We drove down to Laughlin, Nevada from our home in northern Utah on Monday. Laughlin seemed like a good breaking point for the first day's drive. Besides, the rooms are inexpensive ($15.00 per night at the Tropicana Express) and there are lots of meal options, as well as the opportunity to lose a few dollars gambling. After breakfast at one of the casino cafes, we loaded up the truck and headed east to Kingman, Arizona and then on along Interstate 40 to Williams, Arizona.

Williams to Tusayan

We arrived in Williams just after Noon, and found ourselves in packed snow on the road and in 29 degree temperatures. We kept our fingers crossed that the hour drive north from here would not be one of those white knuckle adventures on black ice and packed snow.

But once we headed north on Highway 64 we were pleased to find the road surface was dry and well maintained. There was plenty of snow along the sides, but we had clear sailing all the way to the entrance to Grand Canyon National Park. However, by the time we reached the gateway community of Tusayan it was snowing, the roads were wet, and it was 25 degrees outside.

South Entrance

We were surprised by the number of vehicles entering the south entrance to the Park. We waited our turn, showed them our annual pass, and began our slow journey to Grand Canyon Village. Apparently the Park Service is not allowed to use salt or other chemicals on the road surfaces within the parks. They can sprinkle crushed cinders, but they hadn't yet gotten to the stretch of road near the entrance. It was slow going, but fortunately most of the other vehicles were keeping it slow, and we all moved along safely. Our concern was a sudden unexpected move by one of the other drivers, or a deer or elk dashing across the road. Even though we were using our four wheel drive, if we would have hit the breaks we might have slid for quite a ways before we could have stopped.

Check In at El Tovar

In spite of the slow going, we made it to the entrance to the El Tovar Hotel. Of course it's on a hill, which was snow packed like the road. But it had some cinder spread across its surface and we drove right up. We spotted a small parking lot on the east side of the lodge, near Verkamp's Visitor Center and Hopi House, and were lucky to find a good parking spot there.

We left the Tacoma and walked across the circle to El Tovar to register, which went smoothly. We had made our reservations in early January of 2008. We then hauled our bags to the room in two loads. Our deluxe room was number 6455, on the second floor, or mezzanine level.

Bright Angel Cafe

After we got settled we walked down to the Bright Angel Café for a late lunch/early dinner. We had our favorite jalapeno poppers, as usual, with a burger. This was the first place that we’d ever tried the poppers, years ago, after our first backpack trip across The Canyon. They use a red pepper, instead of the usual green, and that seems to make all of the difference. The food in the café isn’t great, but it’s generally not bad, either. Typical grill type food, at least for luncheon meals. The wait staff is usually pretty friendly and talkative, and generally prompt. It’s our favorite place to eat on the south rim, next to the El Tovar restaurant. Of course, El Tovar is a bit pricey, but you get what you pay for.

Along the Rim

It was snowing most of the afternoon, and the wind was strong and cold. It was strange walking along the paved pathways between Bright Angel and El Tovar with several inches of snow on the ground. We could not see much below the canyon rim because of the new and blowing snow. Occasionally the wind would blow some of the cloud cover away, and we could see into the depths to some level below the rim, but not often and not far down.

We spent a few minutes enjoying the fireplace in the El Tovar lobby, then we went back to our room to unpack.

Shrine of the Ages

In the evening, around 6:00 p.m., we walked to the bus stop near El Tovar and rode the free shuttle bus to the Shrine of the Ages, where we talked with and listened to Ranger Pat talk about hiking within the canyon. Much of it what he presented was not new to us, but it was still informative and reinforced lessons that we learned on our own. We did pick up a few new tips on equipment that we’ll add to our general trail knowledge for future hikes.

There was a relatively small turn out for the talk, but I was surprised that they even had a Ranger talk during the winter season. The large room at the Shrine would indicate that they have large turn outs during the normal tourist season.

Tourists

Once it began getting dark it seemed the tourists disappeared. Very few ventured out after dark. I think there were a lot of day tours that stopped at the canyon in spite of the fact that they really couldn’t see much. I was initially surprised by the number of people walking about during the day. There were many foreigners, especially visitors from India and groups that looked to be Chinese or maybe Japanese. I suppose since they don’t generally observe Christmas as a holiday the season doesn’t affect their travel plans. However, I certainly wouldn’t want to be traveling around the American west in the winter months if I’d never seen the sites before. There’s too great a chance of cloud cover and disappointment. We noticed a sign at the entrance station stating that there would be no refunds of entry fees due to bad weather. Makes sense. You roll the dice and take what you get. But I do feel bad for those who are visiting for the first time and may never get the chance again.

Mezzanine

Our deluxe room was on the second floor, at about the same level as the mezzanine. That area is reserved for guests only. There are several tables for games or whatever, a television with comfortable couches around it, a coffee bar, a small fireplace (that was not lit), and a piano in one corner. Every night someone was there playing Christmas carols.

Our Room

Our room was about four doors down the hall, on the east side. We could occasionally hear the piano, but it was not disturbingly loud. Our room had a window that looked out over the main entrance and across a turn around to the Hopi House and the hotel parking lot. There were long icicles hanging from the roof beams outside of our window.

The room had a king sized bed, with a side table on either side; a clock/radio/CD player; a telephone; a small table with a lamp and a coffee maker (with tea, but no honey); a leather covered stuffed chair; a desk with a straight backed chair; and an armoire, with a TV and drawers inside. There was also a small closet (with hangars) near the door, with an ironing board, iron, extra pillows, and a small safe.

The clean bathroom was large, with a white and black tiled floor. It had an exhaust fan and a sun lamp, and a frosted window. There was a short built-in bench, with cupboards below. There was a small utility table, a toilet and sink (of course), and large tub with a water saving shower head. I wish our two bathrooms at home, together, were as large as that bathroom. The hotel provided various soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and lotions.

We were satisfied with the large room, though it cost us about $250 per night. It was quite, though now and then we could hear someone in the hall, or a toilet flushing or water running. But none of that was loud enough or consistent enough to be disturbing. We found the hotel staff to be helpful, pleasant, and ready to help us have a comfortable stay.

Room Service

On Wednesday, our 20th Wedding Anniversary (our excuse for spending the money and coming to this location) we ordered room service for breakfast. We’d never done that before, so thought it would be a kick, even though it cost us a bit more than if we walked down the hall to the restaurant. We picked from the listed menu items, marked a card that we hung on our doorknob, and had the meal delivered at 7:30 a.m.

And sure enough, right on time, there was a knock on the door. The waitress brought in a large tray with our food. The only problem was that she didn’t bring it up on a cart, since there is no elevator. So, we had to clear off the desk and set up our meal there. It was a bit inconvenient, but we managed. I pulled over the leather sofa, and Anne used the hard backed chair. Surprisingly, the food was hot, and it was very good. The portions were large and prepared to our liking. I tried the eggs Benedict (always one of my favorites) and found it very tasty. They used just a bit of some sort of hot seasoning in the sauce that left a nice warm feeling in my mouth when I was finished. I'd have it again. Anne had the French toast, and she found it very tasty, but thought that it was a bit too much food for her.

We also received a complimentary morning paper, USA Today.

Sunny Views and Canyon Chores

After breakfast we ventured out. It had stopped snowing, and the sky was only partly cloudy, so we were able to get some nice photos down into, and across, the canyon. Then we did some Christmas shopping at the Hopi House. We were the first ones in the door, at just after 9:00 a.m., when they opened. We looked around and picked out several items for those on our Christmas list. We then took our purchases back to our room. Of course we needed wrapping paper, so we took the bus over to the Market and found Christmas paper and tape. We also noticed an announcement that the owners will be remodeling the Market in the next few months. From the drawings on display it looks like it will be a major improvement over the old style. Should be pretty nice looking by the next time we visit.

After that we went back to the room to wrap Janine’s package. We wanted to get that out of the way before she arrived. Anne had reached her in Flagstaff the previous night, and she said she’d be leaving there around 10:00 a.m. We figured it would be about a two hour drive, through Williams.

And it was. She arrived at El Tovar, after getting herself checked in at Bright Angel Lodge, at around 1:00 p.m. Anne and I were sitting at a table on the mezzanine playing a game and enjoying the pleasant atmosphere. The three of us talked for a bit, then walked down to the Bright Angel Café for a light lunch. We had jalapeno poppers and hot chocolate, which wasn't as strange as it sounds. The warm spicy afterglow from the peppers seemed to blend well with the chocolate, leaving a nice warm feeling in the mouth.

We looked around some, then sat in our room and talked until it was time for our dinner at the El Tovar restaurant.

Anniversary Dinner at El Tovar

We had reservations months before for three guests at 5:00 p.m. As usual, the atmosphere was pleasant and relaxing. We all enjoyed our meals, and had a good time absorbing the wonderful rustic surroundings. The wait service is excellent, the food is excellent, and we’ve always left feeling satisfied, even with the high prices. Location is everything, and you generally get what you pay for, and at El Tovar that has always been the case. I don’t mind paying the higher prices when the food is this good. I understand, or have heard, that the chef is rated five star. I’d believe it. I’m by no means a gourmet when it comes to food, but I do know the meals we’ve eaten at El Tovar over the years have been some of the best I’ve experienced.

After dinner the three of us sat up on the mezzanine and played a card game. It was nice, listening to the piano playing Christmas music, and watching the other guests come and go. Around 9:00 p.m. we all started nodding off, so Janine headed back to her room and we all turned in.

Breakfast at El Tovar

Janine showed up at our room just before 9:00 a.m., as planned, and the three of us headed down to the El Tovar restaurant for breakfast. Other than the room service from the morning before we had never eaten breakfast there. But because of our room service meal we knew the eggs Benedict and the French toast were great, so we had great expectations for the other choices. And we weren’t disappointed. Anne tried the vegetarian omelet, at my recommendation, Janine had the eggs Benedict, and I tried the southwestern breakfast quesadilla. We all liked our meals and found ourselves sitting and enjoying the atmosphere long after our empty plates were cleared away, and we’d paid the bill.

Bus Tour

It was snowing again, so we took the shuttle bus on a tour of the Village and visited the new Visitor Center. It's much, much larger than the old facility, with the Visitor Center itself in one large building, the restroom facilities in another building, and the book store in yet another building. There are lots of information signs around the walk ways and the bus stops are easy to access nearby.

From the Visitor Center area we transferred to the other bus route and rode out to the South Kaibab Trailhead and Yaki Point. The bus driver told us that the authorities might shut down the bus to those locations due to the falling snow and icy roads, and that we might be stranded if we got off, so we followed her advice, not really interested in a long walk through those winter conditions.

We rode on to the Yavapai Observation Station, where we did get off and looked around at the displays, books, and informational signs. Normally there are great views of The Canyon from the large picture windows sitting right above the canyon rim, but we could see little to nothing because of the blowing snow. We got back on the bus and rode it down to the Bright Angel Lodge, where we went in for hot chocolate at the Bright Angel Lounge.

From there we went back to our room, where we opened Christmas gifts, then sat and talked until dinner.

Christmas Feast at El Tovar

We again had reservations for the 5:00 p.m. Christmas Feast (Table d’hote), which is a four course meal from a limited set of options, for $41 per guest. We’d heard that this was a special meal that the chef and his wife put on for the guests of the hotel, so we made sure we made reservations for that meal several months earlier. And we were glad we did.

Janine and I had the Cream of Acorn Squash Soup with Maple Glaze, while Anne had the Organic Greens with Grape Tomato, Carrot, Cucumber, Figs, Candied Walnuts, and Apple Walnut Vinaigrette.

For our main courses:

• I ordered the Black Tea Smoked Half Duck with Pinot Noir Cherry Glaze, Pablano Chile Rice, and String Beans with Cilantro Butter. I’d never had duck before, so I went that route. It was very good.
• Anne had the Baked Garden Cavatelli with Portabello Mushrooms, Broccoli, Marinated Roma Tomato, Grilled Artichoke Hearts, and Asiago Ricotta Cream.
• Janine had the Grilled Rack of New Zealand Lamb with Roasted Garlic Demi Glace, Parslied Klondike Red Potato and Wilted Spinach.

We all loved what we’d ordered. We had a bottle of Grand Canyon label White Zinfandel as our beverage. We especially like that wine, and have had it with all of our meals at this restaurant.

For dessert we all had the Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting. It was all yummy and we went away quite pleased.

After dinner we were so stuffed that all we could do was sit around talk.

We had breakfast at the El Tovar again, and I had the same meal I’d had before, the southwestern eggs quesadilla. I don’t remember what Anne and Janine had. But we all enjoyed it.

Sunny Morning

After that we walked over to the Hopi House so that Janine could buy a gift for someone on her list. Then we walked around a bit to take some photos of The Canyon, since the sun was out and the canyon looked wonderful in its fresh snow covering. Then we sat in the warm lobby by the fire for a while, and eventually wandered up to the room to talk. Around 10:00 a.m. we walked Janine down to her room at Bright Angel and helped her get the ice and snow off of her car and made sure she was headed off okay for her trip home. She headed south toward Williams.

Anne and I went back to the room to warm up, then walked back to the Bright Angel Café for lunch. After that we rode the bus out to the South Kaibab Trailhead for a look around. The route to Yaki Point was closed due to poor road conditions. After we got back to El Tovar we spent the afternoon reading and relaxing in our room.

In the evening we walked down to the Arizona Room Steak House for dinner. It was kind of a let down after the El Tovar, but the food wasn’t too bad. It was just crowded and noisy, with lots of kids about. The food was a more typical steak house fare.

After that we walked back through the relatively quiet night to our room and turned in for the night.

7:33 a.m.
Very cold this morning. Our truck thermometer says 2 degrees. We had to scrape the snow from the truck windows and clear the way a bit for the wheels. We put the Tacoma into four wheel drive and it got out of the snowed in parking spot without much effort. We drove it over to in front of the entrance to El Tovar, where we made a couple of trips to load up our stuff. Then we checked out and said our farewells to our Christmas weekend.

The sky was clear as we headed out. The road had been freshly cindered, and we made it out of the park slowly but with little trouble.

8:02 a.m.
By the time we left the south park entrance the temp had dropped down to minus 7 degrees. By the time we reached Tusayan it was minus 9. We stopped there for breakfast, and then headed south toward Williams. The road was still dry and clear, all the way to Williams. We bought gas there, where it was minus 11 degrees. We turned on to Interstate 40 and headed west to Kingman. See our Hoover Dam notes for further details.