Growing up in post war Britain I was mesmerised by life in the old west courtesy of western movies on TV and at the cinema and the splendours of the great American outdoors courtesy of a family subscription to National Geographic magazine. At that time the only people I knew who had been abroad were grown-ups who had served in WW2 so that the prospect of me ever getting to the sights of my childhood memories seemed wholly unrealistic. To be able to now do this tour and visit so many famous sites was a dream come true.
Just You describe this as a holiday but it is, to me, better described as an adventure. And what an excellent adventure it was
However, I always thought that there would be a tour/holiday director or other representative at the airport to greet you and assist with the check in but there was no-one to be seen. We eventually met our tour/holiday director on our arrival in the USA but I would be interested to know whether the policy of having someone to assist with check in no longer applies.
Flights were with British Airways and any flight where you arrive safely is a good flight!
On arrival in Denver we were met by our tour/holiday director Missy Weeks. Missy is based in the USA and has been running tours for JY/TS for a number of years. She was excellent with a vibrant personality, well organised and very knowledgeable about the places visited. Our driver was Grant but towards the end of the tour he had to return home unexpectedly and was replaced by Caleb who drove us safely through the last few parks and into Las Vegas.
The bus we used did not have wi-fi which was of concern to some but why you might want to be peering at a screen instead of absorbing the scenery is beyond me.
We were a group of 23 who were sadly reduced to 22 when one lady suffered a fall and had to drop out early on. Everyone sent best wishes and hopefully she makes a full recovery.
On the whole the group blended well but there will always be one or two who prefer their own company. Some, including myself, had travelling companions they had travelled with previously and new friendships were formed. On top of that I might have found a new relative! There were two of us with the same surname and we discovered we had ancestors from the same part of London. Family trees are being checked!
America is vast! We covered a total of 2,859 miles and a lot of driving was involved especially on day 1 when we did 423 miles from Denver, Colorado to Rapid City, South Dakota. Visits to Cheyenne and Ft Laramie were thus quite short and whilst we would have liked a little more time here the road was calling. Over the course of the trip comfort stops were usually every couple of hours. These are for comfort and driver breaks so coffee cannot be guaranteed but were mostly at Walmart stores or other gas station halts were there was a shop where, if wanted, refreshments could be purchased.
I was last in the USA in September 2019 and I, as well as others, noted that prices of lunches and evening meals had increased significantly post Covid. I don’t know about alcohol as I don’t partake these days. I gave myself a budget of $50.00 per day for food and small incidentals and put purchases of souvenirs etc on card. Most of the daily $50.00. was absorbed in this way.
On the subject of Covid then documentation re vaccinations was never checked but I say this in regard to this flight and have no knowledge regarding other flights, airlines or airports.
Breakfasts varied and for me the least enticing was in Rapid City which was more or less continental but most places had a selection of fruits, cereals and cooked food plus an abundant supply of coffee. For first timers then as a warning grits are something of an acquired taste and in my view best avoided!
On travel days it was usually cases at 7.00am or 7.30am for a departure at 8.00am or 8.30am so not too onerous. On non travel days we usually set out around 9.00am
Having checked the weather beforehand I, and many others, expected it to be cool as we reached Rapid City and to remain cool until we got to Yellowstone when it would gradually get warmer as we drove south. Wrong! Isn’t nature fickle? Out came the shorts and tees as we explored Deadwood, the Little Bighorn and Yellowstone and then out came the layers as we drove south. Be prepared to be flexible!
The only disappointment to me of the tour was down to the weather as we had very low cloud at the Grand Canyon on the day of the scheduled helicopter flight which was cancelled due to adverse flying conditions. I had flown the Canyon some years previously but for one or two this was their first time here so this was more disappointing for them... However, safety comes first and these things are always weather permitting and the pilots were quite right in not flying in those conditions. I understand the cost of the flight is being refunded. Low cloud in the canyon was a first for me but did present some interesting photographic possibilities.
As we went round we noticed a number of places closing down for the season. I don’t know if they usually closed at this time or whether custom had not returned to pre Covid levels.
As regards the optional excursions then:-
- Jackson river float. I passed on this. I enjoy photography and serious photography is not easy on a trip like this. Instead I had a very enjoyable time exploring Jackson which has a delightful pioneer feel to the place. A house which was 50 years old was being feted as an attraction and caused some bemusement to me as I write this in my home which is double that, and a bit more, in age. Those that did the trip seemed to enjoy it
- Great Salt Lake and Salt Lake City. We were told this was from 9.00am to 2.00pm but somehow this had been pared down without our holiday director being told. There was not a lot to see at the lake which was at it’s lowest for years due to drought. The only other place of note I went to was Pioneer Place before the tour ended with a short organ recital at the Tabernacle which I opted out of. We saw more of the city the previous day
- Monument Valley 4 wheel drive tour. We were expecting jeeps or similar but 20 or so of us were in a converted truck with a single driver. Narrative was minimal but the views, as seen in numerous movies, were magnificent.
- Las Vegas by night. I’m afraid Vegas is my idea of Hell, but I say this as someone who had been there previously. I opted out of the Vegas by night tour as having seen it once I felt no compulsion to see it again. Those that did the tour seemed to enjoy it but the consensus amongst first timers was that having seen it once then that is enough.
- Cowboy supper and stargazing. This was not on the published itinerary and happened towards the end of the tour in Kanab, a place known as “Little Hollywood” due to the number of movies filmed there – Google it! We were entertained with numerous stories of his encounters with the film stars by “Cowboy John” although I heard that one or 2 might have felt there were enough galaxy stars provided by the universe!
And as for the tour overall there is only one word. MAGNIFICENT! So many boxes ticked for this aging western fan and the national parks were out of this world from the splendour of Monument Valley ass seen in so many movies, an old geezer at an old geyser in Yellowstone to the magnificence of Bryce Canyon and Zion which you look up to rather than look down to as you do with others.
So thank you to Missy for guiding us safely around and thank you to those who made the trip so much fun.
