We all woke up early again, even the kids. You’d think by now our systems would be used to the time zone change. Alas, 7:00am seems to be our time to wake up. We all got up and packed up our things. We were on the road headed for Seligman for breakfast. Seligman, as I was told, is the small town that Radiator Springs, the town in the popular Pixar movie Cars, was modeled after. As we got into town, I could easily see how that was the case. Though there were definitely more things to do in this town. We stopped at the West Side Lilo’s Café for breakfast. As we sat down, we looked up and there on the wall, was Guy Fieri’s autograph. He was just there on the 10th for what I can only assume was his show, Diner Drive-in’s and Dives. I took a quick pic since I thought it was pretty neat. The food there was good and they gave enormous servings. Rob and Jade shared the french toast with strawberries and whip cream. I had the Mexican skillet and the boys had their usual chocolate chip pancakes. It was all delicious and we all left there super stuffed!
From Seligman, it was 1 ½ hr drive to Oatman. Oatman is a small old west mining town that I had visited a very long time ago back when Jade was 3 years old. My sister lived in Lake Havasu at the time and took us to this old town when we had visited. So I thought it was time to take the kids. Jade obviously didn’t remember going so it was all fresh and new. Driving down from the North to Oatman, the drive is pretty scary in an RV. You drive on the side of a mountain and there isn’t much to keep you from falling off if you make the turns wrong. Luckily there weren’t many cars on the road with us and Rob has become very good at driving these types of roads. Seems like our whole trip has been us navigating small, narrow, winding roads on the sides of mountains. I haven’t wanted to drive this whole time and I doubt I ever will. Oatman was founded back in 1906 and at its peak had around 10,000 people living there. Now I think the only people living there are the people that work there. There really isn’t anything surrounding the town and the closest place to it is Bullhead City, about 30 minutes away. As we came up on the town, there was a donkey on the side of the road. We stopped to take its pic and it came right up to the RV. I think it wanted food. But we weren’t going to be feeding it anything. We got into town and parked the RV. We were surprised to see how many people were visiting the town. I guess it is a pretty cool tourist attraction. Oatman looks like a town from an old wild west movie. But more commercial. Lots of small stores lined the road. The hotel is the only original building left standing after there was a fire that ravaged the town in 1921. They rebuilt the town and the buildings you see are still the originals. The hotel had a restaurant attached to it and when you go in, you see tons of $1 bills hanging all over. They allow people to write whatever they want on a $1 bill and hang it wherever you’d like. So of course we had to do it! The town also puts on a gun show twice a day. Kind of like a gun fight and quick shooting show, which we got to see and be a part of. We weren’t in town for very long, it was just too hot to walk around. But we did enjoy it and I think the kids loved seeing an old ghost town. After the ghost town we had to figure out where we were going to boondock for the night. I remembered that one of the young ladies that we met on the Bright Angel trail, at the south rim of the Grand Canyon, mentioned that the group she was with had stayed at Big Bend. I looked it up and it wasn’t too far from Oatman and definitely on our way back to Las Vegas. Score! We got to the Big Bend of the Colorado State Recreation Area around 4:30pm. There was practically no one in the RV area, which was nice since we could pick whatever spot we’d like. The ranger told us that spots 11 and 12 were the most popular. So we picked 12. But after looking at all the spots, almost all of them were amazing. We think the reason why most people like 12 is because of it’s trail access down to the Colorado River. Which Rob and Jaxon took down to check out the river and explore. Personally, it was so dang hot that I wasn’t about to leave the confines of our RV. Unfortunately there was no getting away from the heat. The RV was still hot inside even with the a/c blowing. The a/c unit is pretty small so It takes it a little while to cool down the space. Regardless, I really did not want to hang out in the hot scorching-100-degree-desert-dry-peel-your-skin-off-heat of Nevada. So Jade, Reece and I stayed in the RV. Once the sun went down, it started to cool off a bit outside. Finally around 9:30pm, it felt good to be outside. Rob had started a fire to cook our dinner. I made French bread pizzas for me and he had a hoagie with vegan Italian “sausage” with peppers and onions. Jade and Reece had eaten their dinners ahead of time, not wanting to wait too late. But Jaxon waited patiently as we cooked his baked potato over the fire. We then hung out and finally all the stars in the night sky joined us for dinner. It was spectacular. All in all, we enjoyed staying at Big Bend. If you ever get the chance, we would definitely recommend it. We all went to sleep not very excited about heading to Vegas. Because that meant our vacation was ending. It really has been one of our most amazing and memorable vacations.
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We woke up early, so much for sleeping in. It was 7:00am and neither Rob nor I could sleep any longer. We decided to get breakfast in town. Rob looked up some places as we walked downtown historic Rt 66. Downtown Williams is a pretty cool place. We were instantly transported to another place and time. Everywhere you looked, there was old memorabilia from decades ago. 50’s music surrounded us and it really felt like time had stopped in this small town. We came across the Grand Canyon Coffee & Café aka Anna’s. They sat us quickly and I decided to order a southwestern type of breakfast. It was called Anna’s stack and had 2 corn tortillas filled with a pork green chile. It was topped with a red enchilada sauce and 2 eggs. Served along side of the tortilla stack was hashbrowns and refried beans. It was delicious. I couldn’t finish much of it since it was so large. The boys had pancakes and Jade had corned beef hash. Rob ordered the Canyon burrito, which was a huge breakfast burrito filled with eggs, potatoes, veggies and their signature pork green chile, topped with their red enchilada sauce and cheese. We all left with full belly’s.
We headed straight to the .Grand Canyon. The RV parking lot was full. We circled it a couple times just in case someone decided to leave. But no luck. We then saw a sign directing people to Desert View for additional parking. We started to head that way until we realized it was 25 miles away. We promptly turned around and headed back into the park to find a spot. I checked the map and it looked like there was additional RV parking near the Backcountry office – Lot D. When we got to Lot D we were relieved to see that there was plenty of parking. The Backcountry office is located on the Blue shuttle. The shuttle has a long route through the park so we weren’t sure if we should use it to go to our destination, the Bright Angel trail. As we were contemplating what we should do, the shuttle drove up. So Rob asked the driver if there was a quicker way to get to the trail. The driver suggested we walk over since the shuttle would take an additional 25 minutes. So we walked. The walk was fairly short and took us over the railroad tracks. We arrived at the trailhead and took a quick pic before we started down. Our goal on the trail was to walk down 1 ½ miles to the rest area, eat lunch and then head back up. Except we did not anticipate how difficult the trail would be. There were steep elevation changes and by the time we got to about 1 ¼ miles in, the kids were done and wanted to head back. So we did. The climb back up was very difficult. We stopped at each switchback to drink water, catch our breath and rest. Once we got closer to the top, it was not as steep and we didn’t need to stop. We were very happy to make it back to the top. That hike definitely ranked as one of the most difficult out of all the hikes we did on this vacation. And I’m not sure we would do it again unless we trained for it. We talked about perhaps doing the rim to rim hike. But who knows. Training for that would be pretty intense I’d imagine. Hiking at the Grand Canyon is definitely more difficult than anything we’ve ever attempted. But the beauty, magnificence and gradeur that surrounds you is unrivaled by anything you could imagine. It truly is worth experiencing at least once in your lifetime. After our hike we headed back to the RV and headed out of the park. We said goodbye to the Grand Canyon and felt honored that we had the opportunity to walk through her. We arrived back at our RV campground around 5pm. We all showered and freshened ourselves up. Rob and I cracked open a couple cold brews and sat down in the shade to reflect on our day. Somehow Jaxon still had lots of energy and wanted to go play basketball. The resort we were staying at had a basketball court, volleyball court, playground and horseshoes. Rob and I finished our beers and we walked over with Jaxon to play some basketball. When we checked out the basketball from the front office, I inquired about the brewery across the street. The lady at the front was very complimentary about the food and the beer. We were excited to hear that and made a note to check it out for dinner. While playing basketball with Jaxon, I hurt my forefinger on my left hand. I’m not entirely sure if it’s broken, but it sure hurts a lot and the swelling doesn’t seem to be going down. I guess time will tell. After playing, we went back to the RV to see if Jade and Reece wanted to join us for dinner at the Brewery. Jade did but Reece just wanted to sit and play his games. Rob, Jade, Jaxon and I walked over to the brewery for dinner. The brewery was decorated in a southwestern motif. River rocks covered the walls and they had a small gift shop at the front. There were several large screen tvs throughout the space. They also had a large fireplace with a 3 person black leather couch placed just so if you wanted to relax. The space also included a pool table, dart boards and a shufflebowl table for added entertainment. But the real draw was the craft beers. We started with a flight of beers which was only $4. We found all the beers to be delicious, but my personal favorite was the Coffee stout. Rob’s favorite was the Nutella Ale. Being Wednesday, it was Wings Wednesday. Their usual 1 lb of wings is $9.99 but on Wednesdays it is $7.99. We ordered 2 lbs and even Jaxon enjoyed them. The sauce was a great mix between spicy and a bit sweet. Rob ordered a burger, which was his first time eating meat in a very long time. He really enjoyed it. After we ate, Rob challenged Jaxon to a game of shufflebowl. Jade and I sat and chatted while the boys played. Being a newbie to the game didn’t deter Jaxon from winning. The boys definitely enjoyed themselves. All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our evening out at the Grand Canyon Brewing Company. We purchased a growler of the stout and a tank top for myself on the way out. Rob and I both agreed that we’d be back there one day. We walked back to the RV and got everyone ready for bed. Sleep certainly didn’t elude us this evening. The day’s activities were enough to ensure a very sound sleep. It was definitely a wonderful day we would not forget anytime soon. We had what was probably the best sleep of the entire trip last night. I woke up around 8:30am feeling fully rested and energized. Hmmm…maybe there is something to these energy vortexes after all. Everyone was still asleep. I went to freshen up in the bathroom ad found someone already there showering. The smell of their shampoo was sweet and fresh and somehow put a smile on my face. I made myself some coffee and went outside to the firepit area to sit down and enjoy my view. I then decided to take the time to check on email and realized that the hospital called to settle some financial obligations for Jaxon’s upcoming surgery. So I called them and got that taken care of. As I was about to get my second cup of coffee, Rob popped out of the RV with a cup of coffee in tow to join me. I got my second cup and we sat down and planned out our day while enjoying the views. He too had a great night’s sleep and was surprised at how late he slept.
We enjoyed a quick breakfast in the RV and quickly packed up and checked out by 11am. We really loved this particular RV resort. It was just so peaceful. We headed over to Boynton Canyon. The Canyon only took us about 15 minutes to get to and we thankfully found parking in the small parking lot adjacent to the trails. We hiked up to the Canyon, about 6/10th of a mile. The kids were tired and didn’t go up the rock. But Rob and I continued and got to the top. We sat down and really took in the view. The energy at the top was high and we both felt it. It is hard to describe the energy. But it was definitely palpable. After resting a bit, we descended back down and met up with the kids who were sitting next to a bush. There was a sweet smell on the trail around Boynton Canyon that I hadn’t smelled in any other place in Sedona. At first I thought it was a lady’s perfume from some of the hikers ahead of us. But I soon realized that it wasn’t and it had to be some type of bush, berry or something in the ground. I never found out what it was but the sweet smell lingered for a bit and I loved it. Our next stop was the Airport vortex. The drive was quick from Boynton Canyon. The airport vortex was a small stop on a very narrow road that lead up to the Sedona airport. Sadly, there wasn’t any place for us to park the RV. So we had to pass on going to the vortex. It was lunch time and we wanted to eat before hitting the road. So we stopped in Oak Creek and found a Chinese restaurant. It was delicious and we all left with full belly’s. We hit the road excited for our next stop, the south rim of the Grand Canyon. The drive was about 1 1/2 hours. Driving into the south rim, the foliage was so different from the north rim. There were more sage brush and less vegetation for sure. That makes sense since the climate here is more arid and dry. We got into the park around 5pm. RV parking was in Lot 1 and we felt lucky that we found a spot. It was very crowded, which surprised us. The overall feel at the south rim is much more commercial than the north rim. There was more touristy things, more lodges and shops. And of course, lots of tourists. We made our way to the Mather overlook. The view was spectacular and I quickly snapped a bunch of pics while trying to get out of the way of the swarm of tourists waiting for their turn to take pics. Reece wasn’t feeling well, so we walked to the visitor center to check out the park map and make a plan for our hikes the next day. We decided to do the Bright Angel hike since it was listed as moderate and easier than the South Kaibab trail. The only other trail that we could see was the Rim trail, which was listed as easy, but seemed rather boring. It takes you from one overlook to another at the top of the canyon. After figuring out our course of action for the next day, we got back in our RV and headed to our RV resort. We stayed at the Grand Canyon Railway RV resort in Williams, AZ. We checked in and noticed that adjacent to the resort, and walking distance from our assigned site, was the Grand Canyon Brewing Company. Sweet! We made a plan to visit it at some point. We got settled in and everyone got a bite to eat and we all got showered. It felt good to get a hot shower in after a long day. The kids wanted to put on a movie before bed. They selected Moana. They had been quoting the movie for the past 2 days, so it didn’t surprise me that they picked it to watch. We finished watching the movie and quickly fell asleep. Another great day in the books for this awesome vacation. Rob and I woke up super early, around 6:00am. I’m not sure why, though, perhaps it was because it was super cold in the RV. Or maybe it was just the knowledge that we had a long day of driving ahead of us. Either way, we were wide awake. It was so very cold that we opted to put on the heater while we got the RV packed up and ready. It only took us about 20 minutes and we were ready to hit the road. We let the kids sleep in, since we knew it would be several hours before we would get to Sedona. Coffee was definitely our friend and we both finished 2 cups before we hit the bottom of the Kaibab National Forest. The wind was really not our friend as we drove through Arizona. There were several times big gusts of wind would move us into oncoming traffic. That was definitely not pleasant and certainly a drawback to the RV life. It took about 1 hour to get down to the base of the Kaibab National Forest. We filled up for gas at the Cliff Dwellers gas station, which is near the edge of the Vermilion Cliffs. Rob remarked that if the Grand Canyon wasn’t so close to the Cliffs, that the Cliffs would get more attention. But since the Grand Canyon was right there, those beautiful majestic cliffs just get overshadowed. Even so, I got out of the RV while we gassed up and took some pics. They were are beautiful.
We continued our journey and took a break once the kids woke up. We stopped at the side of the road at one of the Native American stands where they sell jewelry and other souvenirs. It was a decent size parking lot and only 2 other cars were there when we stopped. We opted for a quick cereal breakfast so that we could get back on the road. Back on the road, it would be another 2 ½ hours before we would make it to Flagstaff. The wind slowed us down a tad since Rob had to be extra careful. Then when we finally got on to Rt. 89a, which is one of the main roads into Sedona, we ran into more delays as they were doing road work. Despite the road work, Rt. 89a is a very scenic drive and takes you into the Coconino Forest. The road was pretty windy and narrow as it descends the mountain into Sedona. We made a note that if we could find an alternate route to get out of Sedona, we would. All in all, we didn't get in to Sedona and to our RV campground until around 12:30pm. Rancho Sedona RV resort sits adjacent to Oak Creek. It was a very charming and relaxing RV resort. After checking in, we quickly got our laundry into the washing machines. The kids were still wearing their pajamas since they had no clean clothes to change into. Though we wanted to clean their pj’s as well, so they put on their bathing suits. We made a quick lunch and then Rob, Jade and I walked down to the creek to check it out. The creek was lovely and extremely peaceful. I just love the sound of the water as it cascades over the rocks. The creek was lined on both sides by these beautiful and large Cottonwood and Sycamore trees. Nearby, there was a guy with 3 dogs wading in the creek. It was clear that his dogs did not enjoy being in that cold water. The lady checking us in had mentioned that the creek was about 60 degrees year round. Unless the water is a warm 80 degrees, you won’t be finding me wading in any creek, beautiful or not. After taking some pics and enjoy the creek, we made our way back to the RV so that we could check on our laundry. The laundry was done, so I transferred the clothes into the dryer and we went back into the RV to relax. Once the clothes were done in the dryer, we took them out and decided to venture out into Sedona. Sedona is known for its energy vortexes. The vortexes in Sedona are swirling centers of subtle energy coming out from the surface of the earth. The vortex energy is not exactly electricity or magnetism, although it does leave a slight measurable residual magnetism in the places where it is strongest. Sedona has 4 main energy vortexes. Rob and I planned on visiting all 4 during our stay in Sedona. We both had heard about these vortexes and wanted to experience them first hand. As luck would have it, 2 of the vortexes were just down the road from our RV resort. So we unhooked the RV, strapped on our hiking boots and got on the road. Just a few miles down the road was the first vortex we wanted to see – Bell Rock. We decided to walk to the base of Bell Rock along the Bell Rock trail. We hike about ½ mile to where the Bell Rock path meets the Courthouse loop. The kids did not want to continue hiking, so they headed back to the RV. Rob and I chose to continue on the Courthouse Loop, which would lead us back to the parking lot. The entire hike was about 1.75 miles, so not too bad. I must admit, I could feel some sort of energy at this place. It is hard to describe, but it was apparent. Bell Rock is very beautiful as is the Courthouse butte. We took a lot of pics of both and really enjoyed this hike. The next stop was Cathedral Rock. This vortex is only about 1 mile up the road from Bell Rock. To get to it, we had to drive down what looked like a residential street. But at the end of the street was a small parking lot and the path to Cathedral Rock. This time, the boys decided to stay in the RV. They just weren’t in the mood to do any hiking. So Rob, Jade and I got out and went to look for the trail information. We found the trailhead and started heading up the rock. This particular hike had to be one of the most challenging ones I’ve ever done. It was entirely uphill the whole way. After only about ½ mile into the hike, I was done. There were many people that I could see hiking way up the rock. But today it just wasn’t in the cards for me. Jade and Rob were both equally as happy to end our hike and head back down the trail. Although this particular hike was physically difficult, it was certainly very beautiful. And the views from the point where we ended the hike were stunning. You could easily see all over Sedona. I can’t say as I felt any particular energy at this vortex. But perhaps that is because I was too exhausted to really get in tune with anything other than catching my breathe and trying not to fall. We did take a lot of great pics though and I’m sure once you take a look, you will agree. Sedona is magical! After the Cathedral hike, it was close to 5:00pm and we all were getting hungry. We decided to head into downtown Sedona and get some dinner. We didn’t know where we would eat, but when we drove through the downtown area, I remembered seeing tons of shops and restaurants. We figured we would just play it by ear. As you can imagine, parking a big RV on the small streets of Sedona is nearly impossible. But having luck on our side, we found a spot right in front of someone’s house. As we parked, the owner stared at us through his front window. I thought for sure he was going to yell at us to move our RV. As we got out of the RV, the owner came out of his home. Turns out, he was just interested in the RV. During the short exchange, Rob asked if he was ok with us parking there and thankfully he was. He then asked Rob a few questions about the RV and went then went back inside. We were pretty excited that we were able to find such a great spot to park in. We walked down the main street and almost immediately across the street was a little square that had many shops and a couple restaurants. The boys went to look at the menu of the restaurant called Open Range. It seemed like a nice restaurant and both boys seemed to like the menu. So that was where we decided to eat. They had an outdoor area that overlooked the beautiful red rocks of Sedona. Rob and I ordered a pitcher of a local draft beer and enjoyed our view while we ate. After dinner, we all went in to one of the shops below the restaurant. I’m not much of a shopper, so I was done looking after about 5 mins. We left there and I was ready to head back to the RV. But Rob, Jade and Jaxon had other plans. They were in shopping mode and wanted to go check out another shop. Reece and I weren’t interested in doing any more shopping, so we went back to the RV to wait for them. Once they were done shopping, they made their way back to the RV and we headed back to our RV resort. By the time we got back, it was pretty dark. Rob started backing up into our spot and quickly discovered he would need some help. So I got out of the RV to help guide him in. At that moment, our neighbor to the right of us, came out and asked me if we needed any help. He offered us the use of his walkie talkies. Wow what a different that made! It was so much easier than shouting out directions. Rob easily backed in at that point and we got busy getting the RV set up. The kids wanted to watch a movie that we had brought, Ms. Peregrine Home for Peculiar Children. Jade had read the books so she knew what to expect but for the rest of it, it was new. It was a good kid movie. We all went to bed afterwards. I was such a great day. Today we woke up the coldest morning we have had this entire trip. It was 7:45am and I knew we wanted to get an early start to the day. Rob was worried about getting a parking spot at the Lodge, so our goal was to be up and out by 8:00am. We gathered all our things and got the RV ready to move. We got to the campground around 8:20am and there were plenty of spots to choose from. The spot we chose was right in front of another RV that looked very similar to ours. Turns out that the people in that RV were also first time RV renters, and were doing a similar 2 week vacation. Just like us, they were thoroughly enjoying their RV and their vacation. After getting the RV parked and leveled, we put the slides out and got the kids up and ready.
Coffee was next on the list. We all headed over to the Lodge Saloon. I got a regular coffee but Rob and Jade both ordered a Mocha, while the boys ordered Hot Chocolates. After getting our drinks, we headed back to the RV to get some breakfast. We took our time since we knew we didn’t have to be ready for our mule rides until 12:20pm. After eating, we wanted to get a quick hike in. The Bright Angel hike is right next to the Lodge and is only about ½ mile. It was the hike we originally wanted to do yesterday, but followed a different trail instead. The weather was still pretty windy and the 1/2 mile walk out on to the Bright Angel point proved to be rather scary. Rob and I saw some people climbing up on a big rock at the point and decided to get a cool photo op in. We both climbed up the massive rock like two young kids excited for the last day of school. I think we made our kids nervous, but that’s ok. They make us nervous every day. It was fun and after a quick pic, we both climbed down pretty fast. When we completed the hike, it was close to 11:40am. We walked back up to the Lodge and then back to the RV for a quick lunch. Jade and I probably had the quickest lunch we’ve ever eaten. Rob walked Jade and I back to the Lodge. We were to pick up a shuttle that would take us to the Kaibab Trail for our mule ride. The shuttle was a few minutes late, but I was grateful since we were still trying to figure out how to get the GoPro on my hat. We got the GoPro on to my baseball cap just as the shuttle arrived. We kissed Rob goodbye and found our seats on the shuttle. In 10 minutes, we were at the trail and waiting to get assigned our mules. I handed our reservation ticket to one of the guys working there and he asked what level of experience Jade and I had. I let him know that we both have ridden horses before but never a mule. He promptly put me on Sarge, a pretty large brown mule who I found to be very sweet. Jade was give a mule by the name of Grandpa, who proved to be very stubborn at first, and didn’t want to keep up with the group. After the group got their mules, we started down the 2 mile long Kaibab trail down to the Supai tunnel. All the people in our group were first time riders, and you could tell. The mules were definitely getting their way. It was a chorus of “Oh no” and “No…don’t eat that” and “Come on” coming from all around us. I guess I was just lucky since Sarge really gave me no problem at all. Some people think the ride down is rather scary, but for me, I just thought it was dreamy. The trail is a lot of narrow switchbacks. Personally if I were to actually hike that trail, I would find it rather hard. It’s a steep elevation and then hikers must navigate around mules and other hikers on the trail. I was very grateful to be on a mule rather than actually hiking it. Once we got down to the tunnel, we got off our mules and let them rest while we all got a drink of water, used the restrooms and walked through the tunnel. The view on the other end of the tunnel was like something out of a painting. The weather was perfect, there was no wind to speak of, and the sun was peaking through just enough to warm us up. We took some pics and then Jade and I sat down on a couple rocks and just looked into the Canyon. I wanted to stay there all day. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy the ride down, but you couldn’t pay to get a better view of the Canyon than from where we were. Coming through the tunnel were a couple hikers who were doing a rim to rim hiking venture. They stopped to talk with us and we found out that they were planning on hiking the North rim to South rim trail over 3 days. Every 7 miles, there are campgrounds that hikers can stop at to rest. Hiking from rim to rim is a total of 23 miles. So hiking approximately 7 miles each day sounded like a great plan. We wished them well on their journey and watched them descend further into the Canyon. By now it was time to get back on to our mules. We all got back on to our mules and up we went back to the top of the trail. By the time we made it back, my butt and my left knee were hurting pretty good. I was happy to get off Sarge and thanked him for taking such good care of me. I have never been a big fan of riding Western, and after this 3 hr trail ride, my opinion hadn’t changed. We all thanked our trail guide for a great ride and they handed us a souvenir picture for us to take home. The pic was $10 each and if you did not have the money to give to the photographer, they asked that you go to the activities desk to pay for your pic. They believe in the honor system at the Grand Canyon. Everyone took their pics off the shuttle. But I’m not convinced they all paid for them. Back at the Lodge, we got off the shuttle and walked back to the RV to look for the boys. Their trail ride was an hour after ours and should have finished an hour before ours. So we assumed they were at the RV. But no one was there when we got there. So Jade and I headed back to the Lodge to freshen up in the bathroom and see if we could find the boys. Turns out the boys were waiting for us in the Lodge. By then it was 4:15pm and I was pretty tired. We all walked back to the RV to rest up before our dinner reservation at 6pm. To our surprise, the parking lot pretty empty. I guess being Sunday, a lot of people left early to go home or to wherever they were staying for the night. It was strange to see the parking lot so empty. At 5:30pm we made our way to the restaurant to see if they could take us a little early for dinner. We were all starving after such a great day. Unfortunately they couldn’t take us until 6:00pm. Rob, Jade and Jaxon all went to the gift shop to waste some time while Reece and I sat in the big window room. Soon enough it was 6:00pm and we went to the hostess desk to get seated. There were so many other people waiting to get seated as well. But they promptly led us down the stairs and sat us at a table near the veranda. We had such a great view of the Canyon for our dinner. We all enjoyed our meals and by then it was getting pretty late. It was 7:20pm and we wanted to get out of the park before the sun went down at 7:45. Walking back to the RV was excruciating. Since the wind had picked up, and with the sun going down, the temperature drop made is a very cold walk back. I walked as fast as I could to get back to the RV. Once back, we got the RV packed up and we headed out of the park. Our next stop, the Kaibab RV Campground in Jacob Lake. We didn’t arrive at our campground until 8:15pm. When we drove up to the office, there was an older gentlemen waiting outside. Turns out, his name was Robert Wilson and he was the proprietor of the campground. His wife worked the front desk and it was his job to greet all the RVers as they checked in. What a funny coincidence about his name, though his middle name was Allen and not John. He and Rob instantly bonded. It was already dark when we checked in and that made it pretty hard to get our RV into our spot. But that’s where Bob was a God send. He drove his golf cart to our spot and used his flashlight to help Rob back in properly. It made all the difference. He then let us know that there was a big group of college students on the opposite end of the campground, partying and having a great time. They were camping where the showers were located, and last he checked, there was a long line to use the showers. Man was that disappointing news to hear. I was feeling pretty nasty after a day on a mule. Not to mention I’m pretty sure I didn’t smell like roses any longer. But ce la vie. We would just use the shower in the RV instead. I won’t even go into how cold my shower was, or how many cuss words I used. But suffice to say, next time I shower in an RV, I’ll shower much quicker and will have my routine down pat and in the correct order. After we all got showered and ready for bed, we fell asleep pretty fast. The wind was howling and we were told earlier at dinner that the temperature was going to dip below freezing. We were prepared to turn on the heater if needed. But before I could think of being cold, I was already sawing logs. It was such a great day. We awoke around 7:30am to the sound of the wind blowing furiously and the cold crisp air all around us. Despite being in the RV, we had no heat and boy were we cold. I’m not entirely sure what temperature it was, but this Floridian couldn’t wait to get into the sun to warm up. I decided a nice hot breakfast was in order. So we fired up the gas stove and I proceeded to make pancakes for everyone. The venture took much longer than I anticipated, not to mention all the smoke it generated in the RV. Jaxon and Rob basically stood next to the fire detector and waved a towel for the entire time I was cooking. But by the end, we had a pile of yummy pancakes to enjoy. I made some eggs and rice for myself, it’s my go-to easy breakfast.
After breakfast, we packed things up and headed out of our site and into the Grand Canyon. The drive from our site to the entrance is about 4 miles. Then once you get into the park, it’s another 12 miles to the North rim lodge. We drove down the winding roads, looking at all the pine trees and taking in the scenery. Then the scenery changed and all the trees were dead. It looked like a fire had destroyed a good part of that particular part of the forest. But as we continued on, we were relieved to see the lush forest return. The wind was still blowing strong which would later prove to be a challenge on our hikes. When we got into the park, it was packed, as you would expect for the weekend. We drove up to the Lodge and circled back. We couldn’t believe our luck. There was a nice RV parking spot right next to the rim. Rob masterfully back into the spot and we got out to take our first look at the North Rim. We were awestruck. It’s hard to explain the absolute magnificence and grandeur of the Grand Canyon. We knew we were in for a special day. I took out the map that the park ranger gave us as we entered the park and looked at the hikes. I had researched a few and immediately found them on my map. We went back into the RV and made our lunches and then we walked to the Lodge. The hike we wanted to do started behind the Lodge so we figured we would look around. Adjacent to the Lodge is the Visitor Center, Gift Shop, Saloon and Deli, along with some much need restrooms. Also by the Lodge were some pretty cool looking Log Cabins. I had no idea you could rent cabins there. I don’t know how big they are or what amenities they have, but from the outside, it looked like a great idea if you don’t want to worry about driving in and out of the park every day. When you walk in the entrance of the Lodge, the main restaurant is on your right. In front of you to the left is the Information desk and to the left of that another large dining room. Directly to the left was also the Canyon Activities desk, where we later booked our Mule Rides for the next day. Right next to the information desk is a small staircase that takes you down to a room lined with big plush leather couches and chairs, all of which faced a huge wall of windows that looked out on to the Grand Canyon. It’s a perfect place to sit and take in the beauty that surrounds you. On either side of this glorious room was an outside veranda. The veranda has wooden chairs that all sit facing the Grand Canyon. Such a fantastic place to sit and enjoy the view. We headed down the side of the Lodge where a gravel path continued on the rim. We thought this was the trail we wanted to hike, though after about ½ mile we realized that we had taken the wrong trail. But it didn’t matter. It was a lovely trail and followed the rim for a bit and then winded through the forest. Once we realized we were on the wrong path, we headed back towards the Lodge to eat lunch on the Veranda. While we were eating, some rather nasty hornets decided to join us. Not my cup of tea since I'm very allergic to bees. So we packed up and headed inside to the other dining room that was vacant. After eating, Rob went over to the hostess stand to see if we could get a dinner reservation. While he did that, I got on the phone to change our RV campground reservation and let them know we would not be checking in this evening and would be coming in Sunday instead. Rob returned to let us know that the first available reservation they had was for 8:45pm and for only 4 people. We decided that eating in the RV would be our best option for the night. Since he was standing there, he spoke with the lady at the activities desk about the Mule Rides. We decided to book a 3 hr mule ride down the Kaibab trail for Jade and I on Sunday afternoon. The trail ride would take us down into the Canyon to the Supai tunnel. The boys booked the 1 hr trail ride along the North rim near the Kaibab trail for Sunday afternoon as well. After booking our trail rides, Vickie, the lady working at the activities desk, gave us some great advice. She told us about a scenic drive that we could take to view the Canyon. The drive would take us to two destinations, Point Imperial and Cape Royal. The drive would take about an hr or so. We thanked her and headed to the RV. The scenic drive to Point Imperial and Cape Royal is a rather treacherous one. The road is windy and much more narrow than the entrance road. There were many times I just had to close my eyes and pray. But I have to say, the views at each of these stops were spectacular. If you ever get to the North Rim, this is a must do drive! Point Imperial was a small lookout point. When we got there, we parked and the boys immediately went off to look around. Jade and I walked over to the edge and sat down in the sun to gaze out on to the Canyon. The wind was blowing pretty hard up at this elevation but the place where we sat down was perfect. We were protected from the wind and the sun felt so good. I could have stayed there all day. Finally we got up and ventured on to the Point. The Point was very windy and came out over the edge of the Canyon. The Point had guard rails all around it, which was good since I totally felt like the wind would blow us into the Canyon. Needless to say, we didn’t stay out onto the Point very long. We then hopped back into the RV and headed up the mountain to Cape Royal. Cape Royal has a couple hikes that we thought would be fun. Cape Royal offers the only view of the Colorado River at the North Rim. Not to mention, it also offers the most expansive view of the Canyon. When we got out of the RV, we set out on a gravel trail that took us to the rim. We followed along the rim, which made us very nervous because the wind was so strong. After walking about .25 mile, we came to a site where they host weddings. It was a beautiful site that overlooks the Canyon. There was a path that lead us back from that site to the parking lot. We then found another trail that was paved. That trail would then take us to Angel’s Window and Cape Royal point. Both points were stunning, and something I would most definitely recommend. However, a word of caution. There are few guard rails, so watch your footing and be careful. When we went out on Angel’s Window, we literally thought the wind was going to blow us over. Rob guestimated the wind speed to be 40-50 mph. I’m not sure how fast it was, but it was very intense and we didn’t stay out there very long. Jade was so scared she was going to be blown away that she made Rob and I hold her hands. Looking back on the experience, I’d say it ranks as one of the scariest I’ve ever had. After taking what seemed like a ton of pictures, we left Cape Royal and headed back down the mountain to our boondocking campsite in the Kaibab National Forest. It took us about an hr to get back down. By the time we made it back to our campsite, we were all ready for some dinner and to relax. We quickly ate and while Jade and I chilled in bed, the boys all set up a fire. It was really windy still and getting pretty cold. The boys eventually came in and I went outside to check on Rob. Since it was so windy, we put the fire out and went back in the RV to get ready for bed. It was a great day at the North Rim and we all went to bed excited for our upcoming Mule Rides. Again, we were put to sleep with the sound of the wind whipping through the trees. Today we woke up around 7:15am when our neighbor decided to start his motorcycle. I thought about going back to sleep, but just opted to get up instead. We had a long day ahead of us and it was best to just get going. We got our coffee and have a quick cup outside. Our neighbors were getting ready for a bike race, so they were up getting themselves ready as well. Although one gentlemen, who decided to sleep on top of a picnic table, was still sound asleep. In fact, he stayed sound asleep until about 10 minutes before we left the RV park. I have no idea how he was able to stay asleep with his teammates and us all making noise.
By 8:30am, we were all packed up and ready to hit the road. We stopped quickly to get gas and then we were off. The drive was going to be a very long one to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. But first we wanted to stop off at Monument Valley, which would be only a few hrs away. The drive was beautiful and just like our drive going to Moab, we found that the scenery around us was ever changing. Once we got out of Moab, there were more green shrubs and grasses. We passed a field of windmills that sat near the base of a large mountain. Of course I had to take a pic. In fact, I took probably the most amount of pics I’ve ever taken in the car on this particular drive. And if you’re reading this, you should definitely take a look at all of them. There are some photos that will take your breath away, at least they did for us. We stopped briefly in Monticello to get our propane topped off and a quick snack for the kids. This is where I really noticed that the majority of the people there were Native American. And from then on, everywhere we went, it was apparent, that this land is very much still their land. And that’s how it should be. By lunchtime we arrived at Monument Valley. It’s not a national park, so our pass did not get us in. Because we were in an RV, with 5 people, they charged us $26. We only stayed about an hr. Just long enough to look around the information center, gift shop and have a nice lunch. Nothing is better than eating with the backdrop of beautiful rock monuments in your view. Those massive monuments, also called buttes and pronounced "Bee-YOU-tz", were stunning. We exited the park and headed back on the road around 1:30pm. The park borders the Utah/Arizona state line. So we were in Arizona in minutes. From the park, we still had a good 4 hr drive ahead of us. During the entire ride, the wind was blowing pretty hard. Rob had to fight to keep the RV going straight, not an easy task. He did a great job. We found that the road wasn’t very busy so that was nice. We enjoyed the route we took which took us through many small towns in Arizona. Finally we got to Lake Powell, and we again stopped for gas and to get snacks. This particular gas station had the most unique soda pop collection. We just had to get a few to try out. We hit the road and found ourselves finally approaching the Grand Canyon. Though to get to the North Rim, you need to drive around the Canyon and through the Kaibab National Forest. That drive adds an additional 80 miles or so, but boy is it beautiful. There is just something about pine trees. I find them so peaceful. As we drove to check on our campground, Demotte, we passed the full hookup campground that we had a reservation for Saturday and Sunday. The Demotte campground sits 26 miles from the Kaibab RV campground and about 15 miles from the entrance to the North Rim. When we arrived at Demotte, a big sign said it was full. We drove around the campsite to make sure it was full and were saddened to see it was. Now what to do??? Since everything happens for a reason, in the end, we were pretty happy that was no vacancy. We headed back towards the Kaibab RV campground, which we noticed had vacancies when we first drove by. On the way to Demotte, we noticed several side roads. We weren’t sure what they were for, but thought we’d check one out. We drove down the first one we came to and then opted to park and walk around just in case there was no turnaround areas big enough for our RV. This was smart because the road definitely did not have any way for an RV to turnaround. However, this side road turned out to be a perfect setting for us to boondock. The road split off into 2 roads, each being a loop. Within each road, there were several make shift campsites. Each campsite had a stone firepit that you could tell had been used by many other campers. We immediately we knew this was where we wanted to stay the night. We picked our spot and got the RV situated. Then we all took off exploring the area. We found bones from a small animal, a primitive lean-to, a feather, some animal fur and a site where some people had left a case of Budweiser beer. Go figure. We hate Budweiser. But Rob grabbed the case anyway. After exploring we were ready for dinner. At first we made a very small fire. But quickly realized that it wasn’t a good idea because of the wind. The wind was blowing pretty hard so we put out our small fire and got our dinner ready. Rob and I sat outside by the firepit eating our dinner, while the kid opted to stay inside. The wind made it a bit chilly for us Floridians. After dinner, the wind died down some and we ended up making a small fire. Though it was still pretty chilly, we had a great time sitting by the fire and looking at the stars in the night sky. The full moon was really bright and made for a magical evening. Tomorrow we will be heading into the Grand Canyon to explore the North Rim. We are all very excited about that. Rob and I also decided that we would cancel our full hookup reservation for tomorrow and stay boondocking for one more day. When you’re this close to nature, it’s hard to leave it. We all were lulled to sleep by the sound of the wind blowing around us. The music of nature. Priceless. As you may have guessed, we got up early again this morning, around 7:30am. The air was cold and crisp. I’m not sure what the temp was exactly, but if it was anything like the previous morning, I’m guessing it was in the high 40’s, low 50’s. I quickly put on a long sleeve shirt and got to work on getting some coffee going. Then I realized, the coffeemaker was not going to work. No electricity. The Sunset campground has a rule that you can only run your RV generator between 8:00am-8:00pm. Hmmm...that left 30 minutes. While we waited, we got our campsite cleaned up. We were done by 7:50am and proceeded to watch the clock. Actually we just putzed around for the next 10 minutes. Then promptly at 8:01am, we turned on our generator and I immediately turned on our coffee maker. 10 minutes later, Rob and I had a piping hot cup of coffee and the warmth of the sun outside to heat us up. We soaked in the views from the pine forest and then said our goodbye’s to Bryce Canyon. I must admit, I got a bit choked up at the thought of leaving. We truly enjoyed Bryce.
We set out on Route 12 headed for Moab. At the guidance from Larry, the guide who gave us the Bryce lecture the day before, we decided to go a longer route. Larry told us that the more scenic route would be to go through the Capital Reef National Park. So we did. The drive took us through the most remote sections of Utah. But the beauty was amazing and the topography changed so much that we never knew what we would see around the next bend. We stopped about an hr into our drive at a scenic overlook for the Hole in the Rock trail. Upon reading the background, the Hole in the Rock trail was created by a group on Mormon pioneers back in 1879. As the story goes, the Mormons from Cedar City were called by their church to settle the San Juan River Basin in southeastern Utah. Since no direct wagon routes connected the two regions, leaders of the San Juan mission decided to create a shortcut. That fall, 234 men, women and children set out in 83 wagons loaded with all their possessions. From Escalante, they traveled southeast building a road through increasingly rough terrain. When they finally glimpsed the Colorado River, it lay 1800 feet below them. Undeterred, they set about blasting a trail down a steep crevice. On Jan. 26, 1880, the first wagon descended the 25-45 percent grade of the Hole in the Rock. By Feb.1st, all 83 wagons had reached the river safely. Further down the road, we came to another overlook. This time it was for a very special view. A view that comprised the Aquarius Plateau from the north (Boulder Mountain), Escalante River Corridor, Henry Mountains, Little Rockies Mountains, LaSal Mountains, Circle Cliffs, Navajo Mountain and Kaiparowits Plateau on the Utah/Arizona border in the south. The view was magnificent. Rob and I gazed at the amazing vantage point for a very long time just soaking it all in. The landscape in this part of our country is mesmerizing. As we continued on our route, we finally came across the Capital Reef National Park. The park was exactly as Larry had described. The topography was different than what we had previously seen at Valley of Fire, Zion and Bryce. We happened upon a plaque that explained the topography, so I will share it with you, since we all found it very fascinating. I will post a picture of what I will be describing on the website. And I guarantee, you will be able to pick it out with ease. As you may or may not realize, the landscape that you see is an evolution that started millions of years ago. When you look at the rock formations and mountains in Utah, you can easily see this evolution. The bottom layer of rock is a brick red layer and is called the Moenkopi Formation, which is approximately 245 million years old. Let that sink in. Hard to imagine 200 years ago, much less 245 million years ago. But that is when this layer existed. It existed when the land was an arid, subtropical land of river deltas, tidal mudflats and a shallow sea. Over the course of the next 40 million years, things would change. 20 million years later, the gray-green and purple layers, called the Chinle Formation occurred. Volcanic ash drifted down upon the low, swampy floodplain. Conifer trees fell into the swampy land and mud and then became petrified wood. Then 20- million years later, you see the orange-red rocks at the top of the mountains and rock formation. This is called the Wingate Sandstone, which represents the solidification of sand dunes. A desert as large as the Sahara once drifted in Utah. Windblown sands were buried by newer sediments and the cemented into stone. Thus, throughout millions of years, many changes of landscape and climate, created what we now see as the rock formations and mountains. Pretty cool huh? See I told you it was fascinating. As we continued, our surroundings kept changing. We entered the Dixie National Forest on the other side of the Capital Reef Park and it was like God got tired of rocks and sand, and decided to put a ton of pine trees and birch trees on the side of the mountain. As quickly as we could blink, we saw pine trees, lush and dark green as far as the eye could see up the mountain. Then as soon as we got to the other side of the mountain, they were gone. We were back to a desert like terrain with no trees at all. It was the most amazing experience. At the base of the mountain is the little town of Torrey, UT. If you blink, you’ll miss the town. It’s pretty small, but bigger than ithe surrounding towns of Boulder and Glover. We stopped in Torrey to get some gas and grab a bit to eat. It was a little after 1pm and we were starving. We left Bryce at 8:30am and hadn’t eaten any breakfast. So we all were ready for a little grub. Inside the gas station was a Subway, which the boys were overjoyed about. Next door, there was a small café called Castle Rock coffee. They had a vegan veggie burger, so Rob and I both ordered it, while Jade ordered a Philly Cheesesteak. Lunch was delicious! With full belly’s, we got back on the road and headed toward Moab. The rest of the journey was rather uneventful and didn’t include really any spectacular scenery. Until we got closer to Moab. In the distance, you could see snow capped mountains. I figured these were the Colorado Rockies. Nestled among those snow capped mountains, you could see the red mountains of Moab. It was getting late and the sky was covered in hazy clouds. But there was no confusing those red mountains. As we approached Moab, I realized that the red mountains weren’t Arches National Park but the Canyonlands National Park. The Canyonlands flanked us on the West while Arches flanked us on the East. Arches seemed to be so far away in the distance, where the Canyonlands were right there in our face. Just beautiful. We knew we had to go grocery shopping, so we headed straight to the grocery store once we hit the town of Moab. It’s a very quaint town, much bigger than any of the other towns we had visited. But small nonetheless. After picking up lots of essentials, we loaded the RV and headed to our RV park. By now, it was already 5:00pm. So we checked in and decided to drive into Arches National to check things out. Boy am I glad we did. Arches National Park, like the other parks, is very big. But unlike the other parks, it does not have any kind of shuttle system. So you must drive from one section of the park to the next. When we arrived at the park, we were given a map and trail guide. The park closes at 7pm Sun-Thurs, so we needed to make our visit quick. We realized quickly that all the arches were VERY far away. We checked out some hiking trails, all of which take you to the arches or a viewpoint of the arches. Though the park and scenery is beautiful, we were a bit put off at the lack of trails and activities to do within the park. This I felt was partly my fault. I didn't do any research on Arches and hadn't planned a single thing. Had I just done some research at all, I think we would have realized ahead of time that this park is much different from the rest. Overall we found Arches to be a little lack luster. It was beautiful, yes, but fell short of the magnificence of the parks we had already seen. To make matters worse, when we got to Devil’s Garden, we found that part of the park was closed. We stopped and spoke with a park ranger and she confirmed that it was closed due to renovations of the campground and the trails. Major bummer. That part of the park contains 5 arches that we were really wanting to see. So that left only 3 arches that we wanted to see. And 2 of them, we had already seen from the road. Definitely not what we had expected. As we exited the park, Rob and I both agreed that perhaps we would leave Moab and head over to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon a day early. When we got back to our RV park, we started a couple loads of laundry and Rob and Jaxon went to play mini golf at the short course at the park. I started making dinner. We all then had dinner and showered up for the evening. We are ready to check out in the morning and head over to the Grand Canyon. We don’t have reservations anywhere since we’ll be a day early. So we are hoping to boondock somewhere in the GC or very close to it. Fingers crossed. Today was definitely not as grandiose as our days at Zion and Bryce. But it was still a great day of sight-seeing and driving through this beautiful country of ours. As it seems to be our routine, we started our day early at 7:30am. We got our cup of coffee ready and decided to make it a quick breakfast. Although quick was not in the kids vocabulary. By the time the kids finished their cereal, the entire campground had pretty much packed up and left. Turns out that there was a women’s RV group that had reserved the campground for a private event. We finally got all our stuff packed up and we headed into the Bryce Canyon park to see if there were vacancies in either of the campgrounds. As luck would have it, both had vacancies. So we opted for Sunset Campground, since it was right across from Sunset point, where we planned on starting our hike that day. Sunset campground was exactly what we were hoping for…very rustic…nestled right into the Dixie National Forest with pine trees everywhere. We turned into Loop A and quickly found a few spots that looked great. We opted for a spot that backed into the forest. We fell in love with it instantly.
After setting up our campsite, we got ready for our hike. Rob got our camelback’s filled with water, while I prepared our lunches. The kids got their snacks all packed and then we were off. We walked up to Sunset Point. The parking lot was already full and there were many people already in line for the restroom. I decided to use it as well since I knew our hike was going to take about 3 hrs. Right around 10:00am, we started our hike down the Wall Street trail. It’s one of the most spectacular views I’ve ever seen. The decent is very steep and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for all the people walking back up. I was thankful we were walking down. It’s a long series of switchbacks, which I’m sure was a welcome thing for everyone coming up. Once we arrived at the bottom, you come to a narrow passage that cut through the hoodoos. The view was unreal. The beautiful rich blue sky was flanked by the bright orange hoodoos. Then nestled among those vibrant colors were lush green pine trees and bushes. If you looked in the distance you could see the white and tan tops of the canyon. All the colors were a symphony of beauty. I could feel the immense energy and it was like I just drank a huge can of Red Bull. I felt so energized and couldn’t wait to see what was around the next bend. The Wall Street trail merges with the Navajo Trail. We took that trail deeper into the Canyon. Or as it is called, the Ampitheatre. I can only surmise that the name Ampitheatre was given because of the amazing acoustics that the hoodoos provide. The irony is that Bryce Canyon isn’t actually a canyon by definition. Canyon’s, like Zion and the Grand Canyon, are made from rivers running through them over time. Bryce Canyon was not made from a river. In fact, there really isn’t much water in the canyon at all, unless it rains and then flash flooding becomes an issue. No, the canyon was formed by years of erosion. So the terrain really is much different. We stopped several times on our hike. Not only to take in the view, but to give Jaxon some time to rest. He apparently picked up whatever bug I had the previous day, and wasn’t feeling very well. But he was a trooper. We made our way through the base of the Ampitheatre, winding up and down, back and forth. There were many elevation changes, which made the hike fun and challenging. The Navajo trail ended at end of the Queensland trail. Typically you can take the Navajo trail back up to the rim, but it was closed because of winter rockslides and erosion of the hoodoos. Our plan was to take the Queensland trail back up to the Rim. But for others that were planning on taking the Navajo trail back up, that meant they had to take Wall Street up to get back to the rim. Definitely a very hard hike back up. We continued on the Queensland trail and stopped under a rock formation to have our lunches. Since the kids were still eating, Rob and I walked down into a dry river bed and explored for a bit. Once the kids finished eating, we got back onto the trail. The trail was beautiful up until the last ½ mile. That was pure torture. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the hardest that we’ve ever hiked, it was a 10. The inclines all the way up were pretty intense. Add in the elevation and I was one tired Momma. We even stopped several times. It was very difficult and I was very happy once we reached the top. After the hike, we were exhausted, as you can imagine. But we still needed to pick up some food supplies from the general store. The general store was about ½ mile down the road. So we walked over to the general store and picked up our few items that we needed. We then hopped on the shuttle bus, took it down to the Visitor Center, walked across the street and caught the next shuttle going back to our campground. Needless to say, we were happy to get back to our campsite. Jade and Reece immediately went inside to relax and unwind. Rob, Jaxon and I went into the forest to explore. We came across a Momma Pronghorn with its newborn twins. We all tried photographing it, but the pics didn’t come out all that great. We then sat around and had some snacks while reading, talking and doing puzzles. After a couple hours, we were ready to get some dinner. We walked to the shuttle and took the shuttle down to the Bryce Canyon Lodge. There is a restaurant inside the Lodge and although it is a bit on the pricey side, the food was delicious. For dinner, I decided to deviate from my Vegan/Vegetarian lifestyle (yes I know I’m the worst Vegan!) and had some Elk chili. Man was that chili da bomb!!! Jade loved it too so we shared my cup. It was a pretty small cup, so I didn’t feel *too* guilty. I then had a delicious salad for my main entrée. Jade had the Bison stew, and I did taste that as well. That was quite tasty too! It was my first time ever eating Elk or Bison and I must admit, I really enjoyed both! Rob had the pork chop which was huge, perfectly seasoned and cooked to the perfect medium rare. Delicious! The boys both had chicken tenders. No shocker there. They both enjoyed their dinners. So all in all, a very successful meal. After dinner, we walked over to the Gift Shop in the Lodge and looked around. There were so many knick-knacks and trinkets to see. We then took the shuttle back to our campsite and settled in for the night. Rob started a fire and we all sat by the fire for a couple hrs just having some fun playing with the fire and chatting. We then headed inside once it got dark and got ready for bed. I have to say, our experience at Bryce was definitely one of the best things I’ve ever done. I truly enjoyed every second (well minus the last ½ mile up the Canyon). If you ever get the opportunity, you must come see this beautiful place!!! Today we headed to Bryce Canyon. We opted to skip the Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park so that we could get to Bryce earlier. I woke up at 7:15am and put on a pot of coffee. With a cup in tow, I decided to walk barefoot through the RV park to soak in our last morning. The weather was already getting warm but the sun felt really good. I absolutely love the feeling of warm pavement on my feet. I decided to sit next to the children’s play area and take one last coffee morning pic of the mountains.
I headed back to the camper, by then the kids and Rob were all awake. We had a quick breakfast and then got the camper all loaded up and things put away. I couldn’t help but feel a bit sad about leaving such a special place. I really loved Zion and all its beauty. Our route to Bryce took us through Zion National Park. So I did get one last opportunity to see all the splendor. We even stopped at an overlook, which had a place where we could explore. Rob and I both felt it was even better than the hikes we took the day before. It was just Zion and us…no one else. We stayed for about 20 minutes, just taking in all that we could of Zion. It was magical. We then continued on our journey towards Bryce. The drive was a little longer than we anticipated, since driving through Zion was a slow switchback trek. But it was a very pleasant drive and we loved watching the scenery go by. We arrived at our campground at Bryce Canyon around 1:15pm. We felt that the campground was not quite as nice as the one we stayed in at Zion, but that's ok. It still has full hookups, wifi and a pool. Plus, we are only here for the night and then we will be boondocking tomorrow. Our plan is to either camp at one of the two campgrounds inside Bryce Canyon National Park, or to find BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land to dry camp on. We’ll see when we wake up. Once situated in our RV spot, we decided to rest for a bit. I wasn’t feeling very well yesterday afternoon/evening, and whatever was ailing me, still lingered well into today. But I wasn’t going to let it ruin our day. So after a quick rest, we decided to take the Bryce Canyon shuttle into the park. The shuttle has a stop right outside our campground entrance. We showed the ranger our pass and she handed us a map. She was very helpful in giving us info about the stops as well as hikes. The Bryce Canyon shuttle only has a handful of stops, unlike Zion, which had 9. We took the shuttle all the way to the end, Bryce Point, which also happens to be the highest point on the shuttle route. We got out and took in the majesty of our surroundings. Bryce Canyon is spectacular. The views are something I’ve never seen before. It’s as if God was playing with sand and decided to make a ton of sand drip castles. Truly mesmerizing. We later found out that these drip castles have a name – hoodoos. Now that’s a name I likely won’t be forgetting anytime soon. After Bryce Point, we then got on the shuttle and took it down to Inspiration point. We took some more pics and admired the beautiful Canyon. There are 3 different elevations at this overlook – high, medium and low. I went to the medium and low but was not up for the uphill trek to the high point. Though, Rob went up to it, and thought the views were amazing. From Inspiration Point, we jumped on the shuttle and took it down to Sunset Point. Here we lucked out and came across a quick talk being given by one of the park guides named Larry. Larry was a super nice gentlemen, who after retiring 4 years ago as a University professor, decided to live inside the park and give tours. I videoed the beginning of his talk. We learned quite a bit of information about the formation of the hoodoo’s, the wildlife in the park as well as a bit of history of the inhabitants of the area. If you ever get the opportunity to visit Bryce Canyon, definitely look up Larry. He has a wealth of knowledge and certainly loves to share it! After the talk, we walked over to the Bryce Lodge to check it out. The lodge was fairly small, but had a nice gift shop and a restaurant inside. There was also a big room where they show slideshows and give lectures. Tonight’s lecture was about the dinosaurs that once inhabited this land. Although we were interested in listening to the lecture, it was slated to start at 8pm and the last shuttle of the evening departs at 8:00pm. So no lecture for us. I was shocked at how tired I was even though we hadn’t done any hiking. But I guess we did end up walking quite a bit at each shuttle stop. We got on the shuttle at the Lodge and headed back to our campsite and to cook up some grub for dinner. And per my usual, I am now finishing my day uploading pics and writing my blog. Oh, we also tried to get some laundry done after dinner, but they had closed the laundry room by the time Rob went over there. Looks like we’ll need to make do for another day or so. Also, the weather here is really mild and cool. The high today was 83 degrees and low is supposed to be low 50's. Definitely different from all the places we’ve been to so far. No complaints here, we are loving it! There is a crispness in the air along with the smell of burning wood. I could really get used to this kind of living. |
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