Bike rental

At the grand canyon, I would like to rent a bike.

I thought we could go down the canyon in the morning and do a bike ride in the afternoon.

here is the website for bike ride (I got this website from the Grand Canyon National Park website)

http://bikegrandcanyon.com/

The bike rentals are not cheap - as you can see in the chart below.

I chose for now the Orange route. It's faster, and we will be going the other way than when we go down the Grand Canyon, so we cover more places like that.

Itinerary - apparently final

seems like I have finally come up with an itinerary.

Doesn't it sound like a plan?

Historic route 66

It turns out that if you are in Kingman, AZ, you are at the Historic Route 66.


I thought we had to get out of town and drive miles to end to get the feeling of the historic route. Go out of our way (route 40), delay our Grand Canyon trip in half an hour, to get the feeling for that historic route.

But, no, it goes right through Kingman, and they acutally pride themselves in letting others know that they are the heart of it.

http://www.gokingman.com/

So I figure we can drive up to a local diner for dinner. I looked on the website quoted above, and found several places for all kinds of tastes. They do have several national chains, and several western chains. But they also have local flavors, so we went for that.

http://www.mrdzrt66diner.com/

Your Flight Schedule has been changed

So on February 2nd we got and Email from the Airline saying that our schedule had been changed.
the Change? Oh, it was a minor little thing - just a four hour earlier schedule !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What that means is that instead of leaving at 6:45 (Dean leaves work at 5), we would leave at 2:30 pm. So Dean would have to leave work at lunch time!!!!!

Are you serious?

When I called and asked why, they said it was a change in FAA regulations.

Nice.

Well, we want a refund for the non-refundable flight.
And they had to give it to us, because they had nothing else that fit our needs.

Now we had to buy Southwest for an extra $60 a piece, adding $120 to our then-so-cheap trip.

Thanks, Delta.

plans and back up plans of itineraries

The itinerary of a trip are usually the hardest part to get it right.

Trying to fit all things we want to see and do in an order that makes sense with only limited information about each place and traffic and weather conditions is no piece of cake.

How to make sure we don't keep going back and forth in useless waste-of-time-and-money loops. So this is a print-screen of our itinerary options.

Preparing the mood - Movies and shows

One of the things I do to get in the mood for my trip is watch shows related to it.

I usually watch travel shows, but in the case of this trip, there are plenty of movies that I want to knock off my bucket list before I go.

1 - Wyatt Earp - a 1994 movie with Kevin Costner
2 - Tombstone - a 1993 movie with Kurt Russel
3 - The Painted Desert - an old cowboy movie with Clark Gable.

Tombstone

As I looked through the tourism magazine I signed up for on the Arizona website, I found interesting places to include as part of a south section of our trip.

The Tucson Area has several of such places. Starting with Tombstone, the town where the famous OK Corral Shooting happened. I went to the Chamber of Commerce of Tombstone website, and I realized that there is a lot to see in Tombstone, even though it is a tiny little place (population = 1,380). So the mount of things I found on the Chamber of Commerce website might not fit in a day. So I still have to decide whether those activities are worth a second day, or whether we should pick a couple of them and move on. I don't want to do too much of the same.

I have also been looking at lodging, and I liked the lodging in Sierra Vista - nice and  reasonably priced. But I have to make it fit with other trip plans, and prioritize the things we really want to do.

I will look at it with more depth. I also need to read more about the OK Corral story.

Here are the two places that I think we must see:


1 -
The Tombstone Courthouse and State Historic Park is a building from 1882 that is in the shape of a Roman cross.
They hold exhibitions in the building that used to be the location of the sheriff's office, recorder, treasurer, board of supervisors, jail and courtroom. And they have pace where hangings used to happen.

Admission for the building and exhibition is $5.00 per adult and it is open 7days a week, from 9 to 5.


2 - 
The OK Corral site. The problem is that it looks very cool, but the website gives no information about the admission price. All it says is
  Admission (kids under 6 free)

Are you for kidding me?
I am sending them a little note on that typo.

Raft trip

I was back and forth today changing plans. Everything in that part of the the country is so far away.
 Apparently there is such a thing as a raft trip down the Colorado River that starts at the Glen Canyon Dam.

One things that is GOOD TO KNOW - THEIR CARRY-ON POLICY: no bags allowed unless clear plastic. no bags means even camera cases!!!! you can take your wallet and your camera, but not your  non-see-through pocket book.

http://raftthecanyon.com/

They have full day trips (6.5 hours) for $111 a  person with lunch included and half day trips for $91 a person (we figure about 3 hours) without lunch.

I figure 3 hours are enough of a boat trip. And we don't have to eat there. We can eat cheap later. In the afternoon we can tour the Glen Canyon Dam and Overlook Lake Powell. We will probably sleep over in Page, AZ and hit our next spot the next day. Still deciding whether or not to go see the 4 corners monument.



Here is a description of both 1/2 and full day trips - straight from their website:

HALF DAY (they say it is the most popular - probably because most people don't want to spend 6.5 hours in a boat):

From March 1 through April 30, we offer one raft trip per day departing at 11:00 a.m. From May 1 through September 30, we offer two daily raft departures at 7:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. From October 1 through November 30, we offer one raft trip per day departing at 11:00 a.m. All trips start from the town of Page, AZ.
The half day rafting adventures include water and canned drinks aboard each of the rafts. Our Bistro bag lunches can be purchased at the River’s End Café and are a great way to enjoy a delicious meal on the Colorado River.
Please come to our rafting headquarters in Page, AZ at least 30 minutes before your tour departure time to check in.
All Colorado River Discovery river trips begin with an exciting ride down the two-mile long Glen Canyon Dam access tunnel. With the dam soaring 700 feet above you, you will board a motorized pontoon raft for your journey downstream, where you will experience one of the most dramatic stretches of river found in the western United States.
While underway, your experienced guide will tell the area’s story of soaring sandstone cliffs, crystal blue-green waters, abundant wildlife, former inhabitation by native cultures, exploration by Major John Wesley Powell, and the Colorado River’s modern role in the Southwest’s water and power delivery system.
Your trip will also include a stop to view ancient petroglyphs left by Ancestral Puebloan peoples.


 FULL DAY
The Full Day Motor Rafting excursion is perfect for those that have a day to experience all that the mighty Colorado River has to offer through the entire Glen Canyon stretch.  You will experience majestic Navajo sandstone cliff walls, ancient Native American petroglyphs, incredible wildlife, and amazing scenery around every bend on this 15.5 miles smooth water rafting trip.
You day will begin at the Colorado River Discovery Welcome Center.  Upon check in, you will be greeted by our friendly staff and oriented with the details of your day on the River.  You will then be transported down a 2 mile tunnel through the walls of the canyon, exiting out at the base of the Glen Canyon Dam.  Here, you will meet your experienced river guide and begin your journey down one of the most incredible stretches of the Colorado River.  Your guide will regale you will their knowledge of the human and natural history of Glen Canyon.
Half way through your trip, we will stop at Petroglyph Beach.  You will have a chance to stretch your legs, use the restroom, take a dip in the cold clear waters of the River, and take a short hike to view ancient petroglyphs left by the Native American tribes of the area.
We will continue through iconic Horseshoe Bend and end your trip at historic Lees Ferry.  Our clean, air conditioned motor coach will meet you at Lees Ferry for the 90 mile ride back to our Welcome Center in Page, AZ
Door to door, this trip is approximately 6.5 hours long and includes water, lemonade and a Bistro bag lunch.