Wheel Chair Accessible Trails at Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon National Park is a huge park! The Grand Canyon is more than 270 miles long and we were not sure where to start our visit to this world famous site.

 We spent the night at Sedona and headed north towards Flagstaff - a town closest to the Grand Canyon. The drive from Sedona to Flagstaff was more than an hour and by the time we got to the National Geographic Visitor Centre, it was around 12p.m.

Before we started our hike, we wanted to learn more about the history of the Grand Canyon.  We were in time to catch the 30 minute IMAX show at the Visitor Centre. The IMAX film gave us a good account of the history and discovery of the mountains plus some magnificent scenery.

The beauty and enormity of the Grand Canyon is beyond description!

There are a number of Visitor Centres throughout the national park and they give out very helpful information to tourists and hikers.

Since the National Park is so big, there are many activities and trails that cater to all walking abilities and time schedules. As we had only half a day, we chose to start at Mather Point, the most popular lookout ( also wheel chair accessible! My mother would really enjoy walking this trail knowing that she has the option of not walking the entire trail and can rest in her wheelchair if she wants to ! )

Many opportunities for pictures at the Grand Canyon

From the Visitor Centre to Mather Point was only about a ten to fifteen minutes walk, and easy to do for everyone, including wheel chair bound people.This lookout point allows tourists/ walkers to have an excellent view of the canyon. When I first got to the railing of the lookout point and looked down to the canyon, my feet had a tingling sensation due to the height.

With my camera, I could only capture a mere fraction of the beauty and magnificent scenery of the Grand Canyon

We were 7118 feet high above and looking down  right at the edge of this deep canyon. Wow! The feeling of awe swept over me. How small I am compared to this majestic landscape!

Reaching the edge of Grand Canyon!

We continued our walk which was not strenuous at all as the trail was well marked,  smooth and well paved and maintained.

 ( Again, the trail was wheel chair accessible, doable for people in wheelchair. I kept thinking my 86 year old mom who would have really enioyed this spectacular scenery.)

Hiking on the rugged part of the Canyon trail

Some younger folks and the young at heart took up the challenge and attempted the more rugged  terrain and stepped close to the edge of some part of the trail in order to get some good shot of themselves and the majestic canyon.

Stan and I did that too! I kept saying to ourselves, if we were able to reach the summit of Mt. Fuji, we were able to hike some rugged hike.  We did and thank God we did not slip and hurt ourselves.

Our second stop was the Yavapai Point and the Geology Museum. This lookout point was special because it was selected for its best view and most representative of the Grand Canyon. There were many opportunities for picture taking at this lookout. But pictures and words could not do justice to this breathtaking, spectacular grand scenery!  The scenery opened in front of our eyes in 360 degrees! We tried to capture the grandeur and enormity of the Grand Canyon with our camera but to no avail.

We were glad that we were here to see and experience the magnificence and the scale of this natural wonder and indescribable beauty! 

 Wheel chair accessible  trails

We met John, an English tourist from U.K. As we walked on the Trail of Time, between Yavapai and Verkamp's Visitor Centre, we had a very interesting conversation and exchange about the trips we did and the places we had visited. It is great meeting other travelers and learn from each other!

By the time we reached  the Grand Canyon Village, it was well past 5:30p.m., therefore we did not have much time to explore the village. Fortunately,  there were shuttle buses throughout the park and we could  take the shuttle bus to where we parked our car. That was a bonus! ( Unlike Mt Fuji where we spent 6 hours hiking up and then had to hike back down ourselves in the dark!)

In fact, I liked the idea of the shuttle bus picking up passengers along the route and hikers could get on and off at any point where there were bus stops.

It was a fantastic trip to the Canyon! We were glad that no only did we visit this famous landmark, but we actually hiked on a section of the trail and took many lovely pictures of the Canyon!

R.T.
Grand Canyon, Arizona 

The Big Red Rock in Sedona, Arizona

After vising the Cosanti Gallery in Paradise Valley, we headed northern Arizona at around 5:30p.m.

As we drove, the further north and higher up the mountains, we noticed the change in the scenery and the types of trees growing along the highways.  As we left Phoenix, the cactus scenery started to fade away being replaced by a more northern and familiar landscape to us - colder northern trees such as pines were coming into sight.

We dined at a local Mexican restaurant in Sedona

We got to Sedona  after about two hours of driving at around 8p.m. But the sun had already gone down and the town looked really dark save from the lights of the houses and hotel buildings.

We could not see the sky or any moonlight at all as if something really huge was blocking the sky. We could not figure out why.

Rattle Snake was offered on the menu at Sedona, Arizona

We ordered  bean and rice burrito

Before we checked into our hotel, we dined in one of the local restaurants and this time we chose Mexican food. The place was nicely decorated in a Mexico theme offering food from the local region.

A couple of  items on the menu were quite interesting - Rattle Snake - deep friend strips of breaded rattle snake at $ 6.95!

This was the first time we saw snake being offered on an American menu. But neither my husband nor I are snake eaters, so we did not have the nerve to try this dish. Instead we stuck to the more familiar Mexican dish.

Sedona, Arizona

We intended to check into the Bell Rock Inn, a popular hotel known for its spectacular view of the red rock scenery .

However, we were very disappointed when the receptionist informed us that there was no room for us even though we booked and paid for our hotel room in full through Hotel.com.

The famous red rocks in Sedona

Instead they sent us to another hotel which was quite nice but without the scenery. By then it was after 10p.m. and we were totally exhausted!

The big red rocks dominate the landscape of the town - Sedona

The next morning when we drove around Sedona, we realized why the town seemed to have been shrouded in darkness the night before when we first drove into town.

These gigantic red rocks were smack right in front of the town. No wonder it seemed so dark last night!

It was a majestic sight!

R.T.
Sedona, Arizona

Cosanti Gallery, Paradise Valley, Phoenix, Arizona

After the seminar with Dr. Cabot, we started our journey to northern Arizona. I saw a brochure at the hotel about the art work of Paolo Soleri at the Cosanti Gallery in Paradise Valley.

Since both my husband and I are interested in arts and architecture, we decided to make a stop on our way up north.

 Cause Bells displayed at the COSANTI  Gallery

However, we did not read the map carefully and did not realize that Paradise Valley is actually a  part of Phoenix. We made a few detours and wasted almost an hour and half.

 Arriving at the gallery at 4:45pm, we only had half an hour to walk through the beautiful art work quickly as the gallery hours were from 9am-5p.m.

Interesting and original architecture at the COSANTI Gallery, Paradise Valley

The Cosanti Gallery offers a marvelous display of wind bells and original Soleri sculptures and many bells from the line of Cause Bells with different designs.

We learned that the Cause Bells represent issues of national or global concerns.   We found the price of the bells a bit on the high side due to the fact that part of the sale proceeds go to aid organizations such as the Cosanti Foundation's fundraising efforts.

 COSANTI is an Arizona historic site. It was designed by the late architectural innovator Paolo Soleri. The site features "experimental earth-formed concrete structures with terraced landscaping".

Unique architectural design at the COSANTI Gallery

We saw very unique and original architectural designs at COSANTI. Though the visit was short and the artists had all gone home by the time we got there. It is always fun to see and learn new things on our travels.

R.T.
Cosanti Gallery
Paradise Valley
Phoenix, Arizona

Hole in the Rock in Papago Park, Phoenix. Arizona

Amazing scenery with mountains of various shapes and sizes in Arizona

Since we arrived to Phoenix a few days ago, we noticed the city has many interesting looking scenery with mountains of various shapes and sizes.



There are many trails within city limits where the inhabitants of Phoenix can enjoy.

Hole-in-the-Rock, Phoenix, Arizona

However, there is one that we are very intrigued by - the mountain with a hole in it.

We have gazed at it numerous times and we decided to walk this trail and explore this interesting landmark of Phoenix. The Hole in the Rock is located in the Papago Park, 626 N. Galvin Parkway.

It is a beautiful park with the Desert Botanical Garden, Phoenix Zoo and the Rock in the Hole all in the same area within walking distance of one another.

In fact, we wished we were staying right in Tempe, the downtown area of Phoenix, which would have made it easier for us to see these attractions within short public transit and driving distance.

PaPago Park is a beautiful park accessible from downtown Phoenix

Unfortunately, not knowing the distances of these great attractions, we unwittingly booked ourselves in the city's north suburb area. We stayed at one of the nice hotels, paid much more but ended up about 30-4 40 km away from many interesting places we wished to visit.

If you are visiting Phoenix for the first time, I highly recommend staying in any of the hotel/ motels close to the university/ downtown area.  After two days, we moved to Motel 6, one of the downtown motels and it cost only $40.00 a night and much closer to everything and convenient.

Looking down from the Hole-in-the-Rock

There were ample parking spaces at the Papago Park on the day we went.

The park offers a number of trails catering to various hiking abilities.

It has a number of shelters throughout the park to offer hikers/ walkers protection from the element and a place to rest and to have a picnic.

The hike up to the Hole in the Rock was easy and not strenuous at all. However, one needs to be careful and have proper running or hiking shoes as the trail could be slippery at times.

Great scenery from the top of Hole -in-the-Rock, Papago Park

It was great to see grandparents taking their grandchildren and young families encouraging their youngsters to climb up and take a seat on the ancient rocks.

The view from the top of the Hole in the Rock was breathtaking!

The hike only took us about fifteen to twenty minutes, much shorter than we thought. The view from the top was awesome! This must have been one of Phoenix's popular lovers' lanes as we had to wait for our turn for two young couples to finish their quiet conversations before we could get some good shots of the scenery.

It is a great place to visit for families and for people who are not too athletic like us. The best part :
Free parking and free admission walking up to the Hole in the Rock!

Nice to get some fresh air, great exercises and good scenery of the city for free!


R.T.
Hole-in-the-Rock, Papago Park
Phoenix, Arizona

Cactus Forests in Sabino Canyon, Tucson, Arizona

Beautiful Drive Through Tucson, Arizona

After we left Tombstone, we headed back to Phoenix. On our way back, we wanted to visit the K Cavern. Unfortunately, we got there five minutes too late and the last tour had just left. Too bad!

Sabino Canyon, outside of Tucson, Arizona

Lots of beautiful saguaros at the Sabino Canyon

We drove south and passed the city of Tucson and visited its most popular attraction - Sabino Canyon.

Arizona is the canyon state and the area is surrounded by majestic mountains and ranges. In almost every town or city we visited, there are breathtaking scenery.

One particular plant we noticed here is the huge cactus plants called saguaro which grow to 20 feet high and only after 40 years old, would the arms start growing out from the sides of these plants. They are huge like big trees!

The inhabitants of Arizona are blessed with such natural beauty of their land and can enjoy the many national parks and trails near their towns/ cities. There are so many things to do and see in Arizona; the fantastic mild weather this time of the year is wonderful for doing outdoor and recreational activities.

We have seen many people, young and old jogging, young families with toddlers walking and hiking on trails.
Sabino Canyon, located in the Santa Catalina Mountains,  is a great place to visit in Tucson. There are trails for walkers and hikers of all levels and abilities.

Sunset in the Sabino Canyon

One of the trail is only 1/4 mile long which is easy enough to finish for most people. Since we got there after 4:30p.m. we did not want to wander too far from the park and took one of the short trails so that we could get back before darkness fell.

As we walked, the sun started to set and brilliant shades of orange, pink and purple appeared. We were awed by the beauty of it and were able to capture some images of the sunset in the desert state. Who knows that desert scenery could be this spectacular!

R.T.
Sabino Canyon
Tucson, Arizona

Being Transported Back in Time in Tombstone, Arizona, U.S.A.

A Western theme restaurant in Benson

After the seminar in Phoenix, we headed to southern Arizona to learn more about the history and culture of a frontier town called Tombstone.












On our way there, we stopped at a restaurant in Benson for some local food.

We tried Chimichungas for the first time

The restaurant was like a page out of a western movie all decorated in a cowboy theme.








But the menu offered a good selection of Mexican food.

We had Mexican dishes before but never tried an item called Chimichungas
 which was what we ordered.

Landmark Lookout Inn, Tombstone

It was about a three hour drive from Phoenix before we checked into the Lookout Inn in Tombstone at around 9p.m.

The Lookout Inn at Night

The innkeeper told us that many shops were closed downtown, but some bars would still be open.

Patio of the Lookout Inn Restaurant 

We wished we could have got in town a little earlier.

We had breakfast in the Lookout Inn dining room

We drove downtown and walked around the main streets in the dark for a short time as all the shops were closed except for a few eateries.

Reenactment of gun fights in the era past on the street of Tombstone

Tombstone used to be a frontier wild wild west lawless town with gunfights taking place frequently in bars and on the street.

Tombstone Main Street

At the height of the mining boom, it boosted a population of  around 18,000 people with about two thousand women registered and obtained licenses as ladies of the night.

The longest operating restaurant in the town of Tombstone since the 1800's

However, with a serious earthquake and the mining industry gone, the population of Tombstone declined to around 1,400 people.










Today, Tombstone is a small community, a well preserved town from the 1800's with many of the original buildings  still in existence.

City Hall, Tombstone, Arizona

Namely: the Tombstone City Hall, Court House, Arizona's oldest Protestant church (with the house of ill repute at the back ), various shops, restaurants and bars decorated in the original western style proudly lining on both sides of  Allen street.

Tombstone - A well preserved western town , Arizona,  U.S.A.

The whole western scene reminded us of the Hollywood movie set of the John Wayne cowboy movies we saw so often when we were kids.

The historic street of Tombstone is blocked off for performances about the wild west days 

St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Tombstone

Since it was Sunday, we attended the Sunday Service at the St. Paul's Episcopal Church - the oldest Protestant church in Arizona.

The nice folks thee gave us a tour of the church afterwards and explained its interesting history to us.

Original stained glass windows inside the church

The church was built in 1882 with only $5000.00 raised by a 25 year old young man - Endicott Peabody.

The church was built of Adobe bricks

The light fixtures, from the 1870\s whaling ship. the stained glass windows, the pews and most of the other furniture are original.


The church was built with a unique kind of bricks - the adobe bricks, made with straws and earth with a mud mortar.
An interesting way of building construction!









The Tombstone historic downtown street was quite a wide street and part of it was blocked off on the day we visited. There were performances and reenactments on the street.

Reenactments of poker game and shootings on Allen Street 

We paid $8.00 each to watch the gun fights reenactments in one of the stores and learned about three real stories and the coluorful characters who were gunslingers, got into fights over minor incidents such as poker games, some insignificant arguments and a shirt from New York.

Many of these people did not hesitate to pull out their guns and eventually were shot in some bars.

A window on the wall of the Big Nose Kate Restaurant

We  had our lunch at the Big Nose Kate Restaurant.  Kate was the girlfriend of Doc Holiday, a friend of the sheriff, one of the four guys who faced off the villains, the rogue cowboys.

The serving staff was all dressed in costumes of the time

The restaurant was packed with patrons, many of whom donned their cowboys hats and shirts while live country music was sung from the front.

Big Nose Kate Restaurant - Tombstone, Arizona

We had our lunch at the bar counter and a character dressed in costume of the bygone era appeared from nowhere.













I asked for permission to take a picture and the friendly waitress volunteered to do the job for us.

















As we were leaving, Linda, a really friendly lady sitting beside us at the church where we attended the Sunday service, recognized us.

We started yelping away and exchanging information about each other.

We talked as if we were long lost friend. Linda introduced us to her friend and her husband and we must have talked for half and hour and having a great laugh.

It was really fun meeting interesting and friendly people during our travel. We enjoyed it!

We were told that Tombstone is the number two tourist attraction in Arizona, second to the Grand Canyon.

It was really fun to be transported back in time for a day and learned about all the crazy things that happened in the 1800's.

However, I am glad I did not live in that era when anybody could just pull out a gun and start shooting and got away with it!

R.T.
Tombstone, Arizona
U.S.A.