By Lori Dickens April 2, 2024
To begin, I’d like to thank Jim for allowing me to post the blog for our recent trip to Grand Canyon and Zion.
“History belongs to those who write it.” -J Stanion
So – this history belongs to me!
Growing up, my family did not travel very often or very far. Our big adventures took us to destinations like: Milwaukee, WI , Springfield, IL, and Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. My biggest adventures began 36 years ago when Jim and I got married.
This year, Jim’s anniversary gift to me was a trip to see the Grand Canyon. Jim, knowing I had never seen it, planned a trip just for me. To be transparent, Jim plans ALL the trips. This trip, however, focused on Lori favorites – foregoing any side trips to fish or golf.
Over the years, Jim told me about his visit to the Grand Canyon which took place approximately 50 years ago. According to Dickens family lore, Mom and Dad loaded the boys and the dog into the old Cadillac and camped their way across the United States from Towanda, Pennsylvania to Grand Canyon National Park – more than 2,000 miles of travel one way with no “screen time” to break up the monotony of some of the less picturesque states. Apparently playing cards was the favorite pastime using the dog’s back for the card table and sometimes dealing him a hand. Dad had read all about the Canyon and the national parks and shared the information with the boys who ungraciously renamed the Grand Canyon – the Big Bore Canyon. Jim remembers not really being able to climb around enough – too many beautiful vistas – not enough action.
Our trip to the canyon started on March 17th – St Patrick’s day. We flew from Chicago to Phoenix landing in time to drive to Sloan Park in Mesa to see a Cub’s Spring Training game. Sloan Park was packed with families, some baseball fans, and many drunk St. Patrick day celebrants drinking green beer out of plastic baseball bats and wearing shirts with “Kiss me I’m a Cub’s Fan” emblazoned on the front. We enjoyed several innings of baseball and people watching in the warm Arizona sun – it was fun and relaxing and not at all boring. We jumped in our car and headed up to Flagstaff. We spent the night at the Little America Hotel – a beautiful, wooded property. We had the privilege of seeing the Kaibab squirrel. They are cute little tassel- eared guys who live in an area of 20 by 40 miles. A rare find and definitely not boring.
We got up and out early to head to the El Tovar lodge and to get a first glimpse of the Grand Canyon. We didn’t see the canyon until we parked our car in the park right near the lodge. We got out after the 2 hour drive and there it was – so beautiful I was overwhelmed and couldn’t help tearing up.
Though the rooms at the El Tovar are small and the lodge is dark inside even when the sun is blazing outside – it was the perfect place to be. We saw the sun rise and set over the canyon. The magnificent view was right outside our window. We were treated with an amazing rainbow when we exited the shuttle bus at the trail head. We spent the first day hiking around the rim which was gorgeous. The next day we got an early start so we could hike down in- Jim couldn’t wait to be in it. We hiked down the South Kaibab Trail. After a rainy night, the trail was muddy and slick. Signs recommended you wear cramp-ons which we did not have. They also cautioned you to bring lots of water and not over-do. The hike was worth every slippery step. The vistas changed throughout our hike. We trekked down to Skeleton Point – halfway to the bottom of the canyon. The hike out was less strenuous and slippery than I feared and gave us a completely different perspective. The sights traveling into the canyon were very different than what we saw hiking out. We saw two California condors riding the thermals overhead – happy to know these magnificent birds are making a comeback. At the end of the day – we agreed – it was another wonderful, not boring day.
The last leg of our journey was a 4 hour drive to Zion National Park. We were not the only ones with the great idea of visiting this breathtaking place. We jammed on the shuttle bus to hike near the narrows. The popular destination was full of visitors decked out in neoprene outfits. It was very pretty but we hoped for a different vibe which we found the next day. After rejecting several hikes proposed by an exhausted park ranger at the end of his shift, he suggested a hike that might rank as our favorite ever. We hiked a secluded, often sandy trail where we flushed out mule deer and heard and saw lots of beautiful birds. We saw another California condor. On our 11-mile journey that day, we only met a handful of other hikers. It was another fantastic encounter with nature.
I am so grateful I had this trip and the opportunity to visit these iconic sights. In 36 years, Jim has arranged many adventures. I can say with complete conviction that nothing about any of this trip or any of the past 36 years has been a bore. And I hope to keep adventuring along with my buddy for a long time to come.
R1T Tour 