To sign up for our daily email newsletter, CLICK HERE
As a diehard fan of The Brady Bunch (admit it – you wanted to be part of that family also!), I vividly recall the classic three-part installment when the gang of eight (plus Ann B. Davis as good ‘ol Alice, of course) headed to the Grand Canyon for their annual camping trip. On the way, they stop at a ghost town for the night and meet an old prospector named Zachariah T. Brown (Jim Backus), who fears the Bradys plan to steal his gold. As a result, he locks them in a jail cell!
Uh-oh! What will the Bradys do?
Earlier, I remember when those animated Stone Age characters, Fred and Wilma Flintstone, and their best friends, Barney and Betty Rubble, take a cross-country drive to the Grand Canyon on The Flintstones. Yabba Dabba Doo!
The Grand Canyon has always been a big attraction in popular culture. Think National Lampoon’s Vacation with Chevy Chase and company in 1983; the 1991 film Grand Canyon starring Kevin Kline, Steve Martin, Mary-Louise Parker and Danny Glover; and Thelma and Louise, also in 1991, with Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon in their Oscar-nominated performances. After finally being cornered by authorities at the edge of the Grand Canyon, the two fugitives decide to step on the gas and accelerate over the cliff instead of turning themselves in at the end of the film.
For years, decades actually, I wanted to visit the Grand Canyon. And I am happy to report I did not follow in the same footsteps as Thelma and Louise when I took my trip from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon. But when I heard about the Comedy On Deck tour in Las Vegas, I looked no further. Nor should you. It was approximately 11 exceptional hours, first to the Grand Canyon and then to Hoover Dam, under the leadership of our tour guide, comedian Parker Tighe, who was informative, funny and the type of amicable individual you want to spend your day with.
Since I chose a 110 degree day for the Comedy On Deck tour with my wife Jodi and daughter Morgan, I can’t stress the value of the endless ice-cold waters provided throughout the entire trip. Unlike the competitors, who apparently serve you some quick breakfast items on the bus (have you ever had one of those sticky muffins?), we started the day with a stop at a restaurant for a full warm meal. That’s right…biscuits and gravy, eggs and hash browns, and two cups of coffee for this worldly traveler!
Following breakfast, we re-boarded the highly air-conditioned bus (yes, that matters considerably when it is over 100 degrees!) for what took about two hours to get to the Grand Canyon. From what Parker told us, the original first destination on the tour is normally Hoover Dam, but he switched the order to get us to the Grand Canyon before the crowds arrived on this particularly hot day. Parker kept us fully entertained and educated along the way with the type of comedic banter that was fully relatable.
With stops at two different parts of the Grand Canyon (Grand Canyon West and Guano Point), I would be remiss if I did not mention I was, um, scared out of my wits when we began the optional SkyWalk, which features a floor that you can see the depths of the Grand Canyon from. From there we saw the amazing views at our leisure with an endless array of photos to take to enjoy our picturesque excursion.
A few samples:
After lunch at the Grand Canyon (also provided by Comedy On Deck), next was the Mike O’Callagah – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge at the famed Hoover Dam, which is located in the Black Canyon of the Colorado River, on the border between the U.S. states of Nevada and Arizona. The password is: breathtaking.
En route back to Las Vegas after one additional stop, Parker gave us some astute recommendations on what else to do while visiting. Note to self: Go see Parker Tighe do his stand-up comedy the next time you are in town. You can catch him at Wiseguys Comedy Club in downtown Las Vegas every Tuesday and Wednesday. And he will be at the Linq Promenade on the Las Vegas Strip on August 22 and October 10. His Instagram is @parkertelljoke.
As for this day-long extravaganza to the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam care of Comedy On Deck, it was one of the more memorable days of my life. And it could be for you too!
