could only be accessed using the park's shuttle buses. I was going to have to take the Blue Route to Grand Canyon Village and then the Red Route to Hermit's Rest. It seemed bit of a faff, but I could understand the problem faced by the Park administration when the levels of traffic started to overwhelm the available infrastructure. I made a stop at the Powell Monument and walked the short distance from there to Hopi Point. My other stops were at Mohave Point and then Hermit's Rest itself, from where I rode non-stop (apart from the change of buses from Red Line to Blue Line) back to where I had abandoned the car.

I had a quiet evening back at the hotel in Tusayan.