Take the Trip

By Chuck Colby, Publisher

My son, Evan, graduated (rather un-ceremoniously, by the way) in the spring of 2020. We had planned a special father-son trip to the Grand Canyon, but it got put on the back burner, out of a sense of caution.

That summer, I started publishing this newspaper, which truly consumed my life for a couple of years until we grew the team a bit and I started delegating some duties that I had taken on.

The time was right. I asked Evan if he would be able to go on the make-up trip, for the one we missed after graduation. I am so glad that I did!

We made plans to fly in and out of Phoenix, but as the trip grew closer and I started looking into rental cars, I discovered that we were flying in during Major League Baseball spring training and a very large NASCAR event. Economy cars that would have normally been $35 a day were $275!

When I realized that our total for the week would have been close to $2000 for a rental, I started looking at used cars to buy and drive home. I found a few that looked promising, and we made up our minds that we would commit to the adventure! We were going to buy a car out west and drive it back. I have always thought this would be a good idea anyway, at least a chance to get a rust free buggy.

Our flight landed at SkyHarbor, and we were picked up by the owner of a car that we rented using an app called Turo, kind of an Air BNB of cars. We committed to a single day of rental and made our plans to go look at and drive the cars that we had researched on Facebook Marketplace.

The first car was a bust, the seat was stuck in a position that would not even allow me to get behind the wheel with my long legs. The second car was just what you dream of. Low miles, newer car, owned by an older individual who used the car to make a few weekly excursions, to go to church and the golf course. We made a deal and bought the car, and we had been in town less than 24 hours.

We decided to spend a few hours making sure that we would be comfortable on the trip, tunes are a must for a voyage like this. We bought a few CDs at a thrift shop (Hootie and the Blowfish and The Dave Matthews Band) and we also bought a mount for my phone which has an FM broadcast converter, I would actually review this with high marks.

Time to see the sights. Our first stop was hiking on the Old Dutchman Trail in Apache Junction, AZ. A lot of folks overlook the Superstition Mountains, but they have their own beauty, and if you make the excursion to Phoenix, I would suggest a day trip. We hiked up to a summit that was agreeable to both of us, took some pictures, remarked at the splendor of where we were and the beauty of the day, and pressed on.

Our next stop was a 35 minutes winding drive away, the ghost town of Tortilla Flat, AZ. The town itself is worth seeing. While a tourist trap, the high points are the Backyard BBQ with old guys playing the blues, the saloon with over $1,000,000 in $1 bills that have been stapled and taped to every exposed inch of wall space in the place, and some pretty delicious mocha java chip ice cream. But, the real reason to go out there is the drive itself. The curves and switchbacks reveal scenery that has unexpected beauty.

Our next destination on the tour was Sedona. Known for its beauty and for being a vortex of spiritual energy, there is no denying that you just don’t see anything like this in Michigan. The layers of rocks are breathtaking, and the hikes will also leave you winded! Good thing we had started into a little bit of a walking regimen a few weeks before the trip.

We chose 3 different hikes, somewhat at random, and we were both overwhelmed by the visual splendor. Between hikes, we were able to work in Thai food, a dip in the pool each day, a couple of games of dominoes, and one of the best Mexican meals of my life. If you make the trip, make sure that you also stop at Montezuma’s Castle, ruins of ancient people who lived in the valley, it is fascinating. Evan remarked that he thought life must have been pretty good there, I agreed.

Chuck Colby and Evan Colby at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, before the snow. Photo courtesy of Chuck Colby.

The Grand Canyon was the next stop, not unlike the trip to Tortilla Flat, the drive from Sedona up to the Canyon was magnificent. We arrived at the canyon by 11 am and headed straight for the rim at the visitor’s center. If you have never been, the truth is that nobody’s pictures will do it. You can look at book after book of Ansel Adams or Kolb Studio, they are nice photos, striking, but NOTHING will compare to being there.

We hiked 2 miles of the rim to arrive at the historic El Tovar hotel for lunch, which was excellent, by the way! Our timing was fortuitous, while we sat inside, looking out the window at the Canyon, it began to snow, and not just a little...a full on blizzard. The snow lasted an hour or so, but Evan and I had decided already that we were ready to make the rest of that day’s journey, which would see us into Las Vegas.

I am pleased to say that neither of us made a contribution to any of the casinos, at least not by gambling. We did see Carrot Top, who was surprisingly funny. I wanted to show Evan “Old Vegas” so we went to the Fremont Street Experience, that was a mistake. It was loud, gross, and both of us remarked that we felt very much on guard, like we might have to defend ourselves at any moment. Not recommended.

The best part of Vegas was going to the Valley of Fire, an hour north of town. The best way to describe this park is that it is like visiting the face of Mars. The rock formations have a look that is all their own. Part of the park looks like there was an explosion of melting sedimentary rocks that were flung around the valley and landed any which way. Huge sedimentary rocks were presented in all angles, which by comparison to Sedona was quite a bit different. The sand was a red orange color, I still have some in my shoes if you would like to see.

The drive home was LONG. We made the decision to take the classic Route 66 trip, and we made some of the stops along the way. I-40 has replaced most of 66, and while there is the occasional Oasis, You will be glad that you have some music. There’s a lot to see on the drive. We were delayed in Flagstaff on our first of 3 travel days headed back, so much so, that we missed our chance to see the Petrified Forest National Park.

We did take the 10 mile diversion from the main road to see the Meteor Crater, it is an impressive hole that you can explore in about 10 minutes. It does inspire your imagination. We bee-lined it for Amarillo and stayed there on the first night of the trip home. North Texas is long and flat, if cattle is your thing, you’re in luck! After some Oklahoma City BBQ, we gunned it for St. Louis with an obligatory stop at Waffle House.

The bonus of the final day of travel was getting to see my dad and my sister in Naperville.

The impromptu family reunion. Photo courtesy of Chuck Colby.

We traded off driving on the trip, though, I did the Lion’s share. Evan is still a newer driver, but he clocked more highway miles in those 3 days than he had total since getting his license.

Here’s the thing. Our trip would have been great whether we flew home, or took this additional journey, but for my money, we got a lot more adventure by forging our own path, not being bound by an itinerary, and following a loose plan.

The time that we spent together left both of us wanting to go again. We are making plans for our next trip already. On a trip like this, the option is there to have some pretty great conversations, and we sure did.

All that I would have if we had not gone would be a little more money and another week of work under my belt. I recognize that we don’t get a second chance at spending time together. My advice, if you have been thinking about it and you just haven’t gone, Whether it is Phoenix, Paris, or Peoria, take the trip.