There and Back Again: The Loyds finally go to the Grand Canyon

Our first night on the road was at Meridian, Mississippi.

One of our rest stops was at the Mississippi River.

A brief stopover at Monroe, Louisiana at the 
headquarters of Duck Dynasty.

This blacksmith demonstrated his skills at Shreveport, Louisiana's Pioneer Heritage Center.

The founder of the heritage center has led this endeavor for 28 years and has ambitious plans for further expansion. It is a great educational resource for the region.

When Judy had a follow-up conversation with the blacksmith, he gifted her the iron hook he had forged during his demonstration. Awesome!

We didn't know anything about Chip and Joanna Gaines' Magnolia Market, but most everyone we talk to has heard of them.

The silos are iconic symbols of the Magnolia Market. We had a nice meal and relaxing stroll over the grounds and shops during our stop.

Next stop, San Antonio. Does the Alamo need an introduction?

It was great to meet Davy Crockett, one of my childhood (and adulthood) heroes.

San Antonio's Riverwalk is a real asset to the city. We had a fine meal at one of the many eateries along this canal. The entire Riverwalk covers 15 miles.

Stairways make the Riverwalk easily accessible from many downtown streets.

The bus stopped at what is said to be the most scenic overlook in Texas and we got this picture before descending into a valley to see historic Fort Lancaster.

A touch of Texas beauty.

Desert Food Chain or Food Web.

Saguaro National Park, home of the nation's largest cacti.

On an 8-mile driving tour we saw saguaro cacti at all stages of their life cycle. The park was near Tucson, and we would end Day 5 at Phoenix, Arizona.

Throughout our westward progress, train tracks often paralleled the interstates. This Union Pacific locomotive is similar to one of my electric train engines. Another railroad we saw over and over was SFBN. I finally googled it and learned it was formed from a merger of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe with the Burlington Northern. Some trains had as many as six locomotives.

This map shows the free shuttle bus routes within the Grand Canyon. They gave us freedom to explore limitlessly, with a stop right in front of our Thunderbird Lodge.

This view was just steps away from our room. We arrived on Day 6 and viewed a well-done IMAX movie at the welcome center. Everything except meals was included in our tour.

We rode the Red Shuttle to Hermit's Rest for a view of the sunset over the south rim.

Judy and two of our new friends await the sunset.

The last rays of light lit the south rim.

The following morning we arose at 4:30 to see the sunrise, and it was well worth it. This was a short walk from our lodge.

Sunrise from a different angle. Just moving a few feet or turning to a different direction changed the view entirely.

We skipped breakfast, having eaten very well for six days at this point. We hopped the red shuttle at 8 A.M. and started out on our mission: to visit each of its nine overlooks during the morning.

Each overlook was unique. We could stay as long as we liked at each one, because shuttles stopped by about every 10 minutes.

Judy and I out early.

Brief descriptions of all the overlooks we visited.

A view.

We felt like we were IN the canyon at this spot.

Our first view of the Colorado River. Can you find it?

This makes it a little easier to find.

A view.

The blue sky and white clouds were a perfect addition to the wonders of the canyon.

One of my favorites.

I love trains, and what a thrill to be in the right place to see the Grand Canyon train. It runs from the town of Williams, near Flagstaff.

Evidently, a lot of guests arrive via this very cool mode of transportation.

A far-ranging view.

I love the contrast of colors.

This really highlights the layers.

The variety of formations is astonishing.

This was the sunset on our second evening from Mojave Point.

Not surprisingly, sunset was totally different from here.

Departing the Grand Canyon on Day 8, we headed for Albuquerque, New Mexico. We stopped at the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest along the way, for more beautiful sights. Much of our route would follow old Route 66 as we turned toward home.

The quirky Cadillac Ranch was a brief stop along the way.

Leave it to artists to come up with something new. Guests were invited to spray paint a message of their own.

This is the 19-story tall Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, a highly inspirational stop.

Besides this representation of the Last Supper, there were life-size figures depicting the 12 stations of the cross. There was a gift shop and lovely garden.

This view shows the tomb where Christ was laid,
the three crosses on Golgotha, and the 19-story cross
in the background.

Judy and I loved the country, small-town feel of Riff's Steakhouse in Shamrock, Texas. We were made to feel very welcome. And my steak quesadilla was right on time

They say everything's bigger in Texas. I guess it's true.

Restaurant art.

Day 10 found us in Oklahoma. First major stop was the Pioneer Woman Mercantile in Pawhuska.

Ree Drummond has made her rancher husband's pickup quite famous.

I could have shown pictures of all kinds of housewares, etc., but of course, I was drawn to the toy counter.

We had a nice meal at the deli, which was really far more than a deli. The bakery is famous, but we weren't taking any food with us.

Well, look what we found.

Adjacent to the country store was the home of famed engineer Casey Jones, as well as this locomotive (with his number 382) and other railroad items of interest. The Casey Jones museum was not open while we were there.

This place makes a lot of people happy.

The Country Store knew we were coming, and had prepared this room just for our busload. It was very relaxed and just down the hill from our lodging. By the way, from our motel we would see our first lightning bugs (fireflies) of the year. Wish we had some at our house-- we'll keep looking!

The night before we would arrive home, our dinner was provided by the tour. It was in Jackson, Tennessee at the famous Brooks Shaw & Son Old Country Store. It was a grand buffet, and we had to use a lot of restraint. I sampled numerous foods and all were delicious. Somehow I limited my intake, but I would love to go again and eat all I truly wanted. Probably not a good idea!

Colton's was one of many fine places we enjoyed meals. Some of our meals were fast food, of necessity, but almost all of our motels had free hot breakfasts. We stayed at two different Drury Inns, which complimentary Kickback meals for our dinners.

I loved the western-themed art that we found everywhere west of the Mississippi. Apparently, Buffalo Bill fired his last shot in a performance in Conway, Arkansas, where this steakhouse was.

Judy and I are under the "Y" in Holiday if you care to squint. These were some mighty fine people and they were a huge part of our enjoyment of the entire trip. Down in front on the left were Ryan, our tour guide, and Ray, our driver. They were absolutely the BEST, and I could write a whole post about all they did to make our trip such a success. If you ever want to leave the driving and planning to someone else, I highly recommend Holiday Tours, located in Randleman, NC.