Sweetours is run by real people who want you to have a good time and look after you. We were told we had to confirm the booking so I e mailed and explained we were in UK and couldn't phone. Was this e mail OK? Responded very quickly and asked our choice if lunch sandwich, said we are confirmed and told us exactly where we would be picked up and what time. They turned up as promised on time, asked our names and ticked us off the list. Easy.
A WORD OF ADVICE...The clocks go back 1 hour the first Sunday in November in Nevada. As we didn't know this we were up at 4.45am to get ready for the 6.45 pick up thinking it was 5.45. !! We were picked up at 6.45 new time of course.
We were given a breakfast box, hot drink and bottled water and then drove to the Hoover dam. The driver explained the history of building it and showed us where the camp was doe the workers and told us about the terrible conditions they had to endure. At the dam we had lots of photo opportunities. This tour does not go Iintoto the dam just tells you about it and gives you photo stops. We also watched a video about the Hoover dam and its construction on the in coach screens.
Its along drive to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. I chose this area because it seemed less commercialised than the west rim with its Skywalk and shopping outlets. It didn't disappoint.
To break up the journey we had a pitstop at Kingman and then on route 66 at a funny place in Seligman. It's a curiosity of all things historic to the area especially old vehicles and is a souvenir shop selling all sorts of route 66 stuff. Very quirky but run by friendly and polite people who are happy to see you as tourism is now their livelihood.
Back on the coach for another 2 hours and we finally arrive. The views are awesome. A huge wide crevasse with mini mountains inside it like an alien world intersected by plunging sheer sided gorges which meet the meandering Colorado river, so deeply cut into the bottom of the chasm that is can hardly be seen.
The rocks are multi layered through time and each zone has it's own coloured band so the whole scene is like a palette of colours with shadows from the deep canyons. It is wonderful.
We are allowed 3 hours to walk wherever we like providing we are back on the bus at 5.45pm. We walk to the right along the rim path. We see mountain goats, a blue Jay, woodpecker and squirrel as well as a changing landscape across the canyon as the dropping sun begins to cast even deeper shadows into the dark areas.We almost get to Mather Point but have to turn back a d want to enjoy the changing views by stopping to look and take photos.
It gets colder as the sun goes down and we are back at the visitor centre with enough time to look round the gift shop and use the toilets before our return journey in the dark. (It is November but the lack of crowds compensates for fhe darkness).
We shop at Kingman apx 3 hrs away for a pitstop and chance to buy food from the Subway there plus a hot drink to warm us up.
We are dropped off at out hotel apx 10.45pm.
It was a VERY long day and we were worn out. My eyes shut as my head hit the pillow to dream about one of the wonders of the world that the had visited today.
Weirdly, in Arizona they don't move their clocks back for time saving like Nevada, so we had to put out watches forward an hour then back an hour when we got back to Las Vegas!