Where We Have Been - USA - Grand Canyon & Route 66

After an overnight stay in Las Vegas, we set off in our rental car for a visit to the Grand Canyon.

Our first stop was the Hoover Dam. It’s undeniably impressive, but it was smaller than we expected—nearly twice the height of New Zealand’s tallest dam, yet not especially wide, so it doesn’t feel as massive as you imagine it will.

The next morning we were up bright and early to catch the first bus out to Eagle Point and the Skywalk. We’d been a little sceptical about the Skywalk’s value—more than one person had told us it wasn’t worth the money—but we disagree. We were the first ones out there that morning and had it to ourselves for quite a while, which probably helped. Standing on a clear floor more than 1.2 km above the canyon floor is not for the faint-hearted (or anyone with a fear of heights), but it’s absolutely worth it.

After the Skywalk (and after purchasing the mandatory T-shirts), we wandered around the area and visited the Indian Folk Village before catching the bus out to Guano Point. The story of the Bat Cave Mine was fascinating, and the views were spectacular.

Then it was back on the bus, and back on the road—this time heading for Grand Canyon National Park and the South Rim.

On our way to Grand Canyon National Park and the South Rim, we made a quick stop to check out the Joshua Trees along the way. Once we arrived and checked in, we hopped on the shuttle to the Visitor Center to learn a bit more about the Grand Canyon, then spent the rest of the day alternating between strolling the well-established rim trails and jumping back on the shuttle.

One thing that really stood out to us was the lack of barriers. In New Zealand, there’s usually something in place to stop the adventurous (or the overly confident) from getting too close to danger. Here, not so much. The South Rim also feels far more expansive than Grand Canyon West—less “one viewpoint” and more an enormous, open-ended panorama. It’s a much bigger vista.

Partway through our walk along the rim, it started snowing. We immediately worried it wouldn’t bode well for the helicopter flight we’d booked for the next day—and unfortunately, we were right. When we arrived at the heliport the following morning, every flight was grounded.

Leaving the Grand Canyon, we diverted into Williams, Arizona, to find fuel—and unexpectedly found ourselves on a stretch of the historic Route 66. We also encountered our first “proper” American Diner (or at least what we thought an American diner should be): Cruiser’s Route 66 Café, where we had a great lunch.

After a wander around the streets—and David having a moment of wishing he could be “Big”—it was back onto I-40 West. By then we were starting to feel a bit travel-weary (we’d clocked up a lot of miles), so we decided to break the journey in Seligman, Arizona—the self-proclaimed home of Route 66—where we found a motel for the night.

Nothing confirmed we were in the USA quite like the American pickup parked beside the unit next to ours, proudly sign-written: “In Faith, Family and Firearms We Trust.” Next door, we had dinner in a truly remarkable—and slightly surreal—spot: The Roadkill Café / O.K. Saloon. The taxidermy display alone was something else, and we still laugh at their motto: “You kill it, we grill it”, not to mention the dish names on the menu.

Highlight: Honestly… all of it.

Memory: Quirky and silly as it probably sounds, it’s Seligman, Arizona—and The Roadkill Café / O.K. Saloon. David still has the T-shirt, and it never fails to make us smile.

Closing Thought: We’re not sure we’ll be back. The Grand Canyon is stunning, and the helicopter flight would have been a definite highlight, but there are so many other places calling our names. That said, if the opportunity ever presents itself (and it might, because Monument Valley is firmly on the must-visit list—and it’s in the neighbourhood… well, sort of), we wouldn’t rule it out.