If read the first part of this post:  3 Day Excursion from San Francisco:  Part I:  Las Vegas you read about my 12 hours in Las Vegas and start of my journey to the Grand Canyon.  After I passed the horrible traffic jam due to road construction around Hoover Dam I was able to make up some time the fun way.

I didn’t get a Corvette to break gas mileage records I got it to drive fast.  Driving mostly straight with slight turns through the desert and up the mountain was an invitation to speed.  Being a Thursday evening the traffic was light so each straight away indicated time to floor the accelerator and see how fast the Hertz “prestige collection” car could go.

I got lucky numerous times with the cops and my life!  I distinctly remember 3 separate occasions where I just was driving at triple digit speeds and around the corner was a highway patrol officer in the middle of the highway waiting to catch speeders.  On one occaison I got a little speed happy and although I didn’t really think about it at the time, almost died.

I have photographic evidence which will explain some of it.  I saw my chance to see how much of the Corvette’s 200mph limit I could get so I floored it on the straight away you see below.  If you look closely it looks like a semi truck is in the right lane further ahead.  It turned out the truck was actually in the left lane because an optical illusion of some kind.

As I floored it (you can see the tachometer at almost 6,000 RPM) in 5th gear at 150 mph I had to snap a photo with my 5 pound Nikon D700 & Nikkor 14-24mm F2.8 lens to prove how stupid I am.  What the photo doesn’t show is that as I got closer to the truck which @ 150+mph happened in seconds from when the photo was taken I saw it was in the right lane.  I was going to pass it on the right but it signaled and started getting over.  I had to snap the wheel back to the left and brake simultaneously to avoid turning my Corvette rental and my body matter into dust.

I didn’t think it at the moment but if I had been using different traction controls, or the road was slick I would have probably lost control.  There is just something about driving a car fast.  It’s really all or none.  You drive fast and almost get in a wreck and you’re 100% fine and laugh about it or you get in a wreck and they’re scraping your brain matter off the highway with a snow shovel.  Needless to say after I thought about I kept the car around 80 for the rest of my trip.

Idiotic Moment before Scary Moment with Semi on Route 66 in Arizona

Arriving at Grand Canyon National Park

I arrived at Grand Canyon National Park in darkness to empty toll booths.  Two of the toll booths had red X’s but one had a green light.  There was nobody in the toll booth so I drove by following the orders of the GPS which had the final destination within a very close distance.  I noticed at lest 2 or 3 cars being pulled over by park rangers or police officers so I made sure to adhere to the slow speed limits.  This should be a warning to anyone driving through the Grand Canyon National Park at night, DRIVE SLOW.

I pulled into a large, almost empty parking lot s the GPS lady told me I reached the final destination.  I expected lots of lights and tourists but I saw no people or signs of activity.  I pulled in the parking lot and was amazed at the amount of stars in the sky.  It must have been the elevation and lack of smog but it was amazing (see photo below).

I got out of the car and was going to walk to see if I could see the Grand Canyon but the dead silence, freezing cold and occasional canine howling in the distance had me a bit spooked.  If I knew what I found out later and hung out there before I would have had no problem with hiking around at night.  I’m actually glad I didn’t go blindly hiking around in the snow that night, I’ll explain later.  I admired the stars for a bit, got out the tripod I had bought at Best Buy in Las Vegas and snapped a couple shots before returning to the car to find a lodge for the night.

Amazing Stars at Yavapai Observation Point Parking Lot

Finding a Place to Stay at the Grand Canyon

I was driving around aimlessly inside Grand Canyon National Park and everything looked closed.  I didn’t bother stopping at many places because I couldn’t see a sign that said lobby or anything.  Some of the lodges looked more like groups of cabins and I didn’t want to be knocking on doors and having John McCain coming out with a sawed off shotgun in my face.

I finally saw a police officer or park ranger and asked her where a lodge was and she pointed to one which was right in front of my nose.  The place was called Maswik Lodge.  I parked and went in and was in luck because they had an available room.  It was a big room with 2 queen beds for around $80 USD which was too much but I took if anything for convenience sake.  It turned out that Maswik lodge was located very close to a viewing point for the canyon.  They gave me a map at check-in,   I bought my rip-off $12 flashlight in their gift shop and after I dropped my bag in my room I walked off into the darkness blindly looking for the largest canyon in the world.

The path was around a 7 minute walk to the canyon which I found.  I was there all alone and when I pulled out the tripod I bought at Best Buy the leg fell off rendering it useless.  I ended up dangling my camera over the railing and a 1000+ foot drop to take some night shots as my bare fingers began to freeze with the canyon breeze.  The best photo turned out to be a 77 second exposure which is below.  After I got my photos I walked back to the lodge, watched some TV and went to sleep early because I wanted to photograph the sunrise early in the morning.

5 Minute Walk in the Dark from the Lodge

Waking up for the Grand Canyon Sunrise

I woke up around 5am before my alarm was set to go off at 5:30 in anticipation of getting some great Grand Canyon sunrise photographs.  I was told the best place to witness the sunrise was the Yavapai Observation Point which I had no idea where it was.  I looked at the crude map the lodge staff gave me and I knew it wouldn’t help so I just got in the car and drove.

It was deja vu as I arrived at the same parking lot that I took the photo with the Corvette and the stars this time in the pitch black of the early morning.  It turned out the parking lot was for the Yavapai Observation Point which the GPS guided me to.  It was literally a minute walk from the parking lot to the south rim of the canyon.  Little did I know there was only a few inches between a great view and certain death at many points along the rim of the Grand Canyon.

The first observation point I got to was very unsafe.  The crude diagram I have inserted below doesn’t illustrate just how deadly this was but I will try to explain.  The snow was from a week or more ago.  It was no longer snow, but sheer ice.  The first part of the photo was at least a 30 degree down slope of sheer ice.  The railing was only around 15-20 feet but on either side was just an ice slide to the death.  You can see in the second photo where the sheer ice leads to.

There were no warning signs or anything.  I took the first photo standing on a log which I sat on while I tested my footing which there was none.  I thought for a second to pull the survival trick by Man vs. Wild TV show survivalist Bear Grylls and taking my socks off and putting them over my shoes to get more traction but I valued my life more than that and also saw a safe observation point with some tourists and their cameras close  by.   I got a chance to shoot some sunrise shots from the safe observation area which is below.

Crude Diagram of Grand Canyon Death Drop

Sunrise at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon - Arizona

Touring the Grand Canyon South Rim

After taking the sunrise photos I went on a short horribly ill equipped hike.  I had no warm coat, gloves or hat but walked around taking photos of the canyon and checking out some safe places where I could get off the path.  I knew I had a few hours before I had to check out of my lodge.  It was amazing but as I walked the scenery didn’t change very much.  After a couple hours I decided to get back to the lodge and eat breakfast, pack and check out for some more Grand Canyon sight seeing.

As I checked out I met a foreign exchange intern who happened to be a beautiful girl from Thailand!  After showcasing some of my pathetic Thai language skills I was off to explore more of the canyon by car.  I drove on the road which encircles some of the south rim.  I was told by a local guy that I was lucky because during the off-peak tourist season, roads are open to traffic as opposed to the tourist heavy season where the roads are only open to tour buses.

The speed limit was 20mph and I could see why.  The icy roads and close proximity to 1000+ foot drops would make for a good death scene for a Hollywood movie, but not for me and my rental car.  I drove for an hour or so, stopping at observation points the last which was called Hermit’s Rest.  Hermit’s rest marked the end of the road but had a little gift shop along with a snack bar which served hot chocolate, hot cider, coffee and other snacks which weren’t that good, but hit the spot.  After absorbing Hermit’s Rest it was time to make a decision.

Hermit's Rest Observation Point along the Grand Canyon South Rim

Getting Back to Las Vegas & San Francisco

I decided to get back to Vegas and get a flight to San Francisco instead of spending another night looking at the same scenery of the Grand Canyon or inhaling smokey air and gambling.  I drove back slower than when I drove there but didn’t stop at Hoover Dam so I made it in the same time although stalled again by the Hoover Dam area construction traffic.  I didn’t have a return ticket so I started calling airlines once I got near the Las Vegas city limits.

I got rip off prices so I decided just to go to the airport ticket counters and talk in person.  The first counter I went to was Virgin America.  The guy at the counter was super cool.  He explained that a cheap coach ticket plus baggage fees was around the same price as the good, front of the cabin behind first class seat which included baggage fees.  The seats had around 2 or 3 feet of leg room, laptop chargers and everything I could want for a flight including wireless internet.  I would do a whole blog post about it, but Virgin America is going to be my airline for US domestic travel from now on.  United can keep their piddly couple hundred frequent flier miles, I’d rather fly in comfort.

Overall Impression

I thought the Grand Canyon was just that, Grand and then some.  If I was with a friend and a not-so expensive rental car I would have loved to take the day hike to the bottom for further exploration and photos and staying in a lodge down there.  I didn’t want to spend another day checking out the rim because it got kind of old seeing the same thing over and over again.  I was happy I went when snow was on the ground because it added nice character to my photographs.

Even though I just got back from the Grand Canyon I can see myself going back in the near future.  I would recommend anyone who hasn’t been to the Grand Canyon to do it.  Anyone who lives relatively close such as in the San Francisco bay area can easily turn their average 3 day weekend into a fun trip with that real tourism feel, especially if they’re into the “What goes in Vegas Stays in Vegas” scene and/or hiking and the outdoors.

If you haven’t already make sure to read:  3 Day Excursion from San Francisco:  Part I:  Las Vegas

View more photos from the Grand Canyon South Rim at tourismPICS.com

My father was scheduled to have his 2nd risky stem cell/bone marrow transplant in a weakened state so I decided to head back to San Francisco to see him, family and friends.  I was planning a trip to Peru and Macchu Picchu during the first couple weeks of February to take advantage of being in the western hemisphere.  Unfortunately,  due to the landslides and flooding near Macchu Picchu in which thousands of tourists had to be evacuated by helicopter I had to put my plans on hold.

Once my father was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit at the hospital because of a lung infection I decided to cancel my original return to Bangkok and stick around San Francisco until he got out.  To make a long story short, after over a month of being imprisoned in the San Francisco suburbs I was beginning to go stir crazy.  I had to get out of there and fast.

Coincidentally, a week earlier I watched a Travel Channel feature on the top 10 tourist attractions and saw the Grand Canyon was number one as well as a place I had not been.  I thought about flying to Phoenix and driving there but Las Vegas sounded much more appealing as far as taking photos goes at least.  Around noon on a Wednesday I decided to head to Vegas and drive to the Grand Canyon and that was it!

Getting to Las Vegas

Getting a flight from San Francisco to Vegas is one of the easiest flights to find.  I stupidly chose to fly United just to get the measly few hundred frequent flier miles.  I booked the ticket online and booked a room for that night at Stratosphere which turned out to be a second mistake.  I also called to inquire about a very cheap, Ford Focus “or equivalent” rental car with Enterprise.

After the smooth 75 minute flight touched down in Las Vegas I took the free 5-minute shuttle to the rent-a-car center and waited in line.  The thought of driving a cheap Ford Focus or other crap car 4 hours across the desert was giving me a sick feeling in my stomach.  Even though I could get one for $30 USD per day, I got out of line and walked across the room to the Hertz booth.

I once rented a Nissan 350Z from the “Hertz Prestige Collection” when I was driving from Seattle to Canada so I decided to see what they had available.  They had a bunch of luxury sedans which were pointless while traveling alone but when they said they had a 2010 model Corvette, I couldn’t resist.

The car was fully loaded with GPS and enough horsepower to make the Kentucky Derby jealous.  It cost around $200 per day when insurance was included and I planned to be using it for 3 days which was quite expensive, but I’ll let the cat out of the bag early and tell you it was worth every penny.  I had a fun time driving down the Vegas strip from the airport rent-a-car center all the way from one side to the other where my hotel the Stratosphere was.

Driving the Corvette Rental down the Strip Hanging the 4 pound D700 & 14-24mm lens out Window

Places to Stay in Vegas:  Stratosphere

Like I mentioned before, I got a room at Stratosphere which was one of the first hotels I looked at online for around $40 per night.   It is the last major hotel/casino located on the very far north end of the strip.  It was on the polar opposite side of the hotels I hadn’t been to before Mandalay Bay, Luxor and MGM.

This was my 3rd time in Las Vegas which isn’t my most favorite place but I was only staying there the night so I could drive to the Grand Canyon in the morning.  I’d hate to be hard on Stratosphere but it was pretty much a dump.  The room reminded me of a rundown Motel 6 with a glossy coating of its space needle-like attraction.

The first time I went to Vegas some years ago I stayed at Circus Circus which was pretty bad and the last time I went I stayed at New York New York which was pretty nice but I would think there are at least a dozen better options for hotels in Vegas than Stratosphere although the price was right.  I could have stayed at the Bellagio, home to the World Poker Tour (http://www.worldpokertour.com) and perhaps snapped some shots of some millionaires in all their poker glory.  But I digress…

It was around 10pm and I decided to get out of the hotel room immediately and take some photos of the strip.  It was already around 10pm so I grabbed my camera and took off.  I found renting a car saved money on cabs as well as tipping.  Most of the casinos had giant easy access and free parking garages.   I drove a ways and saw the entrance to the Bally’s/Paris parking lot which is where I parked.

Photographing the Strip

Anyone who has ever seen a single image from Las Vegas knows it is probably a fun place to photograph and it was.  I forgot my tripod so I thought I was going to have to use a high ISO setting for most shots which I don’t like doing, but the reason I bought the Nikon D700, a $2000+ camera is to be able to use the high ISO settings so I looked forward to the challenge of shooting handheld night shots.

I started shooting photos at the fountain outside of Paris where I was able to take advantage of my Ultra Wide Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 lens (see pic below).  I continued walking down and around the strip until 3:30am taking photos.  After finally seeing the Luxor pyramid (which seemed smaller than I had imagined) taking a couple shots of Mandalay Bay and a pit stop to Fat Burger for a burger and shake, I caught cab back to the hotel to burn some money on slot machines before I crashed for the rest of the morning.

Fountain in fron of Paris Hotel & Casino

View More Photos from the Las Vegas Strip on tourismPICS.com

Leaving Las Vegas

I woke early enough after 5 hours of sleep that I had time for a quick workout at Stratosphere’s small fitness center which was located right next to a McDonalds.  After checking out of Stratosphere I had one task before I could get on the road for the Grand Canyon.  I had to get a temporary tripod as I really wanted to get some night shots of the Grand Canyon and long exposures would be necessary which require a tripod.

I used the handy GPS to help me find the Best Buy where I bought a tripod, had a quick Panda Express lunch across the street then headed out of Las Vegas around 1:30 or 2pm.

Somewhere in between the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas

Hoover Dam

I knew Hoover Dam was somewhere close to Las Vegas but I didn’t realize it was directly on the way to the Grand Canyon only 35 miles south of Las Vegas.  This turned out to be a blessing and a curse as a huge construction project slowed traffic to a crawl for what seemed like dozens of miles.

I didn’t know much about Hoover Dam so I read a little about it.  According to Vegas.com Hoover Dam, “A National Historic Landmark, Hoover Dam is the highest concrete dam in the Western Hemisphere, standing at more than 725 feet above the Colorado River. With 17 generators producing 4 billion kilowatts of electricity a year, it also is one of the country’s largest hydroelectric power facilities. Operation and maintenance of the facility are solely supported by revenue from power sales.”

About a mile away from Hoover Dam, helicopter tours were offered for $29 which I really wish I did since I have never flown aboard a chopper before.  I settled with touring Hoover Dam by foot.  There were numerous free places to park but I chose to pay $7 so I wouldn’t have to search for a spot.  I didn’t purchase any guided tours or enter any gift shops but I noticed numerous chances.  Something I found out as you can see in the Hoover Dam Photos is it lies almost directly in the center of the Nevada-Arizona border.

I probably spent no more than 45 minutes walking around both sides of Hoover Dam snapping photos as I really wanted to get to the Grand Canyon before nightfall.  I regret not taking the $29 helicopter tour but that or the other guided tours of Hoover Dam are not something I would be severely kicking myself for not going

Looking Down Hoover Dam

View More Photos of Hoover Dam on tourismPICS.com

Continue… 3 Day Excursion from San Francisco Part II:  Grand Canyon