I have been on the internet reading peoples reports on the GC. It seems that the south rim is a lot better than the west rim, that the west rim is a tourist trap, true or false. Thanks again.
Absolutely and I don't think they give refunds past 72 hours, not even for rain, though I think your tickets are still good until Dec 31, not that it would do you much good. It's an expensive proposition just to stand on glass overlooking the canyon. You can't even take your own photo, you have to buy theirs. And AFAIK, the views are nothing like you'd see at the South Rim.
However, the Grand Canyon in August might not be a picnic either, it gets very busy. The last time we were there during the summer, we couldn't even get on the shuttle because it was hot and no one was getting off until the last stop before the return. Had we known, we would have taken some water and walked it. We did walk it, but we had to rest quite a bit with no water. But, we drove up from Phoenix just for the day, so we got there when it was already crowded. never again.
The South Rim in a little over an hour from Flagstaff and then 4 hours to Las Vegas. We generally go from Flagstaff for the day and then back to Flagstaff that way we get there before a lot of the crowds. One of these days we want to stay at the canyon to catch sunset and sunrise. I don't know what the West Canyon offers for lookouts other than the glass. The South Rim has a lot of lookouts. The North Rim has fewer, but you are closer to some of the formations. Both are worth visiting. When we spend the night, it's going to be at the North Rim because it's less crowded.
As far as room costs in Las Vegas, I was commenting because a room at Circus Circus that used to be $30 is now $90 with the resort fee and taxes. To be sure, they won't cost you $325 unless you want that kind of room and motels can be more expensive than casinos, so shop around, just make sure when you check prices you make sure they include the resort fees for the casinos. Many sites will quote the price without the fee and add a note that the fee will be collected upon check-in. When I was looking a couple of weeks ago, CC was $44, the fee was $26 and taxes brought it to $90. However, if I had made a reservation, all they would have charged was the $44 plus taxes to hold the room, presumably because the fee could change. 
If you're just going to Las Vegas to catch the tour bus to West Canyon, I think that's a mistake, but then I don't know how much time you have or what your goal is. I assume you're over 60, so you qualify for the $10 lifetime senior pass to all national parks, if you don't already have one. If it were my trip and I had the time:
Day 1 - spend the night in Flagstaff.
Day 2 - get the car and drive to the South Rim (1:30). Spend the day at the canyon and spend that night in GC Village or Tusayan.
Day 3 - drive to Page (2:30) to see the Glenn Canyon Dam, then on to Ruby's Inn (2:30) at Bryce Canyon.
Day 4 - visit Bryce, then on to Hurricane (2:00) (or another town near Zion).
Day 5 - visit Zion, then on to Las Vegas (2:00), walk the Strip to see some of the free outdoor shows.
Day 6 - drive to Hoover Dam (:45), then on to Los Angeles (4:30).
Day 7+ - visit friend, turn in car and catch train home.
Note 1: If you're early risers, you could go from GC to Ruby's Inn and see Bryce Canyon the same day.
Note 2: When I checked Enterprise I mistakenly had the car being returned in Las Vegas, not LA, so the drop-off fee might be different. Something's wrong with the site, so I can't check right now.
But we did catch a ride back to the station in time to get the tour bus, whew! I think we slept half the way to the canyon, we were all so tired. 
2006 photo's, Much has changed, related to the train(s), under Xanterra management. 
