One week until Cowboy and Canyons !

[sayhello]

All I can say is OMG! This is day 2 and we are having a wonderful time. Thank you to all who gave advice. You were right - this trip is GREAT!

SO glad you're enjoying your trip! I do *love* this itinerary, and am so happy you're sharing the love!

Looking forward to your report when you get back!

Sayhello

 

[Irish1234]

SO glad you're enjoying your trip! I do *love* this itinerary, and am so happy you're sharing the love!

Looking forward to your report when you get back!

Sayhello

I agree. We got back last week. The trip was amazing. We had a wonderful time.

 

[KandAMom]

Great! Can't wait to hear your updates! We leave in two weeks, July 24th...soo excited

I believe you will have the guides we had - Kolissa and Diana. They were wonderful

Now sitting here trying to figure out where to go next lol. Omg I am hooked !

 

[sayhello]

I believe you will have the guides we had - Kolissa and Diana. They were wonderful

Now sitting here trying to figure out where to go next lol. Omg I am hooked !

ABD's are totally addictive! Didn't we mention that?

Sayhello

 

[thumpermom]

Now sitting here trying to figure out where to go next lol. Omg I am hooked !

That's what I'm afraid of (or excited about - depending on how you look at it!)

I would love to hear from you or Irish1234 (or anyone for that matter) any impressions, advice, or comments you could give! Aug 28 is getting closer and closer for me!

 

[KandAMom]

That's what I'm afraid of (or excited about - depending on how you look at it!)

I would love to hear from you or Irish1234 (or anyone for that matter) any impressions, advice, or comments you could give! Aug 28 is getting closer and closer for me!

You will have the time of your life ! Bring lots of sunscreen, also you might want nasal spray. My son and husband had bloody noses due to the dry air - which we are not use to here.

 

[Irish1234]

You will have the time of your life ! Bring lots of sunscreen, also you might want nasal spray. My son and husband had bloody noses due to the dry air - which we are not use to here.

Hi would be happy to answer any questions you have. We definitely overpacked. We never needed warm clothes on our trip due to the extreme heat and I only wore jeans when we went horseback riding at Red Cliffs. We should have packed less. Shorts, shirt and sneakers were what I wore during the day. We did a dinner on our own at Enchantment and we did dress up but it was not necessary. If you ride the ATV I would suggest bringing old clothes that you don't mind tossing. They get coated in red mud. Red Cliffs has a laundry room and I did some wash there. For the heat we drank lots of water provided by the guides. I brought the powered electrolytes but we never used them. I wore a hat everyday and sneakers. I had water shoes for the rafting since you cannot wear flip flops and we got very wet. On the jeep ride the best place to buy jewelry in Monument was at the first stop. Best selection and lowest prices. We did a helicopter ride at the Grand Canyon --the views were amazing. If you get motion sickness you will probably need Dramamine for the bus,some people did get sick on the days with a longer bus ride. This was the best vacation we have ever had. You are going to have a wonderful time. I feel so lucky that we were able to do it.

 

[sayhello]

Hi would be happy to answer any questions you have. We definitely overpacked. We never needed warm clothes on our trip due to the extreme heat and I only wore jeans when we went horseback riding at Red Cliffs. We should have packed less. Shorts, shirt and sneakers were what I wore during the day. We did a dinner on our own at Enchantment and we did dress up but it was not necessary. If you ride the ATV I would suggest bringing old clothes that you don't mind tossing. They get coated in red mud. Red Cliffs has a laundry room and I did some wash there. For the heat we drank lots of water provided by the guides. I brought the powered electrolytes but we never used them. I wore a hat everyday and sneakers. I had water shoes for the rafting since you cannot wear flip flops and we got very wet. On the jeep ride the best place to buy jewelry in Monument was at the first stop. Best selection and lowest prices. We did a helicopter ride at the Grand Canyon --the views were amazing. If you get motion sickness you will probably need Dramamine for the bus,some people did get sick on the days with a longer bus ride. This was the best vacation we have ever had. You are going to have a wonderful time. I feel so lucky that we were able to do it.

It makes me so happy to hear you guys had such a great time! I still think this trip is one of ABD's best itineraries, and I love it!

Sayhello

 

[KandAMom]

Hi would be happy to answer any questions you have. We definitely overpacked. We never needed warm clothes on our trip due to the extreme heat and I only wore jeans when we went horseback riding at Red Cliffs. We should have packed less. Shorts, shirt and sneakers were what I wore during the day. We did a dinner on our own at Enchantment and we did dress up but it was not necessary. If you ride the ATV I would suggest bringing old clothes that you don't mind tossing. They get coated in red mud. Red Cliffs has a laundry room and I did some wash there. For the heat we drank lots of water provided by the guides. I brought the powered electrolytes but we never used them. I wore a hat everyday and sneakers. I had water shoes for the rafting since you cannot wear flip flops and we got very wet. On the jeep ride the best place to buy jewelry in Monument was at the first stop. Best selection and lowest prices. We did a helicopter ride at the Grand Canyon --the views were amazing. If you get motion sickness you will probably need Dramamine for the bus,some people did get sick on the days with a longer bus ride. This was the best vacation we have ever had. You are going to have a wonderful time. I feel so lucky that we were able to do it.

Agree - shorts and shirts, although we did wear our sweatshirts at the Grand Canyon at night - did get a little chilly. The night on your own at Sedona- we went in town and ate/shop. We ate dinner at the Oak Creek Brew Company- very good We had a personal tour guide by one of the cowboys from the jeep tour. Same with the packets to add to the water - maybe used one. For the morning at Moab, we decided to lay low and relax, so no horse ride or atv - instead we went to the pool. Several other families did the same thing which was fun. Yes on the motion sickness on the bus - my son got sick on both long rides We wore our keens all the time and had our sneaker for back up.

 

[thumpermom]

Hi would be happy to answer any questions you have. We definitely overpacked. We never needed warm clothes on our trip due to the extreme heat and I only wore jeans when we went horseback riding at Red Cliffs. We should have packed less. Shorts, shirt and sneakers were what I wore during the day. We did a dinner on our own at Enchantment and we did dress up but it was not necessary. If you ride the ATV I would suggest bringing old clothes that you don't mind tossing. They get coated in red mud. Red Cliffs has a laundry room and I did some wash there. For the heat we drank lots of water provided by the guides. I brought the powered electrolytes but we never used them. I wore a hat everyday and sneakers. I had water shoes for the rafting since you cannot wear flip flops and we got very wet. On the jeep ride the best place to buy jewelry in Monument was at the first stop. Best selection and lowest prices. We did a helicopter ride at the Grand Canyon --the views were amazing. If you get motion sickness you will probably need Dramamine for the bus,some people did get sick on the days with a longer bus ride. This was the best vacation we have ever had. You are going to have a wonderful time. I feel so lucky that we were able to do it.

Great information! Thanks so much, especially about motion sickness on the longer bus rides. I will certainly prepare for that. I have lots of questions, but I’m trying to organize them. Here are a few (for anyone who cares to answer):

- On the days you are transported to an activity and then back to the resort, did you bring a small day pack? If so, can/should we leave it on the bus? Is it cold on the bus (need a sweater)? If you used one, what other items did you bring along in a day pack?
- Did you wear regular shorts and tops (khaki/cotton) or more specialty hiking type clothes (wicking, etc)?
- It appears that you did both helicopter and ATV tours. Did you enjoy them? One more than the other?
- With all the extra tours, did you have any downtime to enjoy the resorts? Since we do enjoy our downtime, and I am trying to decide how to spend the free periods. The relaxing pool time that KandAMom choose sounds delightful to me, but I hate to miss something extraordinary.

TIA!

 

[thumpermom]

Agree - shorts and shirts, although we did wear our sweatshirts at the Grand Canyon at night - did get a little chilly. The night on your own at Sedona- we went in town and ate/shop. We ate dinner at the Oak Creek Brew Company- very good We had a personal tour guide by one of the cowboys from the jeep tour. Same with the packets to add to the water - maybe used one. For the morning at Moab, we decided to lay low and relax, so no horse ride or atv - instead we went to the pool. Several other families did the same thing which was fun. Yes on the motion sickness on the bus - my son got sick on both long rides We wore our keens all the time and had our sneaker for back up.

Please tell me about your Keens. I assume they were the waterproof, hiking type that are completely closed in. The meshy kind? OK, here is an incredibly dumb question: Am I correct in assuming that you don’t wear socks with them even on the non-rafting days? (I can’t express how embarrassed I am to ask that question!)

Also, thanks for reminding me about the dry air!!! Being from the deep south, my nose (as well as everything else) will not be prepared for the lack of humidity!

 

[carpenta]

Great information! Thanks so much, especially about motion sickness on the longer bus rides. I will certainly prepare for that. I have lots of questions, but I’m trying to organize them. Here are a few (for anyone who cares to answer):

- On the days you are transported to an activity and then back to the resort, did you bring a small day pack? If so, can/should we leave it on the bus? Is it cold on the bus (need a sweater)? If you used one, what other items did you bring along in a day pack?
- Did you wear regular shorts and tops (khaki/cotton) or more specialty hiking type clothes (wicking, etc)?
- It appears that you did both helicopter and ATV tours. Did you enjoy them? One more than the other?
- With all the extra tours, did you have any downtime to enjoy the resorts? Since we do enjoy our downtime, and I am trying to decide how to spend the free periods. The relaxing pool time that KandAMom choose sounds delightful to me, but I hate to miss something extraordinary.

TIA!

I was on the same trip and can help you out.

1. I brought a small backpack to carry water and sunblock. There was plenty of ice cold bottled water as well as trip supplied stainless steel containers. Yes the bus is always safe and the driver stays most times and locks the other. On the bus because the heat was 110 and hotter in the sun the AC could barely keep up with the outside temps. Never got chilly in our experience.
2. Most wore regular shorts and t shirts as well as collared golf type shirts. I had wicking shirts that worked really well.
3 I (we) did the horseback riding but both groups came back with great stories.
4. yes you do have down time and we chose to use the pool as well as hike on our own both at the Grand canyon for the afternoon as well as at the Enchantment. Pool definitely at the Red Rocks.

As stated before it is a great trip. Hot but wonderful and I thought we had a great group and that made it more enjoyable.

 

[Bobo912]

Please tell me about your Keens. I assume they were the waterproof, hiking type that are completely closed in. The meshy kind? OK, here is an incredibly dumb question: Am I correct in assuming that you don’t wear socks with them even on the non-rafting days? (I can’t express how embarrassed I am to ask that question!)

Also, thanks for reminding me about the dry air!!! Being from the deep south, my nose (as well as everything else) will not be prepared for the lack of humidity!

You can wear socks with Keens. With the temps, your feet will probably get really hot though.

The ATV tour at Moab is really fun. The dirtier you get, the more fun it is.

 

[sayhello]

Great information! Thanks so much, especially about motion sickness on the longer bus rides. I will certainly prepare for that. I have lots of questions, but I’m trying to organize them. Here are a few (for anyone who cares to answer):

- On the days you are transported to an activity and then back to the resort, did you bring a small day pack? If so, can/should we leave it on the bus? Is it cold on the bus (need a sweater)? If you used one, what other items did you bring along in a day pack? Most people brought a small daypack (either the one sent by ABD or your own). Totally safe to leave it on the bus. Back when I did this trip, we had the same bus and bus driver for the entire trip.
- Did you wear regular shorts and tops (khaki/cotton) or more specialty hiking type clothes (wicking, etc)? I wore regular T-shirts, and quick-dry shorts.
- It appears that you did both helicopter and ATV tours. Did you enjoy them? One more than the other? The helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon was definitely worth doing once, but I really have no desire to do it again. Due to Park regulations, the helicopters cannot fly into the canyon, so you are seeing everything from quite a bit of height above the canyon. Cool, but not earth-shattering like I'd been led to believe. I went in May, and the ATV tours were not operating yet for the year. I ended up doing a wine tasting at the Red Cliffs Lodge, and went hiking in the area around the Lodge.
- With all the extra tours, did you have any downtime to enjoy the resorts? Since we do enjoy our downtime, and I am trying to decide how to spend the free periods. The relaxing pool time that KandAMom choose sounds delightful to me, but I hate to miss something extraordinary. I can't horseback ride, and the ATV tours weren't going. Some folks did a jeep ride, and loved it. As I said above, I hung around the resort, did a wine tasting & hiked, and very much enjoyed it.

TIA!

I have never worn socks with my Keens. Mine were the mesh kind that were sandal-y, but had enclosed toes. Great for the rafting day. Most of the rest of the time, I wore tennis shoes and cotton socks. Worked great.

Sayhello

 

[thumpermom]

Wow, wow, wow!! Thanks everyone!! I am an uber-planner and very detail orientated. This type of trip is out of my comfort zone as I have never been to this part of the country. Of course, that is the point of going on it!

I am feeling much better and more in control thanks to all of you!

Did everyone leave from Grand Junction? Our plan is to rent a car in Grand Junction on Wednesday, and our flight home is Friday midday. I don't have any interim plans yet. I am having second thoughts about that decision now, but I think I'm going to have to stick with it. Did anyone else do this? Any suggestions?

 

[carpenta]

Wow, wow, wow!! Thanks everyone!! I am an uber-planner and very detail orientated. This type of trip is out of my comfort zone as I have never been to this part of the country. Of course, that is the point of going on it!

I am feeling much better and more in control thanks to all of you!

Did everyone leave from Grand Junction? Our plan is to rent a car in Grand Junction on Wednesday, and our flight home is Friday midday. I don't have any interim plans yet. I am having second thoughts about that decision now, but I think I'm going to have to stick with it. Did anyone else do this? Any suggestions?

We did the same thing. After being dropped off at the airport in Grand Junction we picked up out car and headed out to Brice Canyon and Zion National Park. Both are spectacular. We even stumbled upon Capital Reef National Park on our drive west. First, never heard of it and second it was another beautiful park. They are about 6 to 7 hours west BUT the speed limit is 75 mph. We made our hotel as well as car reservations before hand. A lot of hotels by the airport. The drive west on the Interstate is beautiful itself where you go through some very interesting scenery. Outside Grand Junction the countryside converts back to high desert and there are not too many stops between towns. I suggest you plan your route to hit someplace you would like to explore for like I said there is a lot of country out there. Grand Junction also has an historic downtown with a main street dotted with shops and eating places.
One thought that if you want to eat at the Grand Canyon in the restaurant "EL TOVAR" (that is the meal on your own while at the Grand Canyon)I would suggest making reservations before hand, we did and it took some stress off our planning. Luckily the people in our group got to eat BUT I was told that sometimes it maybe trouble getting in. The food is/was very good IMO where I had the artic char as my wife had trout. The breakfast at the El Tovar are HUGE and you will eat there when you stay in the Thunderbird.

 

[thumpermom]

We did the same thing. After being dropped off at the airport in Grand Junction we picked up out car and headed out to Brice Canyon and Zion National Park. Both are spectacular. We even stumbled upon Capital Reef National Park on our drive west. First, never heard of it and second it was another beautiful park. They are about 6 to 7 hours west BUT the speed limit is 75 mph. We made our hotel as well as car reservations before hand. A lot of hotels by the airport. The drive west on the Interstate is beautiful itself where you go through some very interesting scenery. Outside Grand Junction the countryside converts back to high desert and there are not too many stops between towns. I suggest you plan your route to hit someplace you would like to explore for like I said there is a lot of country out there. Grand Junction also has an historic downtown with a main street dotted with shops and eating places.
One thought that if you want to eat at the Grand Canyon in the restaurant "EL TOVAR" (that is the meal on your own while at the Grand Canyon)I would suggest making reservations before hand, we did and it took some stress off our planning. Luckily the people in our group got to eat BUT I was told that sometimes it maybe trouble getting in. The food is/was very good IMO where I had the artic char as my wife had trout. The breakfast at the El Tovar are HUGE and you will eat there when you stay in the Thunderbird.

Unfortunately, as I see I failed to mention, we are flying out of Denver, so we will be travelling East not West. I didn't even think about going West. . . .

I tried to make reservations at El Tovar (have always wanted to stay there!) but was told if you are not staying at the hotel, you have to wait till 30 days prior before you can make a dining reservation. I have it marked on my calendar. In any event, I appreciate the suggestions so keep them coming!

 

[carpenta]

Unfortunately, as I see I failed to mention, we are flying out of Denver, so we will be travelling East not West. I didn't even think about going West. . . .

I tried to make reservations at El Tovar (have always wanted to stay there!) but was told if you are not staying at the hotel, you have to wait till 30 days prior before you can make a dining reservation. I have it marked on my calendar. In any event, I appreciate the suggestions so keep them coming!

No AC in the El Tovar in the guests rooms.....Thunderbird...wonderful cold AC next door. I would bet you will get them for I called and got them 25 days out. Not too many people plan as we do..... I'm sure there are places to see on the way to Denver.

 

[Irish1234]

Great information! Thanks so much, especially about motion sickness on the longer bus rides. I will certainly prepare for that. I have lots of questions, but I’m trying to organize them. Here are a few (for anyone who cares to answer):

- On the days you are transported to an activity and then back to the resort, did you bring a small day pack? If so, can/should we leave it on the bus? Is it cold on the bus (need a sweater)? If you used one, what other items did you bring along in a day pack?
- Did you wear regular shorts and tops (khaki/cotton) or more specialty hiking type clothes (wicking, etc)?
- It appears that you did both helicopter and ATV tours. Did you enjoy them? One more than the other?
- With all the extra tours, did you have any downtime to enjoy the resorts? Since we do enjoy our downtime, and I am trying to decide how to spend the free periods. The relaxing pool time that KandAMom choose sounds delightful to me, but I hate to miss something extraordinary.

TIA!

Hi, I always had my small pack with me. Things are always safe on the bus but I usually kept my bag with me. I get cold easily so I had a zip hoodie if the bus was cool. Again I get cold easily and most people did not think it was cool. Some of the restaurants were also cool so I had it just in case. In my day pack I had Dramamine, video camera, sun tan lotion, my hat was crushable so that also went in the bag and cash/credit card.
I also like relaxing by the pool and we did plenty of that. At the Enchantment they have an outside bar for drinks and food and a pool waiter that assists you. The kids had lots of frozen slushies--we have the bill to prove it! My view was that this was the vacation where we tried new things and that is why we did the extra excursions. The helicopter ride was a once in a lifetime for me since I will not be doing it again. It was incredible. I am afraid of heights but I forced myself to do it. The sights were amazing. My husband and oldest went on the ATV and they came back with smiles from ear to ear. My husband said it was so much fun and he was going into it not having done it before. They were coated in red mud and still smiling. My youngest and I went horseback riding instead. The horses are beautiful (every morning we were able to pet them by walking out of the gate in our room). The views on that ride--wow! The kids would also go swimming at night which was fun and did not require sun tan lotion. The night sky is amazing and we would sit on the patio of our room at Red Cliffs and just look up.
We did not wear any hiking clothes. We all wore our sneakers, shorts and t shirts or polo shirt. There were days when I wore a skort. No speciality hiking clothes. A hat was a must for me but not everyone wore one. Just a comfortable walking shoe is best. For me that was my sneakers. I brought way too many clothes. It was much more casual than I thought. I did dress up when we had dinners on our own but looking around you had casual to dressy and everything in between. There are also laundry facilities at Red Cliff.

 

[Irish1234]

Unfortunately, as I see I failed to mention, we are flying out of Denver, so we will be travelling East not West. I didn't even think about going West. . . .

I tried to make reservations at El Tovar (have always wanted to stay there!) but was told if you are not staying at the hotel, you have to wait till 30 days prior before you can make a dining reservation. I have it marked on my calendar. In any event, I appreciate the suggestions so keep them coming!

We also rented a car and drove to Denver since Southwest does not fly out of Grand Junction. We flew out that night. Such a beautiful ride. We stopped and had lunch along the way at one of the ski resort towns with great views. It is a very easy ride and I am glad we did it.