Travelling outfits

Part of the series: Vancouver to the Grand Canyon and Back Again!

<<     Day 12 - Home again, home again...

Arriving in Denver

I'm sitting here in the Denver airport, exhausted after a failed attempt to get home, too little sleep in another hotel bed, mainlining coffee, and wearing the most casual clothing I could find in my suitcase and I'm just flabbergasted by the business travellers walking past me in their suits.

Don't they know that airplanes are uncomfortable, and crowded, and that travelling is almost always done in a completely slouched position????

Seriously.

I'm wearing leggings under my skirt and a sports bra because I twist around in my seat so much that it is practically indecent if I don't wear leggings, and bras are just REALLY uncomfortable when you slouch for 5 hours straight.

Which may be too much information for some people who read this blog, but there you have it. When I travel, I wear comfy clothes. 

Because what if (just as an example) your flight from Salt Lake City is delayed by 2 1/2 hours, and then you board your connecting flight in Denver, taxi out, return to the gate, sit while they fix the left-side air conditioning unit and top up the fuel, take off, then return to the airport and deplane while they attempt to fix the right-side air conditioning that malfunctioned during take off, and then, once the entire airport has closed, they decide to cancel the flight because they just can't fix the plane, and so you stand in line for an hour getting re-booked for the next day, finally arriving in a comped hotel at 2 in the morning? Just as an example. 

I, for one, would not like to have been stuck in a suit for that entire time.

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Day 12 - Home again, home again...

Part of the series: Vancouver to the Grand Canyon and Back Again!

<<     Day 11 - The Vermilion Cliffs

Travelling outfits     >>

My flight left at noon on Wednesday out of Salt Lake City and so we had breakfast in Provo and then started driving again.

It was a very hard plane to get on, considering I knew what still lay ahead on the return road trip to Vancouver, but I had run out of vacation days and so had no choice but to go home.

Sea gull by the Sea Lion Caves, Oregon coast

Trip Review

This road trip was by far the best I've ever been on.

The credit for that goes completely to Angharad, who had every hotel booked, knew the travel time for each day, brought maps with details on getting to each hotel to make sure we never got lost, and planned the perfect amount of activity and down time.

Cost-wise, our hotels averaged $130/night with the exception of San Francisco and Williams. San Francisco was ~$250/night and Williams was $150 including the train ticket into the Grand Canyon.

We also spent two nights at a friend's house in Los Angeles which had no cost.

The total cost for me for hotels was $620.
My flight (Regina - Vancouver, Salt Lake City - Regina) was another $550.00.
Other costs included activities, gas, and food for the trip, which all came to just over $1500 for a 12-day tour of the Western US coast and the Grand Canyon.

The route we took is one I absolutely recommend - I can't think of anything that we passed by without stopping at on our way from Newport to Los Angeles. And of all the things we stopped for, I can't think of any that I would discourage people from visiting. The Sea Lion Caves smelled, but they were interesting and worth seeing once.

San Francisco needs more than two days to fully appreciate, but it was a great introduction to that city.

Me at the Grand Canyon

For me, the two days we spent in Los Angeles was enough, but that could depend on what you wanted to see and do there.

The train ride into the Grand Canyon was a unique experience that I would recommend to anyone, especially if you have a young family. I would like to go back some day, maybe when I get the nerve up to hike or ride a mule down into the canyon. Or raft through it... something more than just look at it.

The Vermilion Cliffs were beautiful, and I believe them to be just a taste of what can be seen in Utah, which makes me very interested in touring the parks there.

And now, back to work I go, dreaming of my next destination. Hopefully you're inspired to do the same!

Sunrise on the beach at Bandon, Oregon

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Day 11 - The Vermilion Cliffs

Part of the series: Vancouver to the Grand Canyon and Back Again!

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Day 12 - Home again, home again...     >>

Navajo Bridge, Arizona

Tuesday we left Flagstaff for Provo via the Vermilion Cliffs.

What a great day that was! You would think that after spending almost two weeks together we would have been done, but we still had a few laughs in us.

Angharad had some postcards to mail, so we stopped at a Post Office/Trading Post where she got her mail sent and we did a little bit of souvenir shopping.

It was Very Hot driving through that desert!

Colorado River, photo taken from the Navajo Bridge, Arizona

Then we continued north until we got to the Navajo Bridge, at which point the road went west along the base of the Vermilion Cliffs National Monument.

We drove along the monument and then the road veered up into some pretty impressive hills. We stopped at a couple of places where there were signs for condors, but unfortunately, none were to be seen.

Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona

Looking for buzzards

Finally it was lunchtime, and we found a perfect lookout point with a shaded picnic table and so we stopped and had lunch there.

I'm still a little fuzzy on the details, but at some point, I was sitting on the edge of the wall looking out over the scenery, and Juanita had a very vivid vision of me getting carried away by a buzzard which actually caused her to scream... and then we were laughing again to the point of tears while we ate our lunch.

(Part of the reason I was laughing was because the word buzzard reminds me of this Get Fuzzy comic...)

After lunch, we packed everything back into the car and drove to Provo for supper and the night.

It might be a buzzard...

Sunflower at the side of Highway 89A, Utah

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Day 10 - The Grand Canyon

Part of the series: Vancouver to the Grand Canyon and Back Again!

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Day 11 - The Vermilion Cliffs     >>

Train ride into the Grand Canyon

Our hotel in Williams included a train ride into the Grand Canyon Village, so after enjoying a breakfast buffet, we boarded the train and were on our way.

Each car in the train had an emcee who made sure we were informed about the scenery we passed on the way as well as some history of the area. There were also musicians who went from car to car, playing a few songs in each.

All in all, I highly recommend that package; the only small negative I would have to say is that with the one-day train ride, you only have about 4 hours at the Grand Canyon to explore. For us, that was a  very small negative, in fact almost a positive as it was another scorching day, Angharad is super sensitive to the heat, and I am super sensitive to the sun. Between us, 4 hours was lots of time to get to a lot of the scenic lookouts and not so much time that we were completely overwhelmed from the heat and sun.

The train got us back into Williams around 6pm, and we found a restaurant where we had supper before watching a "wild west re-enactment" in the street.

Afterwards, we headed out to Flagstaff for the night, getting us that much further along the road for Tuesday, which was going to be a long driving day.

Santa's Village

Sleeping Man

Grand Canyon Village station

Boarded by outlaws!

Group selfie at the edge of the canyon

Mule train coming up the canyon

The Grand Canyon, Arizona

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Day 11 - The Vermilion Cliffs     >>

Day 9 - Los Angeles to Williams

Part of the series: Vancouver to the Grand Canyon and Back Again!

<<     Day 8 - Getty Center

Day 10 - The Grand Canyon     >>

Colorado River at the Arizona border

After meeting on Sunday morning and lunch with some more friends, we hit the road again, this time heading to Arizona, where we were spending the night in Williams before taking the train into the Grand Canyon on Monday.

Hot. Very, Very Hot.

It was a beautiful day to be driving, although it was VERY hot - 41°C (106°F)! We made sure we had lots of coffee, water, and gasoline, and then set ourselves to enjoying the scenery which was beautiful, as usual.

As an aside, I have never yet found nature anywhere to be absolutely ugly. There is always some beauty to be seen.

Part of our route was on Route 66, and at one point when I needed a bathroom stop, we chose the Roadkill Cafe, which had a few signs that I found amusing...

Evening temperature in the desert

Sun setting on the hills on the road to Williams

Roadkill Parking ONLY

Sunset reflection

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Day 8 - Getty Center

Part of the series: Vancouver to the Grand Canyon and Back Again!

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Day 9 - Los Angeles to Williams >>

Sculpture of someone enjoying the view

Saturday morning Juanita left with Dale to spend the day together, and Angharad and I stayed with our hostess, who was taking us to the Getty Center for the day. The museum was very interesting; we all grabbed an event and exhibit guide, arranged to meet for lunch later, and then explored on our own. I took the architectural tour which was very interesting.

Another reminder of Paris - love these trees!

If you like art and architecture and landscaping and you have time, I would recommend spending a day at the Getty Center; admission is free (excepting food, drinks, and the gift shop) with the cost of parking, which is $15 for a day.


After exhausting ourselves with culture we headed back to the house, where we made Nanaimo bars for a potluck supper and sing later that evening.

All in all, it was another lovely day, spent learning new things (i.e. how to crack a macadamia nut - with a butter knife!!) and meeting new people.

Getty Center Gardens

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Day 7 - Los Angeles

Part of the series: Vancouver to the Grand Canyon and Back Again!

<<     Hearst Castle

Day 8 - Getty Center     >>

The United States of America flag

On July 4th, we headed into Los Angeles from Santa Barbara. The plan, which worked out perfectly was that we would me up with Juanita's friend Dale, and he would take us to his friend's house where we would be staying until Sunday.

Los Angeles Times

Walt Disney Concert Hall

We arrived in LA on schedule for mid-morning, and got settled in at our host's before heading out on a guided tour by Dale. His mom, sister, and a friend came along, and we headed into downtown LA, where I was very happily surprised to find that there was basically no traffic on the streets. To the point where we barely had to look before crossing the street.

Rose Fountain

Walt Disney Hall Community Park

Union Station, Los Angeles

We wandered to Olvera Street for a late lunch, and then got on the subway for one stop to get back to downtown where we had parked. We wandered past the Walt Disney Concert Hall and admired the rose fountain there before heading out to Hollywood.

After supper, we met the rest of Dale's family and watched the Independence Day fireworks.

It was a fun, exhausting day, and being someone who doesn't like crowds of people, I highly recommend touring LA on a summer statutory holiday; it seems as though the locals abandon the city for the beach.

Rodeo Drive

Sunset Blvd

Tourist lookout for Hollywood sign 

Also, if at all possible, get someone local to take you around so that you don't get stuck looking at the Hollywood sign from miles away like the rest of the tourists who don't know any better than to follow the signs.

Hanging out at the entrance to the trail

...which we were absolutely supposed to be on...

Hollywood, Los Angeles

Sun setting behind palm trees

Happy Independence Day!

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Hearst Castle

Part of the series: Vancouver to the Grand Canyon and Back Again!

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Day 7 - Los Angeles     >>

Hearst Castle

Hearst Castle is a big house on top of a big hill with beautiful grounds that include 4 4-bedroom cottages surrounding it. It was built by a very rich man and his family who liked to collect very old European things (like ceilings!!) that are still in the main building.

...Did you know that ceilings could be collected? I certainly didn't.

And although I looked, I did not see any zebras, which the family let go into the hills when they were forced to sell the property and shut down their private zoo.

If you have time, stop at Hearst Castle and take a tour of the house and grounds; even without the interesting background story, the view alone is worth it. But then again, I'm a sucker for a great view. And intricate tiles.

Main Building at Hearst Castle

Landscaping at Hearst Castle

Looking out across a terrace to the ocean

Private view to the ocean from one of the cottages

A fountain on the grounds

Birds circling along the coast

After leaving the castle, we stopped once more to try and get a picture of some California condors as they circled in the sky along the coast.

We spent the night in Santa Barbara, and drove into Los Angeles on the morning of Independence Day.

My best shot - is it even a California condor?

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