One of my gifts is adaptability/flexibility/go-with-the-flow. Which is the same thing as saying that one of my weaknesses is procrastination.

So when I finally went online to find a place to stay overnight near the Grand Canyon, it looked like everything was already booked up and/or way too expensive and/or way too far away–like 50 miles. How in the world was that going to work for being at the Canyon with our camerals for sunset and sunrise, plus getting some sleep in between?

I searched every combination of words I could think of for Grand Canyon, hotel, accommodations, bed and breakfast . . . .

Somewhere I hit upon the Red Feather Lodge in Tusayan. They had an opening and the basic cost was less than $100, which was lots less than what I was finding lots farther away.

Then the skeptical voice on my shoulder started whispering in my ear: “You get what you pay for. Can’t be very good if it’s that much less than everywhere else. Probably rather greasy around the edges. And what kind of creative measuring might they be doing to call themselves “near” the Grand Canyon?”

But the louder practical voice on my other shoulder said, ” You don’t have much choice do you? Nothing else that’s available even calls itself nearby; you haven’t seen an opening for a lower price. You want a place to stay and it’s just for one night anyway.” So I booked.

Which voice was right?

The Red Feather Lodge was an almost perfect place for us to stay. Perfect would have been if breakfast were included in the price. But hey, there was a coffee maker and we brought fruit and bagels for the morning.

Making it way nearer to perfect than any higher-priced places I’ve stayed lately was the complimentary wireless Internet. That’s the true measure of hotel classiness for me.

And close! It was only a couple of miles to the South Gate entrance to the Grand Canyon National Park.

So my thumbs are up for this clean, close hotel. It was just what we 2 sunset and sunrise watchers wanted. Which means it would be good for anyone, including families with small children, who want to spend more time at the Canyon and less on the road.

Oh yeah, and there’s the AAA approval. My grandmother used to travel all over the country, incognito, running down the AAA checklist to determine who receives and who keeps the AAA stamp of approval. That means something.

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A bonus for us: When we got off the plane in Phoenix that morning, Talitha said, “I’m in the mood for some Mexican food.” I told her Arizona was a good place for that. Turns out, just across the highway from the Red Feather Lodge is Sophie’s Mexican Kitchen. Supper there was just right after the stunning sunset over the Canyon–good atmosphere and yummy food.