New Mexico
As I made my way through Texas into New Mexico, I posted that I was stopping in Albuquerque for the night. I had a plan to make it short day so I could get to the Grand Canyon by noon ish the next day. After I posted, I got a message on Instagram from one of my followers who I had actually never met. They happened to live near Albuquerque and offered me a place to stay. We decided to meet for supper first at the Flying Star Cafe. I was way early so I went behind the restaurant to watch the sunset. WOW! I was not disappointed. Luckily I took pictures because there is no way I could describe it. I also had to use the bathroom after my drive so I went into the restaurant to find the facilities. I didn’t know it at the time but I rode right by Keith, the husband of the couple. he was sitting in a booth studying for his third set of medical boards. Wendy showed up after work. The food at Flying Star Cafe was awesome. I highly recommend it if you are in the area.
My Home for the Night
Keith and Wendy happen to both be doctors which actually comes in handy later in the story. I had no idea they lived in such a beautiful area when I said yes. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least. They have a beautiful home at about 6000 feet of elevation. Behind the house is an amazing 3000 foot rock wall If you could pick my perfect place to live this may be it. It is about an hour and a half hike to the wall but totally worth it I’m sure. Keith is actually trying to put up a new line on it but with a doctors schedule and studying for boards it’s a bit tough.
The Incident
Like I said staying with a doctor came in handy. I was sleeping downstairs while Keith was upstairs. He gave me his phone number just in case I needed him. Of course I didn’t think I would need to use it 20 minutes later but sure enough I did. Somehow I managed to injure my toe and bleed all over the bathroom floor. WIth the heart being Keith’s specialty the blood was not a problem and he had me fixed up pretty quickly. I also for some reason started having stomach issues which made me question whether trying for the Grand Canyon the next day was a good idea.
Flagstaff Arizona
After leaving Albuquerque I set my sights on Flagstaff Arizona. On my way I saw the sign for Winslow Arizona and of course had to make a detour through town. I failed to take the picture sitting on a corner in Winslow Arizona. I know I am disappointed in me too haha.
Grand Canyon
I still wasn’t feeling that well but figured I could stay one night in Flagstaff and decide in the morning. That is exactly what I did. I got up and realized I was only an hour and a half away from one of the most iconic spots in the world and there was no way I was going to wimp out and miss it. Time to suck it up buttercup. The drive into the park was so beautiful. I know I say this a lot but we really do live in a beautiful country. If there is one thing you do in life it should be to take every spare minute of vacation time you have and see what this country has to offer. OK back to the Grand Canyon. I hadn’t eaten anything before leaving Flagstaff so I stopped at Mcd’s right outside the park. Whoa! 12 bucks for a sausage egg biscuit meal with a small orange juice. Note to self eat way outside the park for lunch.
I arrived at the visitor center and immediately figured out the best bus route to take to see the most of the park. It happens to be the Hermits Rest Route for those of us using wheelchairs or other mobility issues. As I was waiting at the Hermits Rest stop which you have to take a bus to get to first, I started talking to a lady from Georgia. Both her and her husband have lived and worked in the park for the last 8 years. They live in a camper and she attends to the bus stop so too many people don’t try to cram onto the bus. She informed me after getting 8 feet of snow the year before she would not be spending another winter in the park haha.
SIghtseeing
After getting on the bus, the driver told me about 3 really accessible stops that would allow me to see the best views of the canyon. I was going to stop at Maricopa, Hopi, and Mohave points. I don’t really think there is a bad view of the Grand Canyon unless you literally can’t see it. They all had their grand views. Hopi and Mohave points are very close together so a person can reasonably walk from one to the other. The bus driver had let me know if I just go back out to the road from Hopi Point than Mohave Point would be just around the corner. 
Of course me being me, I saw the rocky trail that lead between them and thought that doesn’t look so bad. This is that moment when everything I learned from trying the Cliff Walk in Rhode Island went right out the window haha. Well it was definitely doable for a long distance and then came the rock steps. I sat there for a moment contemplating going back or maybe trying to figure out a way around. A group of french tourists happened by and asked if I needed help. At first I said no but then realized I may need help this time. So they graciously lifted me down over the step. We went a bit further and bam more steps. I am now so far into this thing it makes no sense to turn back. Huh, I think I said that in Rhode Island haha. Once again these complete strangers came to my rescue and helped me down over the steps. At the bottom though there was a fence and then no where to go otherwise. Without hesitation one of these amazing people started taking apart the fence. My first thought was great I am going to get arrested for defacing park property haha. Luckily the rangers never came along and I made it through, put the fence back together, and was on my way. Now comes the aha moment. After I sprung free of the trail into the paved parking lot I realized how much harder I had made that for myself and those unsuspecting tourists. Somehow I need to remember that but I am betting I won’t haha. When I got to the accessible area there was a really nice paved walkway with railings right along the rim. I actually got a little scared looking down. I don’t get scared jumping out of planes, climbing 3000 ft rocks, or flying airplanes. For some reason this made me feel a little uneasy. As I strolled along the path I came to a spot where there was a short rock barrier but no railing. If a person chose to they could walk out further onto a cliff. Well about 10 people or so had chosen to do just that. I couldn’t believe some of the risks they were taking getting super close to the edge just for a picture with nothing to stop them from falling. I found it so stupid I had to take a picture. What you can’t see in the picture, is that there is a young woman standing off the edge on a small ledge just big enough to stand on. She is doing her hair and makeup while getting ready to take an Instagram picture. I could not believe it. One small step and she would plunge 7000 feet to her death all to get an Instagram post. 
Anyway the Grand Canyon really is amazingly beautiful and you should definitely make a point to see it. Don’t just look at my pictures. You need to go for yourself.
Next up on the Pay It Forward Tour, I will be speaking at Yosemite Facelift September 25th at 8 pm. I am a bit nervous. This is the biggest presentation of my life so far. I have been practicing and I have got it down. I may not be posting for a bit since the data in the valley is not so great. I will update as soon as I can.
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