Pic-spam

[madeleone]

It's been a week since we got back from our Arizona trip so I thought I'd better sort through and post a few pictures. Otherwise I've been known to procrastinate then eventually forget about doing it. For anyone who missed it, we flew into Las Vegas, rented a car and drove 1.5 hours south east to a little town called Dolan Springs (the name baffles me as there was no hint of a springs anywhere that I could see--very dry and deserty). There we rented an small guest house at and ostrich ranch. ( The Joshua Tree Ostrich Ranch and Guest House).

Warning: Pic-spam ahead.


This is George. He was more or less the king of the ostriches. The biggest one there, our host, Denver, said he weighs 350 lbs and stands 10 ft tall.



Here is a view of the nearby mountains from the deck. Those are Joshua trees in the foreground.



Here's a pic of the back of the guest house.



The next day we drove to Kingman, AZ., about 35 miles SE. We went to a couple small museums and toured a historic home. One of the Museums was the Historic Route 66 museum.







We had Lunch at Mr. D'z. a 50's style diner.



The next day we decided to visit the Grand Canyon. It was about a 3.5 hour drive from where we were to the South Rim entrance (the North rim is closed at this time of year). We opted instead to drive to Williams, AZ. (over a 2 hour drive), where we took a train (the grand canyon railway) (picture a modern Hogwarts Express Southwest style)  which takes you right to the visitor center at the Grand Canyon. Neither of us had ever been there and I have to honestly say I was blown away. I've seen pictures and video but it just doesn't capture the immenseness of it. Neither do our pics but here's a few anyway.










It was gorgeous. And, yes that's snow on the ground at the visitor center. For some reason I thought AZ. would be hot and deserty, but I learned differently. The elevation at the south rim is about 6800 ft.

I have a few more pics and will try to post them in a day or so. All in all it was a wonderful trip. We loved the having the guest house to use as a home base and got to explore quite a bit of the area.

Comments

[nocturnus33]

How lucky of you to visit the Grand Canyon, it looks amazing. I would have never guess there is snow in there too.
Thanks for sharing.

[madeleone]

It's one of those places I've always wanted to see and can now say it is well worth it. :)

[helenarickman.livejournal.com]

Wow - everything looked amazing! Even though the obvious lack of greenery seems foreign to me, the topography has its own beauty.
And you got your 'kicks' while there!*

*for you young whippersnappers out there, google Route 66 and kicks

[madeleone]

"Even though the obvious lack of greenery seems foreign to me"

On the drive from Las Vegas to our guest house I felt the same way. It was interesting and beautiful in it's own way, but so different from what I'm used to. I told hubby I didn't think I could ever live there, my Irish soul needs more green around me. ;)

[shadowycat.livejournal.com]

Your pictures are great! I've never seen an ostrich in person. That must have been a lot of fun! The Grand Canyon is truly awesome! The one time we visited was at the end of May, and, like you, we didn't expect it to be as chilly as it was. In that one day we got rain, snow, fog, and sunshine. It all made a wonderful show in the canyon, but we were pretty cold! I'm glad you had such a nice time. I'll look forward to seeing more of your pictures! :D

[madeleone]

The ostriches were interesting. I'd thought they were kind of mean for some reason. They were very curious and when you were by their pens they would come over and study you and if you turned your back on them they would peck at you to get your attention.

[zigadenus.livejournal.com]

Nice! Especially 'George', who makes me think of Ornithomimus.

[madeleone]

LOL, I had to google Ornithomimus and I must admit you're right.

[alisanne.livejournal.com]

Great pictures!
I've never been to the Grand Canyon but it's on my bucket list.
And Kingsman! How cool. Although now I'll have the song in my head all day. :P

[madeleone]

I am so happy that we got the chance to visit there. It really is amazing.

[junewilliams7.livejournal.com]

Beautiful!! So glad you had someone take a real photo of you, instead of a selfie, so that we can see you with more of the wonderful background. The 50's diner looks fun. Thanks for sharing your pix and memories!

[madeleone]

We took some pics of a young couple and they took ours in return. I have a few more pics to sort through and will try to post more soon.

[paisleysnail.livejournal.com]

Looks like it was a great trip! I know exactly how you feel about the Grand Canyon. Pictures really don't do it justice.

[madeleone]

It was indeed a wonderful trip. And the canyon was awesome, I felt like I kept repeating: 'Wow!... Oh my God!... Holy shit!' for most of the afternoon.

[dreamy-dragon73.livejournal.com]

Thank you for sharing these gorgeous pictures. The Grand Canyon is truly impressive and the two of you look absolutely lovely!

[madeleone]

Thanks dreamy, it was fun.

[shiv5468.livejournal.com]

Oooh! That looks fun

[madeleone]

Oh, it was!