Travels with Kenny

Thursday, July 29, 2010. We're in a cafeteria in Grand Canyon National Park trying to remember what we did since our last blog. Oh yeah...on Monday, 7/26, Chris and Neal took us to Coronado to visit the Hotel del Coronado, where part of Some Like it Hot was shot. It's the largest remaining wooden hotel in the US. Just beautiful! In 1963 an entree in the hotel's dining room cost $2.50. How times change. Had dinner at a "happenin place," per Neal, called Fresh Greens and then returned home to pack and watch Star Wars. Tuesday morning we bade the Wichards a fond farewell and headed to the Grand Canyon. We stayed overnight in Flagstaff and had dinner at "Black Barts" on Christine's recommendation. It looks like an old western saloon, with a piano player and waitstaff that hop on the stage and sing between serving. Very entertaining, and good food.

You can't describe the Grand Canyon in mere words: it really is more than just a big hole. You have to see it to appreciate its beauty and enormity. We walked along the Rim Trail (flat) and took a brief hike on Bright Angel Trail (not flat). Fortunately, the weather here has been much cooler and cloudier than normal, so we've been able to hike around without dying in the heat. People do die in the heat here. We took a very strenuous hike this morning down into the canyon on the South Kaibab Trail that would have been a killer if it weren't cloudy. Very steep. We started the hike with a ranger at 7AM. They tell you to stop hiking by 10 because of the heat. After the hike, we changed our sweaty clothes and hopped on the free shuttle to explore the park more leisurely. Now 7PM and time to get Serry to think about eating. Tomorrow we will do more of the canyon before leaving for Hoover Dam.