Diving into the Grand Canyon

Bright Angel Trail

Arizona Day 5

If I told you that we were walking to Ooh Ahh Point, would you think "Today will hurt"? Well, I sure didn't. This hike involved no rock climbing, secret paths, or long distances. What this hike did involve was walking downhill—followed immediately by walking uphill. We started the hike on South Kaibob trail heading towards Ooh Ahh Point. They have some zig-zag paths carved into the hillside. This is the first sign that things aren't going to go great for me. If they have to give you cheater codes to walk down a hill, something is going on. Getting to Ooh Ahh Point was very rewarding. There was a little sign that said Ooh Ahh Point, and that was fun. I think it was supposed to be an enjoyable noise. Ooh Ahh, but It can't compete with cracking a can of beer. I heard the hiss of my Mother Road Limited Visibility as I looked out in the canyon.

On the way back from the hike, we saw elk running along the side of the road. I didn't tell my wife because I didn't want her to be a distracted driver. She wasn't thrilled. Back at the hotel, we let them know we had a reservation for lunch. Yes, we need a reservation for lunch. It is so busy I don't know what we would have done without one. They said that we would get a text when they were ready for us. Do I hear things? Is this place going to text me? It is quite a traditional place for something like that. I also didn't get the initial text. While waiting, I notice a lamp that has outlets on the base. This place is high-tech. As a traveler, I'm not going to miss this opportunity. Pop those phone chargers out. I think my wife is asleep in this waiting area. Another opportunity I'm not going to sleep through is people-watching in the waiting area. People are so weird when they have nothing to do. Well, not as weird as someone who is watching them be weird--I guess. We eventually got a text.

The food at lunch wasn't quite as crucial as my lunchtime presentation. I didn't have time to make a PowerPoint or anything, but I needed to get out of our afternoon hike. I was still sore from the morning one, and I heard the afternoon one was more challenging. I was trying to wimp out and make the best decision for us as a couple. We agreed to cut the 4-mile hike in half, and that saved me some tears. The Bright Angel Trail made me want to open my Mother Road Daily Driver. As a session IPA, it was quite gentle. I love drinking 30 or 40 of these on warm sunny days. After this hike, maybe I should have brought something more substantial.

Mother Road Brewing Daily Driver IPA at the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon.

By the time I got in the car, I was basically asleep. We hiked so much today; I might have burnt off all the beer calories-- just kidding. I struggled to keep my eyes open. Don't worry; she's driving. We arrived in Williams, Arizona-- a small town. Right on Route 66. The entire village was decorated for Christmas. The whole town! Not just houses or just businesses. All of it! They had a zip line where it looked like you were riding in Santa's sleigh! We are obviously doing that. My wife put her arm around me and led me away. Kind of like what I do with her in the clearance section of *insert store name here*. I will ride this Santa zipline-- I didn't get to ride the Santa zipline. The first stop in Williams, besides Santa's zipline, is Old Historic Brewing. This place has lots of potentials. It had a lot of taps, but only a few were their own.

We ordered and got settled. There were TVs everywhere, but they turned them off. A perfect spot to watch my wife's favorite football team-- my second favorite-- on Monday Night Football. "Hey, can you put the Monday night game on TV, please?" "The TVs are updating." Lol, what? "Do you have dial-up? Can I get these to go?" We drink up and research other places to go. South Rim Beer and Wine Garage looks good. They only have a few taps, but it should be enough to last me through the first quarter. They are incredibly kind and give us a warm welcome. I notice the brisket sandwich on the menu. This looks like the kind of place where they cook brisket in some shed in a backyard that they pretend doesn't exist when the health department comes around. That's the kind of place where I like to get brisket. It takes a little longer since they have to go on an excursion to come back with it, but it's worth it. The bartender was a huge football fan. They already had the game on the TVs. We stayed for the first half, ate great food, drank outstanding beer, and discussed various football conspiracy theories with the bartender—what a great time.

We watched the second half of the game in the room. She barely ate, and I only had one dinner, so we needed something to eat. Well, we're tired, hungry, and we've been drinking. Do the math--we're getting Taco Bell. We grabbed that and watched the second half. I had plenty of in-room beer to keep me going. Are there supposed to be elk at the Grand Canyon?