Day 5 – No luggage!!
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
‘Leisure’ by W.H. Davies
We were up at 7.15am to put the coffee pot on and eat a cereal bar. We also had a cold glass of grapefruit juice each, as the luggage was still AWOL and Trevor still didn’t have his blood pressure medication. After our (alleged) good news yesterday that our bags had apparently arrived in the States, we hoped that we would return to the hotel later today to find them here! 🙂
In the meantime, Trevor donned one of the t-shirts he had been loaned yesterday, while I put on the same old grubby clothes. We would have to find a laundry, or buy some more clothes if our cases didn’t arrive today.
Looking out of the window, we saw a large pickup truck with a long trailer attached; it looked like some sort of livestock transporter. As we were now washed and dressed and ready to go, we went down to the foyer and out of the front doors, and crossed the road to have a look at the trailer. It contained six horses, all saddled up and ready to go. A youngish bloke, dressed in the archetypical cowboy outfit of jeans, checked shirt and Stetson, stood nonchalantly by the truck, smoking a cigarette. A real live cowboy, here in Arizona! 🙂
I greeted him and asked if they were his horses. He said he was just transporting them to a large cattle ranch about 40 miles away, where the horses were to be used to round up the cattle. He kindly permitted me to take his photo (above).
When the others from our group saw the horses and the cowboy, they too came over for a chat and some photos. 🙂
It was then time for us to board the coach which was taking us to one of the highlights on this trip – a day at the Grand Canyon, a marvel of Mother Nature carved over millions of years by the Colorado River.
We set off along the dusty, desert route, part of which was the old Route 66. Our allocated seats today were one seat from the back, and the good thing was that the coldest of the air-con didn’t reach the vents underneath our window, so it wasn’t too uncomfortable today. 🙂
Our first stop was to the Grand Canyon Visitor Centre, which was at a place called Tusayan. We had a look around the souvenir shop while Tomi went to get all the visitor passes into the actual park. Then we were back on the coach for a short drive to the entrance to the Grand Canyon National Park, where we arrived just before 10.00am.
Frank advised us which way to go and also spoke to us about keeping our eyes open and our wits about us at all times when taking photographs. It was not unknown (although rare) for some people, when taking photos at the Grand Canyon, to stand too near the edge and take a step backwards in their quest to take the perfect selfie. 🙂
We were asked to be back at the coach by 2.50pm, but until then our time was our own.
We set off eagerly towards the South Rim, the more accessible part of the GC. It wasn’t too crowded, and we noticed that there was a free shuttle bus for visitors that would take you on to the next viewing point, to save having to walk in the desert heat. We arrived at our first visit and I feasted my eyes for the first time. Oh WOW!
This was fantastic! The first thing we noticed was that photos and film footage do not give you the complete perspective of vastness and depth. Granite cliff faces rose up, showing the different coloured layers of rock. Fissures and cracks, boulders and jagged rocks abounded. This was incredible! I could not stop staring.
We could see zig-zagging trails cut into the rock and, far below us, hikers making their way slowly along the tracks. The weather was hot but there was a constant, welcome breeze.
After walking for a short while, we arrived at the bus stop and waited for the shuttle to take us to the next viewing point, which was no less awe-inspiring. Have you ever just stopped to stare? Just looking and marvelling, the wind gently blowing your hair, breathing in the fresh air and feeling completely spellbound? What can I say – words are not enough.
We had noticed that there were lots of grey squirrels around, and I couldn’t resist taking a photo of these cute little critters, especially as one of them used his tiny little ‘hands’ to pick up a stray crisp that someone had dropped and started to nibble at it delicately.
We continued around on the bus, getting off at each stop and admiring the view before continuing on to the next place. This was just brilliant. Far below us we would see the shining dark blue ribbon of the Colorado River, meandering unceasingly through the millennia of rock.
Soon we arrived at the end of the shuttle run, at a place called Hermit’s Rest. We decided to go and have something to eat and/or drink.
Inside was the inevitable souvenir shop, but we stopped in our tracks when we spotted packs of three T-shirts for $39.00, which worked out at a reasonable 13 bucks each. As things were looking a bit sparse on the old t-shirt front, we decided to buy a pack; Trevor could have two T-shirts while I would have one (as I had also bought the sweatshirt in LA). At least it would allow us to change out of the ones we were wearing, and wear something clean tomorrow! 🙂
We also stayed and bought a home-made ice cream, as we had been recommended by Frank. As we were sitting on a bench in the shade, we noticed the squirrels scampering around, hoping for a morsel of dropped ice-cream cone or something like that. Trevor didn’t like them, saying they were vermin and calling them ‘tree rats’.
After we’d finished our ice-creams, we went back to take the bus along to the other end again. We had noticed that there was a hotel called the Blue Angel Lodge, which had a bar, and we thought a beer would go down a treat. It was also very handily placed for where the coach would be picking us up. 🙂
We enjoyed our beers a lot, after which it was nearly time to reboard the coach. On the way, we met the group from our trip who had booked to take a helicopter ride above the GC. They were all on a high; they said it was one of those unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
Once we were all on the coach, Tomi did a head count and discovered one of us was missing, a solo traveller called Steve. We waited for 10 minutes but he still didn’t turn up. A couple of others on the coach had Steve’s mobile number and decided to give him a call with the “where are you?” message. The phone just rang out then went dead; she didn’t even have the chance to leave a message.
We waited until 3.15pm and still Steve hadn’t put in appearance. I suggested that maybe he had thought the return time was 3.50pm instead of 2.50pm, but Frank was getting anxious now because he was only allowed to park there for so long, and he also still had to take us to the next viewing place at Mather Point. It was therefore decided to leave Tomi behind to see if Steve showed up, and to take the rest of us along to Mather Point, which he did. As expected, the views were absolutely breathtaking.
We returned to pick up Tomi from outside the Blue Angel Lodge as we’d arranged. It was now 3.50pm, an hour after we should have departed, there was still no sign of Steve, so if he had thought the pick-up time was ten to four, he was still late.
Frank then asked if half a dozen people wanted to go out on a ‘search party’. Each volunteer gave Tomi their mobile numbers, and set off to where Steve was supposedly last seen. Frank told the rest of us just to stay on the coach where it was ‘cool’ until the searchers returned – he was giving them 15 minutes.
At 4.05pm there was still no sign of Steve, and no-one could contact him on his phone. Frank and Tomi decided to contact the park rangers and report that one of our party had failed to return at the scheduled time. Frank stuck his head around the door of the coach and said we might as well get off if we wanted, as this was going to take a ‘while’.
The two Southampton guys, who we’d seen in the pub last night said to Frank “Does that mean we have time for a beer?”. Everyone laughed, and Frank resignedly nodded. Trevor and I decided to go and join them once again in the Blue Angel, and we perched on a bar stool and ordered a cold beer each. Every cloud…. 😀
The park rangers, who were on their radios to the local police department, came around and asked those of us who had seen Steve for a description; what he looked like, what he was wearing etc. They also checked their security drone footage to ensure that there had been no accidents. We were all starting to worry by now… surely something must have happened? He wouldn’t just go off on his own and not tell anyone… would he? Tomi decided to call the Ellsworth Hotel and see if he had shown up, and they confirmed that he was not there.
As we sat in the pub finishing off our beer, someone stuck their head round the door and told us that Frank was getting ready to leave at 5.15pm, so we had to be back on the coach a.s.a.p. We hurriedly drained our glasses, quickly used to loo, and rejoined the bus. Still no sign of Steve and some people were starting to get annoyed as well as worried. “We have a meal booked for 7.00pm” said one. “We wanted to go shopping this afternoon”. Everyone’s plans had been scuppered.
Because we were already over two hours late leaving, Frank said he was going to take us back to the Ellsworth Hotel in Williams without any comfort stops this time. It was less than an hour and a half away, so this was no great hardship.
It was just after 6.30pm when we arrived back at the hotel. We wondered whether our cases had arrived, as they were supposed to be coming by Fed-Ex. We asked at the reception desk if any suitcases had been delivered today and the answer was ….. no. 🙁
I was really, really fed up by now so I decided to vent on social media. Finding the Heathrow Airport page on X (Twitter), I told them they were an absolute disgrace and their customer service was abominable. We would see what happened.
Trevor and I went up to our room and I changed into one of the Grand Canyon t-shirts. I couldn’t do anything about the grubby white jeans, it was either them or the grey joggers, and they were no good for hot weather.
We then decided to go out and see if we could find any shops selling suitcases, swimsuits and, for Trevor, gents’ trekking sandals so he wouldn’t have to keep wearing shoes and socks. On the way, we decided to go to the railroad crossing where Trevor had previously seen an old steam engine. The engine was no longer there, but I had to take a photo of the typical American-style level crossing sign.
As we browsed the windows of the shops, we spotted… was that a suitcase I could see? Yes! The shop was selling suitcases of different sizes as well as holdalls and bum-bags (what the Americans so amusingly refer to as ‘fanny packs’). We rushed inside.
We found a small suitcase that would hold all the new stuff we had bought and was labelled as “aircraft cabin-friendly”. We had learned a valuable lesson so far on this trip – always have a bag containing a change of clothes, swimsuits and some toiletries. The case had lots of useful little zip pockets as well, and was ideal. I also found a Route 66 bum-bag, as I was finding it difficult without mine; they are great for holding suntan lotion, tissues, hand-sanitiser, pens etc. We carefully folded away the receipts so we could claim for these from British Airways!
Trundling the new case along, we came across the Sultana Bar again and decided to go in. It was not as crowded this time, and we enjoyed a cold beer each while we discussed the day’s goings-on. This was certainly turning out to be an eventful trip. First of all, someone had lost their passport at LAX, then nine of us were without our luggage, and today someone had gone missing! We wondered if he had turned up yet (if at all).
We decided to stay in the Sultana for another drink, as we liked the ambience in here (apart from the dead animals on the shelves and walls). While we were in there, I checked X/Twitter to see if I had had a reply from Heathrow Airport, and I noticed I had a message from ‘Heathrow Crew Assistance”. They apologised for the great inconvenience and asked me to DM (direct message) them with the flight details and lost baggage report number, as well as my phone number, and they would see what they could do to help. I did as they asked.
It was around 9.30pm when we arrived back at the hotel, and we decided to go and have a nightcap in the hotel’s bar, where some of our party were perched on bar stools. We asked if there was any news of Steve. “Oh, he got the train back!” someone informed us. “WHAT?!” I exclaimed incredulously. After everyone had been searching for him, reporting him missing and had arrived back at the hotel two hours late, he had just decided to bugger off without telling anyone, putting 50 of us to great inconvenience? It was beyond belief, and extremely inconsiderate on the part of Steve. He would be sure to get some flak in the morning.
Once we’d finished our drinks, we returned to our room and got washed and changed before watching a bit of TV and/or reading. We packed our few things in the new case and in our rucksacks, then settled down to sleep after a very busy day. We had a bit of a ‘lie-in’ tomorrow as were not leaving until 9.00am, which would give me time to get showered and shampoo my hair before the long drive to Las Vegas.