Day 1: Las Vegas to Grand Canyon
A mid-morning flight launches the adventure!
In this world, you never quite know what will happen when traveling by air. Unfortunately, our flight decided to make its grand entrance right after a late winter east coast storm. Because of that, multiple airlines were playing a game of "cancel or delay," and we were caught in the chaos. Yep… you guessed it! We experienced a 2½-hour delay in Austin, TX, all while we waited for our Las Vegas flight. Finally, we landed, grabbed our luggage, scarfed down a drive-through dinner (because who has time for a sit-down meal), and hit the road for a four-hour drive to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
During our delay, I received an online check-in notification for our Kachina Lodge reservation. I saw the text confirmation and, in my excitement, failed to read past the part that said “reservation check-in confirmed.” So, naturally, I thought, “Piece of cake!” We arrived just after midnight, drove to the lodge—and were greeted by a sign that said to check in at a different lodge. Great. Poor lighting, limited signage, and a faint hope that we wouldn’t end up sleeping in our car.
We spotted an open door with some lights on, so I jumped out of the car and went inside. Two ladies looked at me like I was a ghost. I politely asked for my room keys, but apparently, I’d entered the Twilight Zone because they thought I was here to start a new job. They kept doing what they were doing. One of them even misunderstood me when I said I wanted to pick up my keys, and she started talking about checking in with Human Resources to start my job and get keys to the employee dormitory. Um, what? It’s 12:15 a.m., and I’m pretty sure I’m not here to become the newest member of the night shift!
One of them apologized and said, “It’s my first day, so I can’t help you.” The other smiled and said, “I don’t speak English.” So I handed her my phone with google translate and the lodge sign—because at this point, I figured it was easier than a game of charades. She waved me to follow her, then stepped outside and pointed up the hill to another building.
Realizing I’d just been offered a job in the middle of the night, I told Scott, “Well, I don’t know how to get our room, but at least I have a new career option!” We had a good laugh about that, then grabbed a flashlight and headed up the hill.
We found an open maintenance door, went inside, and finally located the reservation counter. Victory! With our keys in hand, we made our way back down the hill, found our room, and collapsed into a sleep so deep, it felt like we’d been hit by a freight train. We were happy to enjoy a less-than-four-hour nap before sunrise and the promise of a spectacular sunset.