Road Trip America, Pit Stop #5: Lake Havasu via the Grand Canyon

Today is the second to last day of our cross-country journey and we started it off with the sight we were most looking forward to seeing- the Grand Canyon. 

We drove about an hour up the long two-lane road to the main parking area.  We grabbed the dogs and started walking towards the first viewing area.  As we approached the rim, we both looked at each other with the "you've gotta be kidding me" expressions on our faces.  I knew the Grand Canyon would be big and I knew it would be beautiful, but there are no words to describe just how big and beautiful it really is.  You see pictures, you see it on tv, but there is absolutely nothing like seeing this in person.  It's breathtaking.

We hopped in the car and hit a 7 mile stretch of road leading to half a dozen different view points.  Each vista was more jaw-dropping than the next.  We overheard an old tour guide saying it was 3000 feet down to this one trail we could see on a plateau and then another 1000 feet down to the river from that.  We saw donkeys on a trail way below us but they looked like ants.  I also heard the guide point out this semicircle rock formation they call the ampitheatre.  He said if it were an ampitheatre, it would seat half a million people!  That's just ridiculous.  I enjoyed eavesdropping on this elderly tour group.

After about two-and-a-half hours of taking in the sights we were on our way back down to towards Grand Canyon village to grab some lunch.  We stopped at a place with no name.  It just said "Internet, Espresso, Sandwiches, Gifts."  Ok.  Great name.  I decided I love this little cafe.  It had computers, great books, souvenirs and a coffee/sandwich shop.  It had the charm of a family owned business.  The woman actually made a pretty mean vanilla latte.  I got a turkey sandwich on sourdough and I have to say, it was better than I expected.  We haven't had a lot of fresh food lately so something as simple as a turkey sandwich on super soft sourdough really made me happy.

We got back on the highway and drove another 4-ish hours to Lake Havasu, AZ, on the border of Arizona and California.  It was beautiful driving into this city with the sun setting behind massive rock formations.  Once again, we were exhausted after a long day so asked for a local delivery and got a pizza.  We ordered a pepperoni and meatball pizza from Rosati's.  I was confused about their crust options- thin, Chicago, double crust or pan.  Their pan crust sounded thicker than the double crust (which they say they invented.)  We ordered the double crust, and it was incredibly thick.  I can't imagine what the pan pizza is like.  It was really heavy, but pretty good.  The meatballs were well seasoned and the sauce was good, although hot as lava.

I'm stuffed and tired, but looking forward to tomorrow.  Tomorrow we see the London Bridge-yes, the London Bridge.  It was brought over piece by piece and rebuilt, now standing here in Lake Havasu.  We saw it on the way in- it was lit up with Christmas lights.  We're going to get a better look in the morning and then back on the road.  Maybe we'll hit some more of old Route 66 on our way up to San Jose and then our final destination of the trip- our new home in San Bruno.