We figured we had a 5 hour drive to Williams, Arizona, where the last existing stretch of historic Route 66 is. After spending a few hours there, we would then take the seven hour drive to the Grand Canyon’s northern rim, spend the night there, and take the seven hour drive back to I-40. We had a full day set aside for this and it was a good plan. When we got to Williams, we drove briefly on Route 66 and stopped in to the visitor’s center where we learned more about the popular highway. In the museum there, there were many neat displays talking about why it was so popular and how it played a role in American society. The neatest thing there, I thought, was the book full of hundreds, if not thousands of messages left by people who visited the museum. Testimonials about how their dads took them on a summer vacation on 66 that they would never forget, or how the Route was a source of sentiment of an entire era. I certainly enjoyed reading as many of those as I could, and with some, I got chills from reading

In that same building, there was a parks service center where we decided to get some information about the Grand Canyon, our next stop. We soon found out however, that the South Rim had the better view and was what we wanted to see, as opposed to the North Rim. The difference? A three hour drive instead of seven. We were pleased that we had averted driving seven hours to see something we didn’t really want to see, and in turn, getting an extra day in Phoenix tomorrow instead of spending it driving back from the Grand Canyon. I stopped at a local shop and bought a gift for my younger brother, Jon, who is a huge fan of Route 66. His entire room is decorated in a Route 66 motif, and I felt compelled to add to his collection. We then hit the road and started towards the Grand Canyon.

The drive was a very scenic one, with mountains providing a beautiful backdrop to the Arizona desert. We arrived at the Grand Canyon in no time, and when Jed flashed his Golden Eagle membership card which is available free of charge to all Deaf people, the 20 dollar-per car entrance fee was waived. We were allowed to pass the security check point rather quickly and by the time we actually parked the RV and took the short walk to the viewing area, our curiosity in seeing the canyons increased. The first thing I thought to myself when I saw the canyons for the first time was that it….is…. big. Words cannot even begin to describe what the Grand Canyon looks like, so I’m going to let pictures do its job.

We decided to take a 30-minute drive to see another ledge and get another view of the Canyon. The second spot has an old tower with a viewing area where you can get a fantastic view of the Colorado River, who carved the canyon. We then made the three hour drive to Phoenix where we camped out for the night a full day ahead of schedule because we went to the even-more-beautiful South Rim.

The Grand Canyon is as grand as its billing, and I’d like to leave you with these parting words for tonight.

If you haven’t gone to the Grand Canyon already, go. It’s definitely worth the trip out there.