We began in the Grand Canyon. We went straight there from Vegas, and arrived just after lunch. We opted to go and see the north rim as opposed to the south, as we had read that it was far less popular, but just as spectacular, and we hoped to avoid the crowds. Well, if only 10% of visitors to the canyon go to the north rim, then we can only imagine how many people were at the south rim! It was so busy that we weren't even able to eat in the dining hall that night - there were no reservations left at all. We were able to book for the next night, but only at 5:30pm, as all the other times were already fully booked. There were a couple other options for dinner, so no worries. The dining hall was in a beautiful spot, with a view of the canyon from almost everywhere in the room... no wonder it was so popular.
We took a short walk down a narrow path that led to the edge of the cliff overlooking the canyon. I felt incredibly dizzy and a bit scared a couple of times, to tell the truth, but we made it in one piece. I think we must have taken hundreds of photos. It will be hard to choose the best shots... wish that I had that new camera right about now. Ah well... we'll come back one day when we can hike to the bottom of the canyon, and not just see it from the top. We did another hike the following day, and took more and more photos. We gave Emily our little point and shoot camera and she went crazy. Some of the shots were really good, actually... our budding photographer in action again. This is an incredible self shot that we found. So incredible!
It was a rough night of sleep for both Matt and I that night... while he was out at the lodge that night, I was sitting on the bed reading when I saw something scurry across the floor. You guessed it... a little mouse! I lost sight of him for a bit, but when Matt came back I got up to let him in and saw the little rodent scrambling out of our backpack on the floor! I really hate little creatures, and so it was hard for me to let him live, but I didn't see that we had any choice. Let's just say that I was extra sensitive to noise that night and insisted on waking Matt up when I thought the sounds were getting too close. But, all long nights come to an end, and mice, thank goodness, are nocturnal... and the next day we woke up to snow! It had come down during the night and was still falling as we left for the dining hall to have breakfast. It was so white outside that we couldn't even see the canyon. Of course, as I went to take a photo of it, the battery ran out on the camera. :) I guess that's what happens when you let kids take photos all day the previous day. We have a bit of evidence of the snow, but not much... it was already melting as we pulled out and started on our way to Zion. The roads were a bit slushy, which made for interesting driving, but we did just fine.
Zion was our next stop, and we made good time, arriving mid afternoon. The drive into the valley is quite spectacular, and Emily was oohing and aahing in the backseat the entire time. The road winds its way down into the valley through a series of switchbacks and tunnels. What a feat to build it! The hotel here was, I think, our favourite of all the places we stayed. It was called the Desert Pearl Inn, and it was located in the middle of town with the red sand cliffs rising up behind it. The rooms were incredibly spacious, with a full kitchen for us to make our own breakfast... and the kids and Matt made good use of the pool and hottub while I regrouped after the day's long drive. It is so wonderful to stay in a hotel when it is actually nice. :) We were getting a bit tired of lodges and hotels at this point, but I actually contemplated staying an extra night here because I liked it so much.
We took a shuttle bus into the canyon the next morning and spent the day exploring the trails and sites there. Impressive, that's for sure. It seems that this area inspired many religious figures in US History - you have the mountains named after prophets, for example. There were several chipmunks along the trail and the kids had a great time with them. The town was also impressive, in the way that it blended in with the red rock landscape around it. Everything seemed to be build to look as though it had been cut out of the rock itself. We wandered the streets a bit that afternoon before the kids asked for more pool and hot tub time, even in the rain.
The next day we left fairly early, and made our way to Bryce Canyon. We were a bit worried that we had damaged the car when we filled up on our way; there was a manhole sticking up far too high above the ground, hidden from view, and as we pulled away from the pump we bottomed out on it. It seems that the VW is as well built as we had hoped, though, and it carried on. Bryce was only a couple hours journey away, and we arrived just after lunch in time to hike the canyon. This was to be the most strenuous hike we had asked the children to do on the trip. We hiked a total of four miles, but with a huge elevation change along the way. The hike into the canyon was easy enough, going down the switchbacks and coming out into the impressive valley below. The kids loved the name of the formations and kept saying the word "hoodoos" over and over again for fun. We came prepared, though, and managed to get them up the other side of the trail using gummies for "energy pellets" every 100 meters or so. The views were breathtaking and perhaps my favourite of all three canyons. I was surprised by the beauty of it, and shot nearly 200 photos! I went out that night at sunset to take more, and Matt rose early to capture the sunrise vista.
The cabins here were again very nice, and we slept quite comfortably. We only spent one night, as we had some driving to get done in order to make it home by Victoria Day. The kids ate a quick breakfast of anything we could find in our snack bag, and we hit the road. I had a Starbucks filer pack from the previous hotel, so I made myself a coffee and was fine to drive for a bit before stopping for breakfast. Coffee was indeed my best friend for the next few days, averaging eight hours of driving each day. Matt's back was still not in good shape, so I drove the entire trip, much to his frustration... he would have loved to drive, I know, but it just wasn't an option. We stopped in Bellingham to do some clothes shopping for Africa at Carters and REI before hitting the border. It took almost two hours to get across, but we rewarded ourselves with White Spot on the other side before heading to Ken and Cynthia's for the night.
We are home now, and life is settling back into its normal patterns... aside from the growing list of things to do before our big move next month, but... one day at a time. This was certainly a trip to remember. That is what we will do. Thanks for sharing the journey with us! Wherever you are, remember the value of time spent doing the little things with those you love... we can get so busy with "life" that we forget to live each moment to the fullest. I hope I can carry this approach into life overseas and try to slow down a bit... whatever am I rushing around for anyway? :)
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