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Posts from the road

Alpine highs and lows

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(Morzine, France)

Our fourth and fifth days of skiing in Morzine could not have been more different. Day 4 was our second attempt to ski from France to Switzerland. Unlike our first attempt, we did not lose any gear along the way…and the weather was brilliant. At the border on Pointe des Mossettes, we could actually see a sign welcoming us to Switzerland.  What a difference two days can make!

Admiring the scenery between Pointe des Mossettes and Morgins, Switzerland

We then took a long meandering piste, traversing both exposed Alpine slopes and cozy cliffside forests, all the way down to the Swiss village of Morgins. With a vertical drop of nearly 1000 m, but a very gentle slope, the piste seemed to go on forever. We didn’t mind: the mountains seemed much more rugged and awe-inspiring on the Swiss side of the border. 

I took this photo at the end of the piste in Morgins, Switzerland

The slopes at Morgins, Champoussin, and Les Crosets were also virtually deserted. It was almost perfect: fresh snow, temperatures right around 0’C, blazing sun…we were happy to stay for lunch in Champoussin and plan our next move.

The “Dents du Midi” rise above Champoussin, Switzerland

We decided to take a closer look at the “Swiss Wall” (see photo at the very top of this post). This is a notorious piste, probably the steepest and most difficult marked piste in Europe (if not the world). Heavily mogulled, it also has a slope of 90% in places. It didn’t look too bad when I faced it, but when I looked down on it from the chair lift…that old survival gene kicked in. This would be a test of nerves, not elegance. Ultimately, I didn’t think 3:30 p.m., after a heavy goulash lunch, was the best time to attempt the most difficult piste I’ve ever seen. After taking a few pictures, we retreated from the Swiss Wall and re-entered France. We returned to Morzine quite tired but very happy with our international ski safari.

The Swiss Wall, seen from below

The 5th day was another story. It rained for 24 hours straight. And not just a light drizzle: most of that 24-hour period could be fairly described as “pouring”. I took no pictures, because it would have been pointless. We did go skiing, trying to escape the incessant rain in Morzine. While the rain did indeed turn to snow at about 1700 m elevation, it was accompanied by howling winds and whiteout conditions. And then the lifts started closing. We took a rare mid-morning break, and an extended lunch, in an attempt to dry out a bit.

Just above Morgins, Switzerland

The day ended with my mitts literally disintegrating in my bathroom sink. Everything was drenched, and I have no idea what will dry out enough to be usable tomorrow. My mitts were so structurally compromised that I went out and bought new ones just before the shops closed. Not my proudest consumer moment, but I really had no choice if I wanted to participate in the final day of skiing.

Approaching Les Crosets, Switzerland

For obvious reasons, all of today’s pictures are from the much more photogenic 4th day of skiing in France and Switzerland.

Posts from the road

Strange events on the slopes in Les Portes Du Soleil

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(Morzine, France)

I just completed two of the strangest days of skiing I’ve ever had. They are forever linked by a massive blizzard…the 4th one I’ve experienced in a six-day period.

Ludicrous snowfall in Les Lindarets, France

On Monday, our goal was to ski to (and in) Switzerland. This involved several lifts and pistes, passing through the high alpine resort of Avoriaz, before finally disembarking from the Mossette chairlift above the Swiss village of Les Crosets. It seemed simple enough, and it didn’t take too much more than an hour.

Several hours later, the blizzard continues on the pistes near Les Lindarets, France

Alas, we had some challenges. One skier’s backpack somehow became unzipped while on the Mossette lift, and he lost both his spare jacket and his spare gloves in the desolate border region far below. After getting off the lift, we immediately returned to France from Switzerland. A simple plan to meet again (after a search for the missing items) went laughably wrong, as the Mossette lift was then closed due to sudden high winds and blizzard-like conditions. We had to take 3 lifts to get back to where we once were, and the visibility was rapidly deteriorating.

Top of the slopes on “La Rosta”

Never mind the appealing novelty of skiing in Switzerland for a few hours…we couldn’t see anything above the treeline, and we ran the risk that the rest of the cross-border lifts would also close and leave us stranded. We were forced to retreat to lower altitudes, away from the Swiss border, and close to the French village of Ardent. The pistes were drowning in wet snow. I actually love those kinds of conditions, but it is very hard work to slice through such voluminous and soggy snow. We had lunch in a very picturesque hamlet above Ardent called Les Lindarets, also known as the “Village des Chèvres” (“village of goats”). We had to ski down the main “street” to select an appropriate restaurant.

Me and my friend, the skiing “Milka” cow

After lunch (see photo of Les Lindarets above), there must have been an additional foot of snow. It was impossible to figure out where our skis where, as so much snow had fallen on them. It was pouring snow, forming outrageous patterns on our helmets and jackets. With temperatures hovering around 0’C, the snow soon turned to water on our ski outfits. I’ve never been so wet after skiing in such an intense blizzard.

Another view of the “Milka” cow, at the “La Rosta” peak near Les Gets, France

The next day, we awoke to an obscene amount of new snow. While some pistes were groomed, many weren’t. So we encountered dramatic off-piste conditions, except that we were still mostly skiing on-piste. Skiing through such deep snow can be exhausting. You can’t just slide or coast: you need to constantly keep your ski tips up to avoid face-planting, and you essentially need to “jump” from turn to turn to avoid getting stuck (or, again, doing a face-plant). It’s great fun, but you cannot let your guard down for even a second. And many of the pistes above Les Gets are very long.

We had lunch at this mountain restaurant, just above Les Gets

As noon approached, we had our most challenging runs of the day. The Myrtilles piste on Pointe de la Turche was ungroomed and had about 3-4 feet of new, loose snow on top of it. It also was rated as a black piste…in a country where very, very few pistes attract the black (meaning “very difficult”) rating. It was steep and unpredictable, even without 3-4 feet of new, loose snow on top of the existing base. See the “cover” photo at the top of this post for a photo taken near the top. Looking at it now, I can’t believe we went down twice. Once again: we were completely exhausted, but with a sense of real accomplishment.

And this is what I had for lunch: Tartiflette (cheese, potatoes, cream, bacon)

After such a draining experience, it came as no surprise that a skiing purple cow was waiting for us at the top of the neighbouring La Rosta peak. I posed for a photo (during which cow repeatedly and loudly mooed), and was rewarded with a handful of “Milka” chocolates. Apparently, Milka’s mascot is a purple cow. And this cow skis, albeit not that well. It has a very big head, which may impact “her” skiing ability. Still, I am impressed that a cow can ski at all. I then got my daily alpine cheese fix with a delicious “tartiflette” for lunch.

Our hotel in Morzine, France

The last skiing shock of the day came at the absurdly late hour of 5:29 p.m., when we were able to board the local gondola and ski one final time down to Morzine. I’ve never been on such a late daytime lift…and we had started the day before 9:00 a.m. We had the piste to ourselves: we could watch the sun begin to set while we were still on the slopes.

I don’t think anything can surprise me now. But we still have three more days of skiing…who knows what still lies ahead?

Posts from the road

Moving on to the slopes in Morzine, France

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(Morzine, France)

While I enjoyed the tranquility of Les Diablerets, it was time to move on to Morzine, France. It’s not far: maybe only 60 km if you could walk. But you can’t. And, in the winter, most of the mountain passes are closed to traffic. As a result, our train and shuttle bus journey took nearly 6 hours (with an hour stopover in Geneva).

Rösti with goat cheese, at the Auberge de la Poste in Les Diablerets, Switzerland 

There are worse ways to spend half a day. We began with a very scenic ride on the quaint mountain railroad between Les Diablerets and Aigle. We then followed the entire north shore of Lake Geneva, with its great views of the French Alps, to get to Geneva itself. Finally, we circled back on the south side of Lake Geneva and turned onto the claustrophobic narrow valley that leads to Morzine.

The castle at Aigle, Switzerland (a.k.a. le château d’Aigle)

Our first impression of Morzine was not very good. The rain was pouring down and there were quite a few brown patches visible on the slopes immediately above the town. It looked like a lot of skiers were ending their day early. It sure didn’t look like a whole lot of fun. Especially when I had to do some laundry in a dimly lit and odd-smelling laundromat.

Morzine, France, as seen from the top of the Pointe de Nyon piste

Of course, rain at the lower elevations often means snow at the higher ones. And the relentless rain evolved into brilliant sunshine by the morning. There was even some fresh snow! The photo at the top of this post was taken at the start of our very first run (from the top of the Pleney lift).

Lake Geneva in the distance, as seen from the top of Chamossiere

Morzine is just one of the 13 villages that make up the “Portes du Soleil” ski region shared by Switzerland and France. You can ski across the border at a number of locations. It is one of the two largest ski regions in the world: there are about 200 lifts, and more than 650 km of pistes!

Essentially the same view, but photobombed by a Dutch skier

Our first day was devoted to the pistes near Morzine. My favourites were those on Chamossiere and Pointe de Nyon, where there was still a significant amount of loose snow. By the end of the day, the weather had changed to a blizzard…but, once again, that’s not a bad thing if it clears up by the morning.

Everybody has their cameras out at Chamossiere

With no lift lines to speak of (on a weekend!) and a huge range of skiing options, Morzine and the Portes du Soleil are steadily improving on that iffy first impression. Stay tuned to see the final verdict, as we venture further afield!

Posts from the road

Skiing in Les Diablerets – an emotional rollercoaster

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(Les Diablerets, Switzerland)

Skiing here is in 4 distinct areas. There is “Glacier 3000”, which is sits on a glacier at about 3000 m above sea level. One of the pistes is 8 km long. The other three areas are connected by lifts: Les Diablerets, VIllars, and Gryon. It’s fun to ski from one resort to the next…you just have to make sure you get back before the lifts close. It’s very expensive to return to your base, as these towns are very far apart by road or rail. The mountains are in the way!

A summer village nearly covered in snow, between Les Diablerets and Villars

On our first day, the good news was that there was an ongoing blizzard depositing huge amounts of snow on the pistes. The bad news was that there was an ongoing blizzard; the sun was absent, and visibility was hit and miss. The more exposed areas above the treeline had some icy patches, as the wind was blowing the snow away. As a result, we spent most of our time below the treeline, and enjoyed the skiing very much despite the occasionally challenging conditions.

Skiing at Villars (from Petit Chamossaire)

After lunch high above Gryon, we began following the route that would take us back to Villars and then Les Diablerets. Alas, the lift connection that brought us to the Gryon slopes had just closed due to high winds. We had to take a gondola down to Gryon itself, where hopefully we could catch a bus to Villars, and then ski back to Les Diablerets (via several lifts). However, so many people were stranded by the closed lift that we couldn’t take the bus.

Les Diablerets, seen from the slopes

We then walked to a train station, and took an alpine train to Villars. But it took so long that we would not make it back to Les Diablerets before the lifts closed. We were despondent and were facing the prospect of a 3 hour journey by bus and train (at our expense) back to Les Diablerets. And then we saw the “snow angel” (seriously…he wore a sign that said this).

Skiers on Grand Chamossaire

The Swiss are known for quality products and services. The “snow angel” told us that a bus had been arranged to take us (and 21 other stranded skiers) at no cost to us. And because it might take 45 minutes for the bus to arrive for us, the ski area bought us all drinks at a nearby pub! Given the prices in Switzerland, this was quite a generous offer! As we finished our drinks, the bus arrived, and we all enjoyed a stunningly dramatic drive from Villars to Les Diablerets…in just under an hour. We were even on time for dinner.

We can see Lake Geneva from Grand Chamossaire!

This was enough of a rollercoaster for one day, but the second day had nearly as much drama.

Another photo from the slopes above Villars

The sun was shining and it looked like a beautiful day for skiing. We caught the first bus from Les Diablerets to Col du Pillon – where the lifts to take us up to Glacier 3000 begin. Alas, there was more bad news. As they had received 150 cm (!!) of snow, the lifts were late and they could not prepare the pistes. You could only ski if you had an avalanche transceiver and other highly specialized alpine gear. So we had to return back to Les Diablerets,

We had lunch at this restaurant above Les Diablerets

We finally started our ski day about an hour later than we had hoped, and we were feeling kind of sorry for ourselves. But it turned out to be a spectacular day on the slopes. There was little wind, the sun was out, there was plenty of powder on the slopes…it really wasn’t necessary to ski off-piste.

It is green down below in Aigle, but very white above Villars

While it was very crowded in places, as the conditions had been poor for quite some time before we arrived here, we managed to avoid the queues by taking the “less glamorous” drag lifts (pomas, t-bars) rather than chairlifts, gondolas, and cable cars. This strategy worked in Lake Louise, and it seemed to work here as well.

Downtown Les Diablerets, after our day on the slopes ended

The photos in this post are all from our second day of skiing…there was too much blowing snow to take pictures on the first day! Coming up next: Skiing in France!

Posts from the road

Les Diablerets, Switzerland

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(Les Diablerets, Switzerland)

After a very long journey, I have finally arrived in this winter’s first ski destination: Les Diablerets, Switzerland. It is by no means the largest Swiss resort, but it is relatively close to Morzine (France) and Les Portes du Soleil, where I will be skiing all of next week. As I only have time for a couple of days of Swiss skiing, it wasn’t necessary to ski in a huge resort.

Canadian treats in Les Diablerets!

Les Diablerets is located on the eastern fringe of French-speaking Switzerland, just a little bit west of my German-speaking “Heimatort” of Lenk. I went skiing at the nearby glacier in August (!) of 1987, so I wanted to get a better idea of the area (most of it) that is not actually open in the summer. In fact, with climate change and increased awareness of environmental impacts, I am not even sure that skiing is still offered here in the summer.

Figuring out where to go next: the main junction at Vers l’Eglise, Switzerland

It has been a mild winter here: on the rail trip from Geneva to Aigle, there was no snow at all. From the rustic mountain train that travels between Aigle and Les Diablerets, snow only began to appear as I arrived in Les Diablerets. Not every piste is open right now.

Main street in Vers l’Eglise, Switzerland

As I write this, on the day before we first hit the slopes, the snow is finally starting to arrive. We received about 25 cm of snow today, with more expected in the days to come. In fact, I suspect we won’t see too much of the sun for the first part of this international ski odyssey. But that’s OK – it’s hard to enjoy the sunny slopes if there is no snow on the slopes!

L’eglise, in Vers l’Eglise, Switzerland

The village reminds me of Lenk too, or perhaps Andermatt, before Andermatt underwent a massive expansion. There isn’t much of a corporate presence, and somehow (in a good way) it feels like the town is still in the past century. Somehow, it is a little strange to use my laptop.

The very lonely and very small train station at Sur Le Buis, Switzerland

I’ve been scanning menus and have come to the conclusion that you had better be a cheese lover here. Cheese is everywhere…and bread, potatoes and ham are ubiquitous too. Again, not too different from my observations in Lenk a couple of years ago. And from what I understand, I may see more of the same in Morzine next week. It may be in a different country, but the history here goes back much further than the relatively “new” borders between France and Switzerland.

Here comes the train! The train from Aigle to Les Diablerets, just past Sur Le Buis

I am staying in the Auberge de la Poste (see photo at the top of this post) – one of those rustic old chalets that passers-by like to photograph. It’s right in the middle of town, and I think it will suit our purposes perfectly.

This is what my hike was like – between Vers l’Eglise and Les Diablerets, Switzerland

Today’s photographs were all taken while walking from Les Diablerets to the nearby hamlet of Sur Le Buis. While there is no sun to speak of, and a few of the photos were taken in blizzard-like conditions, I think you can get an idea of this area is all about. By the time you read this, I will hopefully be on the slopes!

Posts from Base Camp, Posts from the road

More on Montreal…and preparing for a bigger trip

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(Montreal, Quebec, and Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

After a bit of a hiatus, I’m finally returning to the Montreal trip that I first blogged about a few weeks ago. 

Another view from Mont-Royal…this time, looking east

On Sunday, we visited the Museum of Fine Art. There was a special travelling exhibition about Egypt (based on mummies) for which our hotel gave us free passes. I had some initial reservations about the propriety of exhibiting the deceased, but I thought it was done in a respectful manner. They don’t break open the “cases” anymore!

Montreal’s Museum of Fine Art

Despite being a city of three million people, downtown Montreal still retains a human scale. As you can see from the following photo of Crescent Street, not all of the downtown core has been replaced by skyscrapers. And imagine our surprise when we saw Leonard Cohen looming over us! 

Crescent Street in downtown Montreal

Since then, I have had some challenges with my impending ski trip. My travel plans were affected by the rail blockade between Kingston and Toronto, and then a situation arose with the seating on my overnight transatlantic flight. When these things happen, I try to remember that travelling is a privilege. I eventually resolved each of these situations, and I fully expect to be posting about my trip soon.

Montreal is very clearly the home of Leonard Cohen

Another challenge arose when I double-checked the baggage size limitations on the train. For reasons unknown (especially since they run a shuttle between Dorval station and Dorval airport, for example), the standard baggage allowance on our passenger rail service is actually slightly smaller than the standard airline baggage allowance. Why would they do that, if they want people to take the train as part of a longer journey?

A savory “Mexican” crepe, with a blackberry smoothie

In any case, it forced me to reduce my baggage (and plan for a laundry day while travelling). Again, things usually work out in the end, but it involved some very complicated logistics to ensure I could travel with the absolute minimum amount of clothes. I already know exactly which items I will be washing on Saturday afternoon. However, I will be in trouble if the laundromat is closed!  

The Chateau Versailles (our Montreal hotel) at night

Anyway, all of this should be moot when I’m finally back in the mountains again. Even the most miserable start to a vacation, such as when the airline lost some of my luggage and my first night’s hotel was suddenly full, is quickly forgotten.  I’m looking forward to my posting my next blog entry from the Alps!

Posts from Base Camp

Travel Flashback – Stuben, Austria (2013)

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Context is everything in travel. In 2013, I had such a great week of skiing in Val Gardena that the following 4 days of skiing in Stuben, Austria, could never measure up. And by the end of a stretch where I was skiing for 10 out of 11 days, I think that some fatigue set in and minor annoyances were easily exaggerated.

A daytime view of the photo at the top of this post

I was recently browsing through my photo archives and found some pictures from my 5-day stay in Stuben. A lot of impressions came flooding back.  I realized that Stuben really was a beautiful village.   I also remembered that the weather really didn’t cooperate…we didn’t see too much sun when we were on the slopes, even though it was technically already springtime.  In fact, I think we only had one partial day of sunny skies.

Another night view of downtown Stuben

Strangely enough, the strongest lingering impression was about cigarettes. The owner of our B&B smoked incessantly. The nearest pub and restaurant also seemed to follow a different set of rules from the rest of the Alps.  Restaurants and hotels have been smoke-free in Canada for so long that these smoky places literally left a really bad taste.

Finally, a sunny day! This is above Zurs, Austria

Many years have passed, and I know that the B&B is now under new management.  I suspect the pub is no longer a smoking “outlier” either. Maybe it’s time for a fresh assessment of skiing in Stuben?

We had just skied down this stash of fresh powder, above Zurs

Stuben has a lot going for it. It’s a tiny, remote village at “the end of the road”, but is still linked to the legendary St. Anton ski area. The pistes are long and often challenging. And the lift pass also gets you on the slopes at Lech, Zurs, St. Christoph, and Sonnenkopf. Since our visit, the slopes at nearby Warth and Schroecken have been linked as well.

More “almost” off-piste skiing above Zurs

Even though there was a blizzard and there were only about 12 people skiing in the entire Sonnenkopf area, we still had a lot of fun on our day there. Sure, we rarely saw where we were going but, with slightly better visibility, it could have moved from “fun” to “epic”.

The sun was also out on the day we left Stuben. This is the “main street” of the tiny village.

I’ve had some great travel experiences in Austria, such as my whirlwind 2014 visit to Vienna. It may be time to move on from the bad weather (and cigarettes) of 2013 and give Austrian skiing another shot!   

Posts from the road

A Warm Winter Weekend in Montreal

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(Montreal, Quebec, Canada)

It’s not often that you hear about a warm winter weekend in Montreal. But that’s exactly what we had on our recent visit!

The first part of our visit focused mainly on food and shopping. We once again purchased a weekend transit pass, allowing us to travel around the city and hop on or off whenever we felt inspired. We started by returning to Verdun, for a clothing shop we discovered on our previous trip to Montreal. Before shopping, however, we had to make sure we were properly nourished.

I took this picture just because I think “Lavo-Rama” is a great name for a laundromat (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce)

We chose a Peruvian place just down the street from the clothing shop. My hopes were high, as I saw both lomo saltado and chicha morada on the menu.  I have a nostalgic attachment to these items, as I prepared lomo saltado during a cooking course I took in Cusco, Peru. And I had many delicious glasses of chicha morada throughout my Peruvian trip in 2014.

Simply “Jimi”. Perfect name for a music shop. (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce)

While it was nice to revisit Peru on a winter’s day in Canada, it wasn’t quite the same as what I remembered from 6 years before. I guess this isn’t surprising – almost everything tastes better in the place it comes from.  Eating in Peru is great!

The next day, we ventured to the Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood. We had no particular destination in mind:  we had just heard that there were a lot of bookstores and independent businesses that might be interesting to look at. This was true, but what really struck us was the number of bakeries and pastry shops…and also the number of pet-oriented businesses! The pets of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce certainly ought to be well-amused and well-groomed.

Woof & Groom dog-grooming emporium in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce

From there,  it was off to the neighbourhood of Côte-des-Neiges. This time, the attraction was an allegedly high number of ethnic restaurants. We decided to simply roam and stop in for lunch wherever the “vibe” was right. Nothing truly called to us until we saw a basement restaurant called La Republika. There was no menu posted outside: we just knew that the food was from the Philippines. We took the plunge, as there seemed to be many local residents dining despite the low outside profile.

Tosilog lunch at La Republika (Côte-des-Neiges)

It turned out to be the culinary highlight of our trip.  My wife had a very enjoyable pork dish called tosilog, while I had grilled shrimps. I was somewhat surprised to see that the shrimps had not been shelled (or otherwise processed) before being grilled. The waiter brought me some gloves and I spent quite a bit of time trying to shell the slippery-sauced shrimp. All turned out well in the end, even if I made a complete mess and the grilling sauce ended up everywhere.  There was no question that the dish was freshly made!

Grilled shrimp lunch at La Republika (Côte-des-Neiges)

We walked off our lunch feast on Mont-Royal, the small “mountain” that provides excellent views of downtown Montreal (see photo at the top of this post).   After an extended hike, we caught another bus to the Plateau neighbourhood…home of my favourite record store (“Aux 33 Tours”).  It never fails to surprise me with unexpected vinyl treasures. 

Hiking high above the city on Mont-Royal

Cookies and hot chocolate followed in the Plateau, and eventually a late dinner at Qing Hua near our hotel at the edge of Westmount. Qing Hua is a Montreal institution specializing in “Chinese dumplings”…name a filling, and it’s probably available in at least one of their large steamed dumplings. I tried beef curry, as well as vermicelli-mushroom-cabbage.

Stay tuned – there’s more on Montreal!

 

 

Posts from Base Camp

Trip Debrief…and revealing the next destination

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

From the natural landscapes to the 24-hour loss of heat and power, there certainly was no shortage of drama on my recent trip to Nevada, Utah, and Arizona.

Antelope Canyon

Ultimately, however, the loss of power was just an inconvenience. We met people the day before who cannot connect to the electrical system at all, so that put our temporary loss into perspective.  It also reminded us how utterly dependent we have become on electricity.

Antelope Canyon

From a travel strategy perspective, I was thankful that I had journeyed to these relatively remote areas as part of a group. Having that additional level of support was quite helpful, even on the days when the power remained in force.  I will continue to use small group travel in situations where I don’t think I’m properly equipped to manage on my own if things go wrong.  Off-season travel to remote locations certainly falls into that category, even if there is no language barrier.

Antelope Canyon

Having said that, I am very much looking forward to my next independent adventure.  Later this winter, I will be skiing in countries that are very familiar, but in locations that are new to me. I’ll start by spending several days in and around Les Diablerets, Switzerland. This is in the French-speaking Canton of Vaud, just a few kilometres west of my 2018 ski adventure in Lenk.

Me, hiking determinedly in Zion National Park

From there, I will travel further west for a full week of skiing in Morzine, France. While I have been in France a few times recently (including a wonderful summer 2018 trip to Normandy and Brittany), I have never been skiing there. In fact, I have never been skiing in any French-speaking part of Europe…so far, my only French-speaking skiing has been in the province of Quebec.

Antelope Canyon

Morzine should be a great base. It is part of the vast (201 ski lifts!) Les Portes du Soleil ski region, linking thirteen resorts in both France and Switzerland. We’ll be able to ski back and forth between countries, not just villages!  Stay tuned for lots more on this exciting destination in the Haute-Savoie.

Antelope Canyon

I will end this post by mentioning one more benefit of travelling in a group: being able to get great photos! All of the photos in today’s post were taken by other travellers who graciously allowed me to use them in this blog. If you want to read more, you can check out these recent posts on Antelope Canyon (Arizona) and Zion National Park (Utah).

Posts from the road

Redemption at the Grand Canyon

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(Tusayan, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.A.)

As depressing as Friday night had been, something very special happened in the wee hours of Saturday morning: the now-24-hour-old power cut suddenly ended. I was happily jolted awake by the clank of the radiator, as it began an extended mission to restore warmth to my frigid room.

First glimpse of the Grand Canyon on Saturday morning

Unbelievably, the power and heat remained in force for the rest of the day. Our group now had some decisions to make. Although we were scheduled to visit the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, would we be prepared to forego that and get a real glimpse of the Grand Canyon? We unanimously voted in favour of the canyon. There was a chance for redemption!

Looking east from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon

The canyon did not disappoint. Although we did not have much time, we still saw what we came here to see: a vast snow-covered canyon stretching out for miles, and gleaming in the long-overdue sunlight. I walked quickly to the east, to get some different views of the South Rim before our bus had to leave. Our walk into the canyon itself had to be cancelled, but at least we were getting some idea of what it was all about.

View of the main observation area

We returned quickly to our bus, ready to continue on to the legendary Route 66. But fate was not done with us yet. A much larger bus had skidded off the narrow access road to the bus parking lot. It couldn’t gain enough traction to get back on the road. As a result, we were now stuck too, as there was no other (plowed) way out.

Generic Grand Canyon photo, with snow!

After almost an hour, the large bus had still not made any progress. We made the decision to drive across the unplowed parking lot to the also-unplowed back exit, and just hope that the deep snow didn’t strand us as well.

Snowy hike along the South Rim

Finally, we caught a break. We didn’t get stuck, and we could finally continue with our journey. For the first time in days, it felt like everybody would make their flights back home and/or be able to enjoy a final night in Las Vegas.

A stuck bus blocks the only cleared way out of the parking lot

Not so fast. Of course, we encountered more challenges on the way back to Las Vegas. The roads were still very snowy, and we had to be very careful on the highway. Then, Interstate 40 was closed because of an accident, so we had to drive far longer on the not-very-direct Route 66 than we had been anticipating.

Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona

Our stop in Seligman, the most photogenic local remnant of Route 66, lasted barely a minute. Even so, we still managed to get an idea of how life used to be before the arrival of the Interstates. Family-run motels, soda fountains, and gas stations looked like they hadn’t changed for 70 years.

Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona

It was dark by the time we finally arrived in Las Vegas. Although it is not among my favourite cities, I was still very happy to get there. Our group had one final meal together, and absolutely nothing strange happened. It was a perfect way to end what had been a rather challenging day and-a-half. But we had survived, and we had some great stories to tell!