One Disaster At A Time: Grand Canyon Adventures

What an amazing trip!

Tristan wanted to do this trip as a family before he left home, and since that time is growing shorter and shorter, we took Spring Break (first week in April) and did it. We actually left on Easter Sunday, in the afternoon, after a meal of steak and all the fixings here at the house.

Our first stop was the KOA in Cedar City. Not a bad little spot, and they have really nice tent sites too (something that is sometimes lacking at RV parks). It was a bit on the expensive side (about $60), but it would still be far cheaper than a hotel and perhaps more comfortable than one of the Forest Service campgrounds in the area. We stopped at the Walmart there to get Alana's birthday gifts, and to replace our egg crate pad with a memory foam one.

Shannon took this shot of Alana on the playground at the KOA

It seems you're never too old to want to dig to China

The kids had a great time on the playground at the KOA. I loved hearing Alana holler "Faster, Tristan, Faster" as he pushed her on the merry-go-round. For two kids who often seem to hate each other, this was a wonderful first night.

Max, with Shannon, on the ledge at the overlook

The next day, we headed further south. The drive was spectacular. It's a barren landscape, but breathtaking too, with the painted desert rising to the east and the views stretching for miles and miles and miles. We stopped at the Le Fevre lookout on Highway 89 to stretch our legs and get a good look.

We stopped at Jacob's Lake, the gateway to North Rim (1000 feet higher than South Rim, and closed until at least May 15), and then turned toward South Rim. Our next stop was Navajo Bridge. It seems logical that there would be a bridge out here, but this one is pretty special. It was completed in 1929, opening the way for faster travel between northern Arizona and southern Utah, shortening the travel time and providing vital connections in this region. For it's era, it's an engineering marvel, and the foot bridge that parallels it was enough to send me scampering to the side to read the historical information and stop at the visitor's center. The visitor's center, restrooms (pit/vault toilets), picnic tables and surrounding displays were created during the 1930s by the CCC and the WPA. I find all of this absolutely fascinating, of course!

Alana at Navajo Bridge

Bruce and Shannon peer down at the Colorado River below

We arrived in the park in the early afternoon, and were immediately amazed at the views. There really are no words to convey the feelings, the vastness, the shifting light and colors. It's a 5000 foot deep canyon that goes on and on and on. Tributaries carve out side canyons, leaving buttes and "thrones" and "temples" behind. Photos don't do it justice, either. It truly is one of those places you need to see for yourself.

Shannon and Max

There was so much we could see and do, and we did as much as we could in our time there. We used the shuttle bus system to get out to many of the viewpoints. We hiked along the rim, though "hiking" might be stretching it just a bit as the trail is mostly flat and, in many places, paved. We explored the Tusayan Ruins (Ancestral Puebloan, inhabited a bit earlier than Mesa Verde). We took an afternoon mule ride, through the forest and out to one of the overlooks (the one that goes down into the canyon took two days and more money than we wanted to spend, especially considering my fear of heights). We saw a California Condor, elk, deer, various rodent critters, and lots of ravens. We hiked about a mile down into the canyon, and back out again. I got quite caught up in all the history of the area and read every plaque they put up, plus all the brochures and more! There's an active cemetery in the park, and an old Uranium mine (that's now a Superfund site).

One tired puppy dog!
She was quite grateful to be left behind to rest while we went to dinner.

Bruce is officially fired as "Child Safety Officer."
(Though Bruce tells me this photo was staged to scare me)

Abyss Overlook, on our mule ride

Our Mule Ride--Bruce, riding Twinkie, Tristan riding Junky, Shannon riding Blizzard, me riding Marci (who needed a muzzle because she has a tendency to wander off the trail looking for snacks), and Alana astride Tater Tot

I really did go down into the canyon on the Bright Angel Trail

S'mores, Easter-style, with Peeps and small chocolate bunnies

These two bull elk were lying under the trees at Desert View, near the Watchtower, and less than 10 yards off the paved trail. Some people never even noticed them, and Max didn't really know they were there, but they sure knew she was nearby!