In the spirit of October and the approaching All Hallow’s Eve holiday, we would like to extend some of our ideas on how you can make your One Day Whitewater rafting trip even more memorable. Make Flagstaff your base camp, an easy 2 hour drive from Peach Springs and the only One Day Whitewater rafting trip in the Grand Canyon, and pay a visit to our local ghosts!
We suggest you begin your adventure with a guided tour of the Riordan Mansion located next to Northern Arizona University on West Riordan Road. Designed by Charles Whittlesey, the same man who designed the famous El Tovar Hotel at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, the guides will take you on a walk through the Riordan’s home, which is more than 100 years old, and share with you the history of one of Flagstaff’s favorite treasures. It is highly recommended that you make reservations in advance.
Your next stop could be the Museum Club, located on Historic Route 66, for lunch or an early dinner. A central hub for great music from bands like Mogollon and with an interesting ownership history, guests may hear the eerie creak of footsteps overhead or even find themselves ordering a drink from Thorna Scott, the ghostly wife of former owner Don Scott.
For a small fee, you can finish your day with a “Haunted Tour” of Historic Downtown Flagstaff. The tour begins in Heritage Square and takes you to many haunted and historic buildings including the famous Monte Vista, where John Wayne was the first to report a ghost sighting, and the Weatherford Hotel. Tours are currently running on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings leaving between 5:30pm and 8:30pm regularly throughout October with extra tours scheduled on Halloween night.
When it’s time for a change of scenery, move on to your scheduled One Day Whitewater rafting trip starting out of Peach Springs, Arizona. You will raft the last 35 river miles of the Grand Canyon and enjoy a thrilling ride through Class II and III rapids. The Hualapai Native American guides offer a unique cultural experience and perspective on the history of the canyon, and may even share a ghost story or two of their own.
After completing your rafting trip and a restful night’s sleep at the Hualapai Lodge, you can drive on for another 2 ½ hours and arrive at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, the last place the famous honeymooners, Bessie and Glen Hyde, were seen before their mysterious disappearance. We also highly recommend taking a self guided tour through all of the historic lodges, and when you stop at the El Tovar, keep an eye out for the ghosts of Mary Jane Coulter, Fred Harvey, and one of the Harvey Girls.
Get in to the “Trick or Treat” spirit and see a spookier side of Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon you may not have known existed! Happy ghost hunting!
By Vanessa Therrien
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
This Month In Grand Canyon History
September 1540-
Conquistador Francisco Vasquez de Coronado is coming toward the tail end of his expedition through the wildernesses of North America to find the Seven Cities of Cibola. Don Garcia Lopez de Gardenas, in late August 1540, is sent out to explore beyond the province of Tuzan for eighty days. Guided by the native Hopi people, amongst sightings of big horn sheep and other native fauna, Lopez comes upon the Grand Canyon.
The following is an excerpt from the book "The Journey of Coronado, 1540-1542, from the City of Mexico to the Grand Canyon of the Colorado and the Buffalo Plains of Texas, Kansas, and Nebraska, As Told by Himself and his Followers" published in 1904, edited and translated by George Parker Winship. This excerpt is quoted from pages 202-203.
“He was conducted beyond Tuzan by native guides, who said there were settlements beyond, although at a distance. Having gone 50 leagues west of Tuzan, and 80 from Cibola, he found the edge of a river down which it was impossible to find a path for a horse in any direction, or even for a man on foot, except in one very difficult place, where there was a descent for almost 2 leagues. The sides were such a steep rocky precipice that it was scarcely possible to see the river, which looks like a brook from above, although it is half as large again as that of Seville, according to what they say, so that although they sought for a passage with great diligence, none was found for a long distance, during which they were for several days in great need of water, which could not be found, and they could not approach that of the river, although they could see it, and on this account Don Garcia Lopez was forced to return.”
Don Garcia Lopez and his soldiers were the first Europeans to see the Grand Canyon in its early glory. Now, 471 years later, the entire world has the opportunity to see and explore what Lopez never did. Join us on an adventure down the Colorado River, and take the opportunity to stand upon the rim in the company of history, and to appreciate the beauty of one of the seven Natural Wonders of the World.
By Vanessa Therrien
Conquistador Francisco Vasquez de Coronado is coming toward the tail end of his expedition through the wildernesses of North America to find the Seven Cities of Cibola. Don Garcia Lopez de Gardenas, in late August 1540, is sent out to explore beyond the province of Tuzan for eighty days. Guided by the native Hopi people, amongst sightings of big horn sheep and other native fauna, Lopez comes upon the Grand Canyon.
The following is an excerpt from the book "The Journey of Coronado, 1540-1542, from the City of Mexico to the Grand Canyon of the Colorado and the Buffalo Plains of Texas, Kansas, and Nebraska, As Told by Himself and his Followers" published in 1904, edited and translated by George Parker Winship. This excerpt is quoted from pages 202-203.
“He was conducted beyond Tuzan by native guides, who said there were settlements beyond, although at a distance. Having gone 50 leagues west of Tuzan, and 80 from Cibola, he found the edge of a river down which it was impossible to find a path for a horse in any direction, or even for a man on foot, except in one very difficult place, where there was a descent for almost 2 leagues. The sides were such a steep rocky precipice that it was scarcely possible to see the river, which looks like a brook from above, although it is half as large again as that of Seville, according to what they say, so that although they sought for a passage with great diligence, none was found for a long distance, during which they were for several days in great need of water, which could not be found, and they could not approach that of the river, although they could see it, and on this account Don Garcia Lopez was forced to return.”
Don Garcia Lopez and his soldiers were the first Europeans to see the Grand Canyon in its early glory. Now, 471 years later, the entire world has the opportunity to see and explore what Lopez never did. Join us on an adventure down the Colorado River, and take the opportunity to stand upon the rim in the company of history, and to appreciate the beauty of one of the seven Natural Wonders of the World.
By Vanessa Therrien
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