Day twelve of our epic US road trip, we said goodbye to the dazzling lights and excitement of Las Vegas, checking out of the Rio Hotel with hearts full of memories. Today was extra special – our wedding anniversary! Our plan was to make our way to Arizona and spend our final night in a lodge nestled within the Grand Canyon National Park at the South Rim. Little did we know, Mother Nature had a different kind of adventure in store for us!
From Desert City to Dam Views
The morning started beautifully. The sun was shining, and we were buzzing with excitement for the stunning views that awaited us. After a quick and convenient McDonald's breakfast in Henderson, our sights were set on the iconic Hoover Dam Bridge.
Driving along the highway, Lake Mead came into view, a magnificent sprawl of blue that hinted at the engineering marvel we were about to witness. We parked in the free car park for the bridge and joined the early visitors making their way across. Now, those who know me know I'm not the biggest fan of heights, and the Hoover Dam Bridge had been playing on my mind for a while. Charlie found it hilarious to point out the rather unnerving squeaking noise as cars passed a particular spot. Despite this i tried my best to hide any fears as i clutched Louie's hand.
The view opened up, and all for a moment my anxieties melted away. The Hoover Dam in all its concrete glory was truly breathtaking. Someone passing by offered to take a family photo, capturing the moment perfectly. And honestly, despite my initial apprehension, the bridge wasn't as bad as I'd imagined it would be.
Before continuing our journey deeper into Arizona, we decided to take a quick drive down to the Hoover Dam itself for a closer look. As we approached the security checkpoint, the guard asked some standard questions about what we had in the car and asked if we had any weapons. Mark's reply of, "Nah mate, we're from England," earned a chuckle and a wave through. While we could have parked and explored on foot, the parking fees, my lingering fear of heights, and our ambitious schedule led us to turn around and continue our drive.
Arizona Beckons... and Snow Strikes!
Crossing the state line into Arizona, our third state of this incredible trip, the landscape began to transform. The desert views, with their ever-changing hues and formations, made the miles fly by. Before we knew it, we were less than an hour away from our next planned stop: Williams, Arizona, the gateway to the Grand Canyon.
And then, the unexpected happened. A strange, loud beeping sound came from within the car. A few minutes later, it happened again. It was an alert on our phones: caution due to a snowstorm! A snowstorm? We looked around, bewildered. The sun was still shining brightly, and there wasn't a single snowflake in sight.
We decided to err on the side of caution and came off the highway at the next junction and drove down Route 66 to Seligman. Here, there was a light dusting of snow on the ground, which, considering we were at over 5,000 feet elevation, wasn't entirely surprising for this time of year. We stopped at a local garage and asked the locals about the alert. They reassured us that we would be fine, the elevation would be lower where we were heading towards the South Rim, and they expected any snow to turn to rain. Feeling a bit more confident, we got back on the highway.
Stranded in the Snow
But fate, it seemed, had other plans. Just a few minutes later, another alert pinged on our phones, this time confirming that the highway was closed further ahead. Once again, we found ourselves exiting the highway. Mark tried to find an alternative route, but as we drove further, the snow got deeper and deeper. We started seeing abandoned cars, vehicles being towed out of ditches, and were even waved down by other drivers urging us to turn around.
Reluctantly, we turned back towards the nearest town, Ashfork, driving slowly and carefully on the increasingly treacherous roads. The car in front of us, driving with it's hazard lights flashing, suddenly slammed on it's brakes. We were a good distance back, but as soon as I touched my brakes, our hire car started sliding uncontrollably. In a split second, I realized we wouldn't be able to stop in time and had to swerve into the oncoming lane. It was a terrifying moment, but thankfully, the oncoming car made room, and it was a good job I did, as our car only came to a complete stop way past where the other car had been, despite my foot being firmly on the brake the entire time! It was a scary near miss!
As we got closer to the Ashfork, the traffic ground to a complete standstill and we were surrounded by lorries that had also been diverted off the highway. Chatting with some locals, they confirmed that the snowstorm had appeared out of nowhere, the highway was closed in both directions, and we were well and truly stranded. To add to our woes, poor Louie started to feel really unwell, developing a raging temperature and sickness. Panic began to set in. The snow was getting heavier, we didn't have any coats and we weren't going anywhere.
Mark ventured out into the snow and walked along the road to a garage, where he found one parking space left outside. To get to it, I had to carefully maneuver our car alongside the stationary traffic, unsure if there was solid road beneath the deep snow. Taking it incredibly slowly, I managed to inch our way into the spot. We grabbed a much-needed coffee and some children's medicine for Louie. The helpful garage staff directed us to an Indian restaurant across the road where we could hopefully get some warm food.
Braving the deep snow, we trudged over to the restaurant. The owners and staff were incredibly welcoming, and the place was full of other stranded travelers, many of them talking about crashes and breakdowns they'd had. We counted ourselves lucky that our near-miss hadn't resulted in anything more serious. As we ate, we desperately searched for accommodation, but all the motels in the area were completely full. My panic started to escalate. What were we going to do? I started to imagine the worst – sleeping in the car and being found frozen solid! Mark, focused on the delicious and surprisingly affordable food, which did lift our spirits a little.
A Helping Hand (and a Face Plant)
By the time we finished eating, darkness had fallen. The thought of driving through the desert at night was daunting enough, but adding heavy snow to the equation was truly terrifying for me. Stepping out of the warm restaurant, we were met by a pitch-black scene, the road illuminated only by the flashing blue and red lights of police cars reflecting off the snow.
As we walked back to our car, I spotted the Sherriffs car driving past and hurried over to ask for advice. Moving quickly through the snow, which was deeper than I'd realized, I suddenly stepped into a much deeper part and found myself face-planted in the snow, in full view of all the cars stuck in traffic, the phone in my hand was gone and the boys were howling laughing at me.
Eventually, I caught up to the Sheriff and explained our situation . Our dream of celebrating our anniversary at the Grand Canyon South Rim was clearly not going to happen. Our main concern now was getting back towards Las Vegas to avoid missing our flight home the following day. The Sheriff was incredibly helpful. Despite the highway being closed, he directed us onto an alternative route back towards Las Vegas and a town called Peach Springs, where he suggested we might find accommodation for the night.
A New Route and Unexpected Accommodation
The drive was, to say the least, nerve-wracking. It was pitch black with no road lights, the snow was heavy, and I was feeling increasingly upset. Luckily, there were no other cars traveling in our direction, allowing me to take it incredibly slow. At one point, we passed a police car and a broken barrier, and my mind immediately conjured up images of a car having careened off the side of the mountain, sending another wave of panic through me.
After what felt like an eternity, we finally arrived in the small town of Peach Springs and the Hualapai Lodge, our unexpected sanctuary for the night. We checked in and headed straight to our room. Mark and Charlie then discovered that there was a pool on-site that was due to close soon. In a flash, they had their swim shorts on and raced off for a quick dip, a moment of normalcy amidst the chaos. I stayed in the room with a very poorly Louie, getting him settled for bed.
Once Mark and Charlie were back, we couldn't help but laugh about the day's events. Our trip to Arizona was meant to be all about the Grand Canyon South Rim, but with that now impossible, the West Rim was still a viable option and it was located on our route back towards Las Vegas. We booked our tickets for the Grand Canyon West Rim online, which included the entrance fee and the Skywalk (a pricey $79 each, significantly more than the South Rim entrance), but we finally went to bed, surprisingly excited for one last adventure, despite the day's unexpected twists and turns.
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