Yesterday we flew from Moab UT, Canyonlands Airport (KCNY) to Grand Canyon Airport (KGCN) on the South Rim and it sounds dramatic to say this, but it was the trip of a lifetime. I ran out of superlatives to describe the dramatic, extraordinary landscape we flew over. And the Grand Canyon itself – it did bring tears to my eyes, and I know I’m not alone in this reaction.

I did see the Grand Canyon once before in 1984 (remember that awesome road trip, Robin?), and I remember being awed. No photo can really capture the grandeur and enormity of it. It sure makes you feel small.

We had some turbulence flying over the rocks and canyons, but not terrible, and it sure was worth it. And even though there are lots of special airspace rules, it was not challenging to fly over (much).

Not to spoil the whole buzz here, but I have to say a couple of things that weren’t so great. For you pilots, I’m not impressed with KCNY. The FBO is just a little office with a dirty toilet upstairs. We had a special request for our refuel, and we didn’t have confidence they handled it well. They don’t greet you at transient parking – you have to go find them. No sissy cold drinks or coffee, either. BUT – they were nice enough to take us to the outskirts of the the park when the only taxi company for The Grand Canyon wouldn’t even answer the phone. And that taxi company would be…Xanterra. For all those who don’t know (I had to educate myself), Xanterra owns hotels and concessions at many major US National Parks, and some state ones. And they suck. I’m all for capitalism, but they’ve turned this National Park into a low-end mall with bad food courts. So of course their employees are unhappy and it shows. Supposedly the Grand Canyon buses are a Park Service concession, but their drivers are clearly unhappy too. Wait, not unhappy – sadistic. I’m talking super mean and reveling in tossing the nice lady with a young child off the bus because her stroller wouldn’t fit in the (very small) luggage rack kind of mean. So it took three hours to travel the eight miles from the airport to our hotel. But it was quiet, we did get pizza for dinner, and had an excellent night’s sleep. This is supposed to be a happy blog, so rant over. But if you visit The Grand Canyon, consider the North Rim, and go somewhere more remote to see it. See this article from The Guardian and this one from REI. See dispersed campsites here.

Now back to the fun of our 2 1/2 days in Moab. What a stunning area and as I wrote before, Cindy and Don were fantastic tour guides and hosts. We had a nice bike ride, and got to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks too. Another excellent part of the adventure!