On a clear day, you can see forever

Hooray for sleeping in!  The Maswik Lodge is not a fancy place, but it is a clean, quiet and easy place to rest.  When we woke up this morning, it was without an alarm clock or an agenda of where to go or when to get there.  Good thing, too, because nothing was worthy of rushing around or hurrying today.  Last night at dinner, we picked up a few bananas and breakfast bars on the way back to the room, and that turned into our breakfast today.  That took care of us until our first stop on the free shuttle, which was a general store at the Market Plaza stop.  Our hotel’s information desk guy told us to, “prepare to be price-gouged,” so we were ready for what came.  Cas forgot his stocking cap at home, so he has a nice, new souvenir cap with an interesting backstory.  Today was one of the coldest, windiest, rainiest and crappiest days I have ever spent on a vacation, but we still managed to have fun.  My favorite part was when we got to a stop on the shuttle for the Yavapai Point Geology Museum and walked up to the edge of the canyon for the first time today.  It was like this: 

Turns out there’s a huge canyon below those clouds and that mist.  

We decided at a certain point to pack it in.  Everyone on the shuttle looked miserable- trying to salvage something from a vacation that took a turn- but Cas and I were fine.  We purchased a very overpriced deck of cards and played a few hands in the room just now while eating the fancy chocolate bar that came here with us from Dallas, and we plan to go out to dinner at El Tovar Hotel, where they promise to have fine dining.  Here’s hoping they don’t mind me in my hiking boots while I have a fancy dinner.  They are reservation only, but we managed to snag a spot yesterday when we walked by.  

Cas was talking today about how he nearly pre-booked rental bicycles when we originally made the arrangements for the trip, but he decided to play it by ear.  Good call.  We actually didn’t have any pre-arranged activities for today when we got here on the train, and the weather did its best to reassure us that we had made the right choice.  

Tomorrow actually looks better in the weather forecast, and we’re sure to get in a little more walkabout time before we hop back on the fancy train car back to Williams.  In the meantime, I think a little gap in time between now and dinner is just what we need.  Maybe a nap is in the offing, or maybe we can get in a few more hands of cards.  Can you believe I never learned to play poker until now?  We’re wagering with the pistachios I packed for snacks.  

But in spite of the weather and the generally crappy conditions, we’re still having fun, keeping a positive attitude, and looking forward to some clearer views tomorrow.  

Though today’s images are funnier than they are majestic, here are our photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/4BZaPckogdVf4gtX7