The Grand Canyon

Rebekah:

Driving through the Arizona desert during the rainy season, what they call monsoon season, was quite a surprise.

Desert Rock Formations

The desert has so much green. In some places it was almost lush. At one point we drove off the highway to get a snack on route 66. It seems that many of the little towns still survive by keeping the nostalgia of route 66 alive.

All the Stores and Businesses in This Town Were Scrawled With Route 66 Nostalgia Images

We rolled into our camp site at 8pm, just after dark. We had to set up the trailer tent for the first time in the dark. All the kids helped out as we read the instructions for set up. We were all in bed by 10:30, which is pretty good considering that we still hadn't organized any of our gear. It's a nice little trailer and I think we were all pleased to be in it. We had only made a reservation for one night, but after days of driving we really wanted to stick around longer, so Elijah got us a second camp site in the morning. We broke camp quickly and moved over to this second site. A much greener and nicer site. We were all pretty happy about it. Izzy even climbed a tree in his excitement.

Izzy Found a Great Climbing Tree

Eli:
We are at the Grand Canyon, last night we slept in our new tent trailer.
 

Eli Working On His Blog Entry While the Other Two Played At Our New Camp Site

Rebekah:

I spent most of the day trying to figure out all our gear and get everything ship shape. By the end I really wanted a shower. It turned out they clean the showers between 3 and 4 everyday. So we headed out to see the actual canyon without bathing.

The Grand Canyon is spectacular. The experience of being that close to such a big hole in the earth is giddy feeling.

Elijah had to do a meeting in the parking lot, so the kids and I went on ahead. The crowds were thick and there were a lot of French people milling about and acting blase about the big hole. Hannah kept trying to climb the railing so I finally had to carry her to keep from having a heart attack. The boys and I felt sad about the signs saying a breeding California condor died after ingesting some of the change people throw on the rocks near the look out. Finally Elijah found us at point Mather, and then we walked along the rim trail. Soon after we started, the wind picked up and it began to rain. A perfect way to walk the rim trail on a hot afternoon! The cold rain dried quickly as it fell on us, so we were refreshed but never totally wet.

When we got to Grand Canyon Village we found a nice restaurant, El Tovar, in a hotel with an old stone porch and rocking chairs.

The Rainbow That Appeared Just As We Arrived At the Restaurant

We ate a great meal (well, all but Hannah, who no longer eats any meal served during meal time) and then we had dessert.

Sunset From the Porch of El Tovar Hotel, Originally a Harvey Co. Railway Stop

A great way to end a 2.5 mile hike along the edge of the Grand Canyon.

It's A Long Way Down