Snowy conditions……my favourite!  That news greeted us over the coffee and croissants for Tuesday’s breakfast, and presented a few more options for all of us than initially expected.  Our route was to take us up to an elevation of at least 8000 feet, so the weather change shouldn’t be ignored.   A quiet review of road conditions with the mechanical cousin, based on the theory:

• We had The Egg (German engineering)
• All weather tyres (rain and snow no issue), and
•  Two drivers born in England (bad weather is synonymous with our cultural identity)

Left us flipping a coin and deciding we’d chance our luck until it ran out, and take the original mapped route.

Heading through Flagstaff, we seemed to be driving for an awfully long time with nothing listed in the route book, showing up on our horizon.  With no visible landmarks, there seemed to be only one option – good old Google maps.  Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to offer the immediately expected result, so I decided that old school was the last resort.  We pulled into a garage forecourt, and I headed inside with the route book and was happy to discover that we had done nothing more than overshoot a turning about four miles earlier.

At this point, I should also mention that my mechanical cousin is many things….all good….but keen navigator is not one of them.  It’s not that he can’t navigate, he just occasionally forgets.  Not a serious problem, but certainly added a level of excitement throughout our entire trip.  By the time we retraced our steps and found the right track, we’d eaten up about an hour and better still, given the sun enough time to start drying out the road.

And what a road…..forty plus miles of gently undulating curves that took us up and over a mountain pass.  Tall pines and the occasional deer our only companions as we headed through some of the most desolately beautiful countryside of the entire rally.  Our plan paid off, as we made it all the way to the lunchtime stop, an airplane museum in Valle.  Now on the other side of a mountain, weather conditions had changed from cold and snowy to just as cold  wind, a not completely welcome change.  Lunch was a welcome break before heading off to our next exploration, the big ditch.

I’ve lived in Los Angeles for eighteen years, and am embarrassed to admit that I have not seen the Grand Canyon.  Many trips to Las Vegas, and yet there never seemed to be the time or inclination to add it to the itinerary.  Having seen so many photographs, there’s a sense of familiarity which may be the reason….but all of that changed on Tuesday afternoon as we paraded through the Grand Canyon National Park.

Stopping at the first recommended viewing point, I finally managed to see it with my own eyes, and the only word I could come up with seemed to be “wow”; which obviously falls short of any real description, but if you’ve seen what the locals affectionately call ‘The Big Ditch’, you will understand.  Photo opportunities were perfect as we reached our destination early enough in the afternoon for the combination of sun and shadow to play across this natural wonder.

Our cruise back to Sedona continued the slightly alpine theme, from the vegetation at least.  The last few miles coming back into the valley was breathtaking…..the  layers of red sandstone forming beautiful rocks that are so unusual it’s tempting to expect Tim Burton’s Martians to be hiding in crevices.  Or maybe I’ve been living in LA too long!!!

Story swapping back at base was a mixed affair.  Those who opted for the alternative route were either relieved or disappointed to find out what we experienced.  After all, being in a convertible when the top almost works is not really conducive to winter climates. For a few others, the realization that if The Egg could do it, so should they was a little more bittersweet.  Best news, no real casualties either way; which is all that everyone hopes for by the time cocktail hour arrives.

Snow Egg – she looks good at every angle!

Yes…there really is snow in the desert!

A very big ditch

Happy family