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Post by Bucky on Apr 30, 2022 19:38:21 GMT
A few of us on the chat this afternoon were discussing a moot in late Fall (October) to the Grand Canyon and surrounding area.
Some research will be going on, but please add to the conversation as to suggestions, lodging, et al. A lodge would be an ideal place. A few of us have some past experience so we can rely on some of their knowledge.
We'll put up a poll soon to suggest the time frames and which works best.
What say you all? Are you in? And if there are folks that aren't on line a lot (Phyllis, Sue, Brian & Kim) that anyone can reach out to, that would be great.
We'll be cross-posting on FB as well.
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Post by shipoftheline on May 1, 2022 17:35:16 GMT
I have my yearly trip to help my mother in late October so it if is in the first half I would love to join you.
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Post by Bucky on May 2, 2022 18:50:36 GMT
I may have to star the thread over, but I can't find the Add a Poll option. So I guess indicate what date(s) work best for you in October: September 28 to October 3 October 5 to October 10 October 12 to October 17 October 19 to October 24 October 26 to October 31 I am going to have to see when my niece has me slated to come up and assist (it's going to be tag team effort) before I make my mark. I will definitely try to work around both trips in order to accommodate them both! ETA: Still can't add a poll for some reason, so just post your availability in a response in this thread. I am thinking that the poll only allows one answer anyway, and we'd like a time that most if not all people can attend.
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Post by shipoftheline on May 3, 2022 14:28:41 GMT
The first three dates would work for me.
Edit: If you click 'edit' in your original post, there will be a button to add a poll.
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Post by Bucky on May 5, 2022 0:23:28 GMT
I have been looking at possible places to stay. Mags suggested we stay nearer to Flagstaff and then do trips to GC, Sedona, etc. Just in case we want to do a house like we did in Tybee Island, I found some choices. Of course, it all depends on how many attendees we have, but these are promising, less expensive per person and allows us to have a main spot to gather. Some have hot tubs for 8-10 people .... Flagstaff 2214405 10 Bedroom (11 beds)/6 Bath $1,024 average a night Flagstaff 27831305 Bedroom (9 beds)/4 Bath $771 average a night Flagstaff 2149917
6 Bedroom (9 beds)/4 Bath $509 average a night Flagstaff 4549085 Bedroom (9 beds)/6 Bath $389 average a night Flagstaff 26105987 Bedroom (10 beds)/5 Bath $874 average a night Flagstaff 26265557 Bedroom (9 beds)/5 Bath $700 average a night Flagstaff 10748137 Bedroom (12 beds)/5 Bath $875 a night Flagstaff 96109955 Bedroom (7 beds)/5 Bath $887 Flagstaff 25407687 Bedroom (13 beds)/6 Bath $880 Flagstaff 27679116 Bedroom (9 beds)/3 Bath $827
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Post by Phizz on May 7, 2022 5:47:17 GMT
Suanne and I did a swing up to Flagstaff, Sedona and the Grand Canyon after the moot in Tempe. It was a great trip! We stayed at a hotel in the park that was like a basic Holiday Inn. For a bit of culture shook after seeing all the outdoor stuff, we ended up in Las Vegas 😁
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Post by captsueb on May 10, 2022 23:10:26 GMT
Hi All! The first 2 weeks are out. Looking at my time off calendar at work, third week possible and 4th and 5th week looking good, as of now. Missed the Zoom call on April 30. Got busy and didn't remember it until that night!!! Phyllis and I did the basic accommodations at the Grand Canyon. No phones, no tv. A clean basic room with a clean bathroom, hot shower. It was right next to a store that had just about anything you needed. And a cafeteria if I remember. Wanted to stay on grounds to have easy access. Went to the Grand Canyon lodging website. Looks like the place were we stayed has been upgraded. More like a standard room with tv, phones, mini frig etc. There are a few options. here's a brochure link: www.grandcanyonlodges.com/content/uploads/2022/02/GCSR-Enhanced-Brochure-LR.pdf
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Post by Bucky on May 19, 2022 12:37:16 GMT
When I checked the lodges availability after our last Zoom, the Maswick option was the only one that has continuous vacancy. That may have changed. I am good for wherever we end up staying. As I said, I am going to rely on those that have been there or around that area for first-hand information. I have some research done and can share at the next Zoom. We'll be setting up a Zoom for early June (I believe we settled on June 4th at 2:00 PM EST). However, if that is not a convenient date, we can try for the other Saturdays (June 11, 18 and 25). And Sandra -- cannot wait to see photos of your European Vacation (cue: " Look kids! Big Ben, Parliament!")
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Post by QueueMistressMags on May 19, 2022 16:18:14 GMT
Firstly: I planned a Bucket List Grand Canyon Trip for June 2020--guess what happened to that. :-) I mean, I planned that trip for YEARS. So I am pretty familiar with the area and the hotels and stuff in and around the park. (I still plan to take that trip, maybe next year, but I'm always happy to go to the Grand Canyon for whatever length of time. But it's very much focused on my own nerdy preferences so our group will want something different, I think.) That being said, things have changed in and around the park due to the pandemic, and I'm not sure how much has come back, though certainly you can go into the park and do hikes and walk around. AND the National Parks are expecting record crowds this year, but in the autumn once school starts that may slow down a bit. But it's something to keep in mind. In late September-early October, the weather is very nice at the South Rim. You will likely need a light jacket but it could also be fairly warm. (I was there in late October and a fleece jacket was perfect, though once I started walking around I took it off. But it was in the 30s in the evening. So: layers are key!) It's much warmer at the bottom of the canyon but we won't be going there. The North Rim (which is an eight-hour drive from the South Rim) is open till Oct. 15 usually, but is a higher elevation than the South Rim and can have snow as early as September. So I think we need to plan for the South Rim. That's where the national park is and where most people go. The glass-bottom thing (which is a big nope for me anyway) is further West, nearer to Las Vegas. It's several hours away on an Indian reservation if I'm not mistaken. So if you want to plan on doing that, be prepared to rent a car. There are some tours and things inside the park that you can sign up for (they cost extra) like going to watch sunrise/sunset or visit further-flung parts of the park. You travel by bus. Don't plan on going to the bottom of the Canyon--it takes hours and even more to come out and people train and are in fantastic shape for it. The Rim Trail at the South Rim is more or less flat and you can walk on that and go to overlooks and things, and there are free shuttle buses back to the Village, which is the main area of the South Rim. So that's the main part of hiking we should do. Bring good walking shoes or sneakers that are well fitted and broken in. For the Rim Trail you don't need hiking boots but you should still wear good supportive shoes for walking. Sandals in the Canyon are a very bad idea. But it's one of the most beautiful places I've ever been and I'm excited to go back! I mentioned on Facebook that maybe instead of a completely Grand Canyon-focused trip, we could stay in Flagstaff (which is a couple of hours from the Canyon) and go the Canyon one or two days. On the other days, we could maybe go to Williams, which is a cute little Western town and has a Route 66 museum. Also from Williams there is the Grand Canyon Railroad that will take you to the Canyon and back the same day, if we don't want to stay overnight in the park. A second day, maybe go get our picture taken standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona (apparently there is a park and a statue of one of the Eagles there, Glenn Frey maybe? I can't remember, but they are prepared for people to want to do that), which is also apparently a cute little Western town. Staying in Flagstaff instead of the park would eliminate issues with parking at the park--I think they charge by the carload. But as I planned to strictly take shuttles and other public forms of transit while I was there (that is, not drive), I didn't pay a lot of attention to that stuff. Flagstaff itself has some museums and an observatory, which if the weather is clear, which it is most of the time which is why they have an observatory there, might be a fun nighttime trip. We could also maybe go down to Sedona for a day. I found Sedona a bit touristy, but it's really beautiful. They have those pink jeep tours you can take from there. But if we stay in the Flagstaff area, we'll have to plan on having enough cars to fit everyone as we'll have to drive. That can be discussed once we make more final plans. Also there are hotels in Tusayan, which is just outside the park and has a free shuttle into the park (but you have to buy your own park passes, which can be done in Tusayan). That's where I stayed when I went there, on a tour before a JASNA annual meeting. The hotel was quite nice. Not much to do in the town, though there are some restaurants and stuff. But if we want to spend a lot of time in the park, that would be a good place to possibly stay. This is the hotel I stayed at. It has a bowling alley! And there is a bar where I got a kickass margarita. It's very much set up for families with kids that need stuff to do when they're not at the park. If we're not planning a strictly Canyon visit, I would not recommend staying in a lodge in the park. There are issues with parking and passes and stuff that would make that not the best way to go.
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Post by Bucky on May 24, 2022 14:07:21 GMT
Great info, Mags! See? I told ya there were a few that possessed inside knowledge on the area that could help ALOT! And this was a bunch of great information. Thanks!
I agree on the car rental - we don't all need to rent a car. But we'll need to ensure that we have 3-4 cars depending on total # of people and access to and from airport. It would be great to split the cost of rental cars in this day and age. I believe Sandra said she would be driving, but I could have heard wrong.
Flagstaff is a good option. I am not sure I could hike terrain for 5 days straight (gettin' really old ....) but would love the option to see it for a day or two. Sounds like there are lots of things to do in and around that area for sure.
Maybe we can concentrate our hotel search to the Flagstaff area and then, if for some reason nothing suitable, then branch out from there.
I still don't know what week I will be on great aunt duty in DC, but I will definitely work around whatever week is chosen here.
ETA: And just a reminder - we'll have our next Zoom on Saturday June 4th beginning at 2:00 PM EST.
859 1122 5684 PW is our usual (our captain's name with a capital P)
Please mark your calendars!
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Post by QueueMistressMags on May 25, 2022 3:57:53 GMT
I won't be able to come to the Zoom chat on June 4. But discuss among yourselves and let me know what you come up with!
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Post by shipoftheline on Jun 5, 2022 17:41:14 GMT
Ugh! Missed it again. :(
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mmt
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Post by mmt on Jun 5, 2022 18:39:38 GMT
Profuse apologies. I forgot all about yesterday’s Zoom … and I wasn’t doing anything more important or interesting.
I would have mentioned (if I’d been there) that I would probably not be able to come to the Grand Canyon because my back yard renovation delayed for 2 years because of Covid is supposed to happen in October.
I hope life is treating everyone well these days.
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Post by Bucky on Jun 6, 2022 23:17:23 GMT
It only ended up being Pam and myself. I should have posted a reminder but the week got away from me!
So, with that said, we really do need to get a chat on the books. We're 4ish months away with no definite dates for the moot. I know we've gotten to a Wed-Mon moot, but that is not set in stone so if the dates need to be more flexible, we can see how that matches peoples' calendars.
The remaining Saturdays this month are June 11, 18 and 25. If any of those work, let's try and get a date on the calendar so we can chat. Otherwise, we may need to pick a Sunday or evening that may work.
Jan - while I am excited about your yard reno, you'll be missed!
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mmt
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Post by mmt on Jun 8, 2022 11:55:21 GMT
Tentative dates all noted. A possible conflict for me would be the 11th if grandchild #5 decides to make her appearance and I’m drafted in for Grandma-duty with her brothers.
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