Day 45 - The GRAND Canyon

I was really hoping David would write the post about Arizona's Grand Canyon. It's been his dream to go there for so long and he was so amazed that I wanted to capture his words here. But... we got behind on our blog and he's away at work and I'm going to try to get us caught up! Perhaps once he's home he can share some thoughts about his perspective of the Grand Canyon, and his desire to go back. :)

Friday morning we left Williams to head for the the Canyon. The indicator light appeared on the rental van regarding a low tire, so we pulled over to give it some air before heading out. In doing so, the mechanic noticed a split in the front tire! Isn't God good! We were able to pull into the shop and get it repaired rather quickly. Of course we were slightly antsy as the desire to get on the road was a tad greater than the patience level :) The little tire shop was great though and even gave us all hot cocoa to keep warm as that chilly air seemed to be following us!

An hour or so later we were back on the road and heading towards the canyon. What is truly amazing is that as you drive along a seemingly 'normal' road, it suddenly is split and you see a sight that is indescribable! I'm not sure how one can adequately describe the Grand Canyon. If you have been there, you know exactly what I mean. If you haven't, books and the internet cannot do it justice. As we drank in the view and began to snap our photos, we soon realized that we would be unable to capture the vastness & beauty on 'film'. David could have stayed all day and all night long! He looked at the hiking trails with longing and was already making mental plans I'm sure as to when he could return & venture out on those dusty trails himself!! So we spent the late morning and nearly all of the afternoon walking and exploring the Grand Canyon. What an experience! We took a scenic drive to get a different vantage point and then drove back to the visitor's center to the IMAX theater and took in an IMAX movie of the Grand Canyon. It was great to get a close view of the river and bottom of the canyon, even though it made us a tad dizzy. It made Sarah think of the 'Soaring over California' ride in California Adventure Park :)

After the movie, we drove back to Williams to grab a bite to eat and then continued on to Lake Havasu. The kids were eager to crawl into bed after a very full day and I think the adults were just as happy :)

Joshua snapped this shot of the van getting repaired.

Not a sign you see everyday!

The official sign.... are we really here!!!!? YAHOOO!

What an amazing experience to share with Grandpa & Grandma Gray!

Yes, I purchased a toque at the gift shop - like Megan I was frozen!!

What a great day! The kids loved seeing David so excited, as did I. :)

Megan pretty much froze the whole time! Most people were bundled and I didn't think it would be THAT cold and had only packed her shorts (my bad). She was a trooper though, and enjoyed taking in the views!!

Check out that grin! He didn't know if he should do the happy dance or have someone pinch him that he was REALLY there!!

Despite the signage, David climbed down and hung over the rock to get an incredible view!! None of us were very impressed (although he continues to claim he was totally safe!) and Sarah's tears apparently convinced him not to do that "EVER AGAIN!" :)

Beautiful walking trails to stroll along.

And now a series of photos... we took well over a 100 and picked a few to share with you :) Remember you can click on them to enlarge them. In a few you can see the depth & shadowing of the rocks, others you can faintly see the winding river, and a few you may be able to pick out hiking trails and switchbacks.

A candid shot!

It was nice to return home to temperatures in the low 30s, but no matter what the temperature was, the Grand Canyon was a highlight in our adventure that will be forever remembered.