Today’s the day…. it’s about that time… the event everyone in the Southwest is talking about…T minus three hours until astronaut Buzz Aldrin leads the ceremonial first walk on the Grand Canyon Skywalk.  When contracted to help “christen” the innovative but controversial attraction at Grand Canyon West, Aldrin apparently joked about bringing a parachute.  I wonder if he actually will.  Aldrin will be joined by another retired astronaut, John Herrington, a Chickasaw Indian who rode aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor in 2002.

So would YOU walk on it?  Take a look at these pictures and judge for yourself…

http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_6470000/newsid_6470400/6470453.stm

Now THERE’s the topic of our next Grand Canyon travel poll….

‘til next time, Happy Traveling and Happy Skywalking! 

Alley Kaye

 

Many Grand Canyon vacation planners, upon hearing about a particular tour or hotel that piques their interest, will say “tell me more about it.”  Well, right now, we can do you one better – we can SHOW you more about it! 

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a film has to be worth at least a million, and in the last few weeks we’ve gathered a nice little collection of informational videos about Grand Canyon hotels, tours and more.  Where can you see it?  None other than YouTube, of course.  We also have a lot of these videos posted on Google Video, but the cool thing about YouTube is that you’ll not only see Grand Canyon videos that we have made here in-house, but you can also check out the contributions of other people, like our tourism industry colleagues, past Grand Canyon visitors, and folks like you!  Just go to www.youtube.com and type in “GrandCanyon86023.” 

Right now our boss is heading to Las Vegas, and with a little luck, should see astronaut Buzz Aldrin lead the ceremonial first walk on the Grand Canyon Skywalk tomorrow – we’ll keep you posted!

Happy viewing and Happy Travelling – Alley K

Hello everyone ~ to those of you looking forward to Spring Break next week, have a happy one!  To those of you who won’t observe Spring Break until late April, that’s a great time to come out here, but get those Grand Canyon hotel reservations made pronto. 

Here at GrandCanyon.com, we just received word that our allotment at the Best Western Grand Canyon Squire Inn is sold out for Memorial Day Weekend.  Are we surprised?  Nope.  Perfectly normal, all par for the course.  As of now, there are a few rooms left at Yavapai Lodge inside the park, plus a few more at the Quality Inn Canyon Plaza and the Red Feather Lodge in Tusayan.  If you want ‘em, better grab ‘em while you can.  For in-park lodging at the South Rim, contact Xanterra South Rim LLC at 888–297–2757 (toll free in US) or 303–297–2757 (outside the US) or online visit www.grandcanyonlodges.com  For Tusayan lodging visit http://www.grandcanyon.com/hotels.html or call 1–800–916–8530. 

If you don’t stay at Grand Canyon South Rim or Tusayan, your next best option will be Williams (1 hour South), Flagstaff (1.5 hours Southeast) or Page aka Lake Powell (2.5 hours Northeast).  Call that same 800# for availability and pricing of hotels in those cities. 

Want to learn more?  Well, if a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a million!  Check us out on YouTube at GrandCanyon86023. 

Happy Traveling! 

Alley Kaye

How does one define “wilderness?”  The American Heritage Dictionary defines it as “an unsettled, uncultivated region left in its natural condition, especially:“ A large wild tract of land covered with dense vegetation or forests; an extensive area, such as a desert or ocean, that is barren or empty; a waste; or a piece of land set aside to grow wild.” 

Modern man tends to define it as “a place where a. the nearest Starbucks is a 2 hour drive away or b. a place where one’s cell phone won’t work!”  Cashman73, a contributor to a forum on Slashdot, had this to say in response to an article about the African nation of Namibia’s experimentation with solar and wind powered towers to bring cell phone coverage to remote remarked:

“Heck! They need to put a couple of these suckers in Arizona (not Phoenix); I-17 has horrible cell coverage in places, and could really use something better. The only cell phones that even work at the Grand Canyon are Verizon phones.”

Actually, Alltel and Verizon both serve the area, but cashman73 brings up a very important point that you should know about: you won’t be able to count on your cell phone working 100% of the time.  Even Alltel and Verizon’s subscribers say coverage can be spotty due to the remoteness of the area, high afternoon winds, etc.  That’s not to say that you shouldn’t bring your cell phone – they can be absolute lifesavers in case of emergencies, which do have a way of happening out in the middle of nowhere – but if there’s a chance someone may need to contact you while on the road, give them your hotel phone numbers, just in case.    

…and if you think that’s a handy tip, there’s more where that came from in our brand new FREE Grand Canyon travel planning video!  Watch it on Google Video now or sign up for to get your own personal e-mail link at GrandCanyon.com. 

‘Til next time – Alley Kaye

P.S.  Actually, there IS a Starbuck’s at the Grand Canyon, at the Grand Hotel in Tusayan.  There’s also one in Flagstaff inside Barnes and Noble, and – STOP THE PRESSES – Page-Lake Powell Arizona is in the process of getting one inside Safeway.   

Are we Arizonans obstinate as mules, or what?  Back in the fall, we said, “we won’t back down.”  Well, we won’t “spring forward,” either!  

Just a friendly (and short) reminder as we make the jump to Daylight Savings Time, travellers: Arizona is on Mountain Standard Time year-round.  Of course, to every rule, there is an exception, and there is one here: the Navajo Indian Reservation DOES observe daylight savings time.  This would matter a great deal to those of you who are leaving Grand Canyon National Park headed for places like Monument Valley, Navajo National Monument or Canyon de Chelly.  These destinations will be one hour ahead.  So if you’re leaving Grand Canyon and doing a horseback ride in Monument Valley or perhaps a jeep tour of Canyon de Chelly when you arrive in the area, remember you’ll have to leave one hour early.  Same thing applies if you’re heading to Utah, Colorado or New Mexico. 

Confused?  Remember this one sentence that will bail you out of any quandary that comes your way on your Grand Canyon vacation: “WHEN IN DOUBT, CHECK IT OUT!” 

L8R – Alley K

P.S.  Those of you saying “wow, these other places sound cool, tell me more!”  Well, we’ll SHOW you more – click this text link to view a short video on other incredible attractions you can easily enjoy on your Grand Canyon vacation!