Grand Canyon! Honestly, I was not looking forward to this stop. I was last here in 1990(ish) and have always kind of considered it checked off my bucket list. We are not huge fans of the crowds in the more popular National Parks. Mary, our friend in Montrose, said that she wishes she could have the National Parks to herself. Funny, because that is the exact opposite of the point of the program, but there is a thread of truth to the statement. For that reason, we chose the visit the less popular North Rim.
We intentionally didn’t want to do any major hiking so we found a handful of small loops to walk. It was easy, beautiful, and perfect for today. Although, some of the more touristy visitors annoyed us. Who let’s their kids run wild on a trail with a 1000 foot dropoff? And then calls their behavior cute? Who smokes a cigar at a National Park when surrounded by other who just want to see?
I have to say the my breath left me when we caught our first glimpse of the canyon. Its massiveness is nothing as I remember. We did a bit of walking along the rim, and each overlook was just majestic. A true remarkable wonder.
We found the lodge and I was immediately taken back to the time I was here in 1990(ish). I remembered so many small details of the dining room, patio, even the statue of Brightly, the mule. We sat in Adirondack chairs on the stone patio and studied the layers and layers of rock. Before I knew it, tears filled my eyes. (I’m getting tired of crying at all these parks.) I am so grateful to show the girls this country. And am so thankful my parents showed me when I was a kid. It was a full circle moment for me. How did I get so lucky?
Zak agreed to my idea of splurging on lunch, a meal for which we’ve only had pb&j the last 9 days. The dining room, menu, decor, view was exactly as I remember. They still have the French dip I’m sure my brother ordered. We filled up on great food that hit our nutritious cravings, Zoe had grilled salmon, a nice salad, and fresh fruit. Can you tell we’ve had too much travel food lately?
We didn’t stay long, but it was perfect for us today and it whet our palate for another visit.
We drove back into Utah and are staying just outside of Zion. We’ve spent the afternoon in and at the pool. The girls swam like fish. Zak and I drank like fish. (Zoe worked on metaphors and similes in her summer workbook today.) Another great day!
