TRAVEL WORDS

The Canyon Circle Road Trip: Part I

A Road Trip through California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada

Itinerary

The Grand Circle is known as one of the best road trips in the US. Taking a minimum of ten days, starting and ending in Las Vegas, you circle round some of the most spectacular landscapes in the world: Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches, Canyonlands, and Monument Valley. We only had six days in which to visit so it was difficult working out what to leave out. It was early March and not unlikely that we’d hit snow somewhere on route which was a factor in our final decision and starting from San Diego in the south-west corner of California also meant a bit of a trek to get into the region and would mean a further overnight stop so we really only had five days. Pouring over maps, and reading reviews of hotels, motels and B&B accommodation we eventually decided on our trip.

Day 1: Drive from San Diego to Sedona (476 miles)
Day 2: Drive from Sedona via Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon South Rim, explore West Rim (117 miles)
Day 3: Slowly drive along the Grand Canyon East Rim to Desert View, through the Painted Desert to Page (23 + 121 miles)
Day 4: Day in Page – Antelope Canyon, Lees Ferry, Marble Canyon
Day 5: Drive to Bryce Canyon (152 miles)
Day 6: Drive to Zion NP via Mount Carmel Highway, stay in Springdale. (135 miles)
Day 7: Morning in Zion, then an easy drive to Las Vegas for the flight to London. (161 miles)

Buy an America the Beautiful – The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Annual Pass ($80) at the first park you enter to save you money.

San Diego to Sedona

It would be a long drive to our first overnight stop in Sedona. But a fairly easy route along Interstate 8 to Yuma, which immediately started us thinking about film and song titles we knew about the US, left at Gila Bend up onto the Interstate 10 and then skirting Phoenix on Interstate 17 and finally up towards Flagstaff, finally getting off the highways and onto the State Route 179 (also known as Red Rock Scenic Byway, an “All-American Road”[1]).

We expected the journey to be fairly mundane as it was almost entirely on highways, but since it was the first time we’d driven this route there were several surprises along the way, not least the huge sand-dunes somewhere close to Yuma I think, where we spotted dune buggies and dune boards. The traffic was sparse until the Phoenix area when it was much more dense until we had passed the Phoenix Cardinals Stadium in Greendale. And the sight of the ‘three-armed cactus’ – Saguaro Cactus – alongside the road made us feel as though we were in a Western movie. Fully expecting Red Indians to come over the ridge! Unsurprisingly the flower of this plant is the state flower of Arizona.

But the most exciting views were when we turned off Interstate 17 and onto 179 where the road winds through the pinion-covered Coconino National Forest with views of spectacular red rock buttes and mesas jutting out from the earth with names like Coffeepot, Cathedral and Thunder Mountain (you can see where they got the roller coaster idea from). We stopped off at a couple of the scenic pull-outs to take some photos around Bell Rock and stretch our legs around the Courthouse Butte Loop before driving on and through Sedona, known for the spiritual and metaphysical as well as hundreds of miles of hiking and biking trails, the red rock vistas and scenic drives and on to the 89A to our B&B for the night in Oak Creek Canyon close to Slide Rock State Park.

GC1-256 — Entering Sedona (Oak Creek Valley)

Shortly before our arrival there had been a fall of snow in the region and on entering Oak Creek Canyon we were surprised to see it lying all around, though thankfully the road was completely clear. Because of the weather and the fact it was almost dark, we didn’t venture back down into Sedona, but had an early night, looking forward to the drive to Grand Canyon and hoping that the snowfall wouldn’t be a problem.

(click an image to enlarge)

Cathedral Rock

Bell Rock

Courthouse Butte and Bell Rock

Astonishingly I had never heard of Sedona before I started planning this trip. How on earth has it stayed such a secret to us Brits? It is definitely a place to spend more time in and explore.

[1] There are 27 of these designated by the US Department of Transport, for their exceptional and unique recreational, natural and scenic qualities.

A Lingering Look at The Pump Rooms

This weekly challenge is hosted by Dawn from ‘The Day After’ who invites participants to post pictures of any windows that they find curious, inviting, photogenic, or in some way tell a story. Visit her blog to see more windows and/or to join in with the challenge.

This unusual building is the ‘Pump Rooms’ in Tenbury Wells, Worcestershire, built and designed by William Cranston of Birmingham in 1861.

It was built in oriental Chinese Gothic style (oh really?) and is one of the earliest examples of prefabrication. The metal prefabricated sheets were made in Birmingham and assembled on site.

It was built to promote Tenbury Wells as a spa town after a saline spring was found in the grounds of the Crow Inn. The 58 ft well is situated below the octagonal tower. It was aimed for middle and working classes, but never attracted the clientèle. The building fell into disrepair and in 1939 the well was filled in. It was later restored by the district councils of Leominster and Malvern Hills with the help of English Heritage. It is now used as an administrative office, by the community for events and also for weddings.

(click to enlarge)

Door finger plate

Lovely tiled flooring

(source of information from Tenbury Tourist Information Centre and information plaque)

Cee’s Which Way Challenge: Maps

Cee’s Which Way Challenge: There is no specific theme given. It just needs to be some sort of ‘Which Way’. The possibilities are endless.

Join in with the challenge or to view other ‘Which Ways’.

When you are out and about you might come across information maps of the area you are walking in. It’s often a good idea to take a look at these before you set off on your walk or you may find that 2 mile stroll you were thinking of becomes a 10 mile hike!

(above: the various routes in the Queenswood Arboretum, Herefordshire)

Watch your step in the Skomer Marine Nature Reserve, Pembrokeshire.

access to the deer park — Access to the Deer Park

Finding your way in Marloes and St Brides Bay, Pembrokeshire with a lovely framed sign in the middle of the village designed by children from the school.

Having a stroll around Penrose Park in Helston, Cornwall

and choosing the route to take:

I hope you have some happy wanderings this spring 🙂

I for Iron Bridge

frizztext hosts a weekly A – Z Challenge

Event Type: General Blogging

Start Date: Tuesdays, recurring weekly

Description: Every Tuesday I offer the “A to Z challenge”, walking step by step through the alphabet.

If you would like to join in then please click here.

Following on from my bridge last week is another iron bridge, this time from Shropshire and much closer to home. This Iron Bridge is in the Severn Gorge and has a town named after it. It was the first arch bridge in the world to be built from cast-iron and it opened on New Year’s Day 1781, the result of work by the architect Thomas Pritchard (whose work can be seen in many Shropshire towns including Ludlow) and Abraham Darby III.

It is one of the great symbols of the Industrial Revolution and visited by many. Directly across from the bridge is the Tontine Hotel.

The word Tontine is a noun “an annuity scheme by which several subscribers invest in a common fund out of which they receive an annuity that increases as subscribers die until the last survivor takes all!”.

The idea of building a hotel here started as soon as people realised the attraction of the Iron Bridge. Those involved in the venture included Abraham Darby III, Samuel Darby, William & Richard Reynolds, John Wilkinson, Joseph Rathbone and others who were involved in the construction of the bridge.

The hotel opened in 1784. Inside are Victorian fireplaces with the traditional tiles of the area, photographs showing the area in different stages, with coracle men and their coracles, people standing on the river under the bridge when it froze on the 5th February 1917, collections of old local bottles etc.

source: Ironbridge Tourist Information and Visitor Centre.

View from the bridge – Wharfside

Cast-iron railings

The Old Coracle Shed

If you ever find yourself in Shropshire, then try to make some time to visit this once heavily industrialised, now pleasantly picturesque, town, not just for the Iron Bridge, but also its many other attractions.

The Tin Shed Experience

Ed is a truck driving photographer from Tennessee who hosts a photography challenge blog called Sunday Stills here on WordPress.

This week Ed would like to see any BARNS or SHEDS pics. in black and white.

The Tin Shed Experience – is a quirky 1940s museum in Laugharne (pronounced Larn) Carmarthenshire, – known for writer Dylan Thomas who lived and is buried there although he died in New York. This year is the centenary of his birth so if you happen to be in the town then I suggest you pop along and visit this quirky not for profit museum housed in an old zinc sheeted garage.

(click an image to enlarge)