what we want to do and see over the next few days. We slept in just a little as we were all tired from the drive and the heat of Vegas. The campground we are staying in has a good little café’ that serves breakfast daily. We enjoyed a good meal (prepared by someone else) and then loaded up the car for our 50 mile trek to the Canyon.The drive to the canyon from Williams is unremarkable. As we approached the gate we were happy to show our America the Beautiful National Parks annual pass and bypass all of the cars waiting at the gate to pay. Membership has its privileges. Really, the annual pass was something I discovered on line in researching our trip. Many of the national parks have an entry fee of $20 to $25 per c
ar. The pass costs $80 for a year and given the sheer number of parks we planned on visiting, we knew we would come out ahead. What we didn’t plan on was that the pass also has gotten us into numerous state parks and national monuments that carry entrance fees as well. It also got us into a lighthouse in Oregon, and took the place of a daily Red Rocks pass in Sedona. It is a really good investment for anyone planning on seeing several parks in one trip. That’s enough of my public service announcement.We arrived at the Canyon a little after 11:00. The place was packed. We had to scout around a bit for parking by the south entrance visitor center and eventually did what everyone else was doing and parked on the shoulder of the road. We had a little bit of a walk along the rim trail back to Mather Point and the visitor’s center. That was fine with us because the view was amazing. The Grand Canyon is truly one of those places that one must experience for themself. Words and pictures just do not do it justice. The views are breathtaking and Sarah’s first response to seeing it was simply “wow!” The colors and rock formations are so impressive, but it is also the size and the grandeur that cause you to stop and stare in wonder. The thing I can’t get over is how different the canyon looks from each of the many overlooks. Infact the same view will look remarkably different just a short time later as the light and cloud
s change. I honestly think that I could just park myself on a rock and stare in quiet solitude for hours. Since I am traveling with 3 small kids that is obviously not an option.Visiting the Grand Canyon is not without its challenges though in the middle of summer. There are a lot of people to contend with (many of whom have chosen to bring Fido the yapping family dog along) and some of the overlooks have sheer drop offs without much in the way of walls or railings to keep little kids back from the edge. While I appreciate not having to look over a man made barrier to enjoy nature, I also worried about the kids and their safety. We instituted a strict hand holding rule. The girls didn’t mind it too much, but AJ was definitely not a fan. His grumping was a small price to pay for peace of mind. There are many points that do allow you to step out onto rocky outcroppings with the help of
a small railing. This allows you amazing views of the canyon and all of its glory. What was crazy were all of the people who had climbed out past the railing onto cliffs and ledges to blaze their own trail in search of the perfect picture. Did these people miss the hundreds of signs warning you not to do that?After we had our fill of the view for a while, we hopped a free shuttle bus over to the visitor’s center. We checked out the geological information on the canyon and also learned about the flora and fauna. We read up a little on the shuttle bus system in the park. There are 3 main bus loops in the Grand Canyon. You can drive one of them. You can also take the south rim drive
out to the east entrance. If you want to get to any other points, you must park and ride the free shuttle busses which run every 10 to 15 minutes. After purchasing our Grand Canyon sticker and stamping our National Parks passport book, we headed back to the car to have our picnic lunch. On the way, Sarah and Tony spotted a deer in the underbrush on the rim. It was perched precariously eating the leaves of the scrub bushes there.On our drive back to the campground, we made a quick stop in Tusayan (a very small town just south of the Grand Canyon) for ice and other needed supplies. Then we headed back to the campground for dinner and a swim. While we were making dinner, our wonderful, thoughtful eldest child decided it was ok to throw rocks at her brother. Rocks have been a bit of a problem throughout this trip and this was the straw that got her grounded from swimming. We didn’t want her to stay at the camper with Nana because that wouldn’t seem like a punishment. Instead, she had to watch from a chair poolside while the rest of us enjoyed a dip in the heated indoor pool. I am pretty sure she learned from her mistake! After swimming, we headed back to the camper for baths and bed. We are looking forward to exploring the red rocks of Sedona tomorrow.
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