The El Tovar Lodge: day 2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Tovar_Hotel

This trip will be filled with childhood dreams come true.  I was born into a family that thought camping meant staying at a Holiday Inn.  At 8 I remember going to a travel agency with my Mom and seeing flyers about the National Parks.  Later I would see a PBS special on WPA lodges.  The El Tovar at the Grand Canyon, and Zion National Park were burned into my visual memory.  As we pulled into Grand Canyon National Park I spotted 2 ravens on the roof of the guard house.  A sign this would be a great event.

The leg of El Tovar dinning room facing the canyon.

We arrived at the Grand Canyon, and it was "undercast" with clouds below us hiding most of the canyon.  Dinner and breakfast was at the El Tovar.  I was in heaven.  A grand lodge made of logs, stone, and craftsman details. I took a lot of photos.  I will let them finish this blog.  They say more than I can express.

Main dinning room with Native neighbor paintings.

Leaded glass fixtures throughout

FDR's private dinningroom

Craftsman details

Stairway and balcony at El Tovar

Every lodge must have a moose!

Livingroom corner at El Tovar

The Sunset tour before sunset

 Next our helicopter ride and sunset with a raven show.

Thanks for reading. Each day is a gift. Open now.

xo,

Suz