We have had this Grand Canyon trip on our calendar for a long time. Grandma Jill and Grandpa Steve came up with the idea of renting a big RV and coming out specifically to visit one of the seven wonders. Bob and I are really into making memories that will last a lifetime for our girls so we went through all of the gyrations to camp for 4 days and headed up to the Rim. When the girls saw the RV they were practically glued to it so Bob and I got to travel date night style. It was nice.
Grandma and Grandpa were so gracious and allowed the girls to shack up in the RV while Bob and I spread out in our enormous tent. Bob and I had a rather organized camping trip all things considered :) It was a good thing too since we were up and out bright and early the first morning for our Grand Canyon Run (more on that to come).
Our dear friends Rebekah and Steve and their 3 kids braved the camping trip with us and we really could not have chosen a better family to live in the boonies with.
The kids found a tent playground within minutes of arriving and were loud and having a blast.
We adults started our trip with some great conversation and good laughs.
Our first evening was spent eating s'mores and drinking Dad's Best Root Beer. I spent the evening mentally gearing up for an EPIC attempt at reaching the bottom of the canyon while praying feverishly that my pretty untrained body would be able to hang onto my husband.
Friday Morning we ran.......
When we got back to the campsite and cleaned up and fed, we loaded all of the campers up and headed to the geology museum and the visitor center to explore the rim. The kids had a blast with the Junior Ranger program and Lily was especially excited to get her book and badge.
Evie Frances was quite the booger and decided to be a terrible sleeper the first and second night so of course she fell asleep mid day right when we were all ready to explore.
We finally roused the sleeping beauty and had a fantastic afternoon on the rim. Bob was mesmerized with the geology and all things science. The kids were into it for a little bit but liked the gift shop the most.
Don't worry, this was just Evie's I still want to sleep face. Its gonna look so cute in her wedding montage one day......
The trail along the Rim is amazing. Much of it is fenced, but there are significantly large sections that are not idiot proof. It can be scary......there is most definitely a cliff right there. We held onto our littles extra tight and prayed protection over everyone. How grateful I am that we were 6 to 5 on the adult to kid ratio.
This kid.........she's fun. She had a blast doing her thing and being herself.
There is nothing quite like sharing something this big with people you love. The Grand Canyon is spectacular.
We couldn't help it. Lily was like "Mommy, do what I did!" Sure kid.........Showin' some peace.
After we finished with the museums and visitor center we headed home. Bob and I were tired and everyone was hankering for some sleep.
Saturday morning was a nice and easy lazy morning complete with coffee around the campfire. Rebekah wanted to do a little hike down the canyon so she and I took a little Mom time and headed back to the Bright Angel trail. My legs were unreliable at best, but they still worked.....sort of. I was so proud of Rebekah because as a multi Grand Canyon visitor, she hiked the farthest down she ever has with me! I would like to think it was my motivation, but the chic's got gumption!
Friendship is a beautiful thing. Having friends that share these experiences with you is extra special. I am so blessed by any time spent with this woman.
The rest of the crew headed back to the Visitor Center for a whole host of Junior Ranger activities. Lily got so into it and took the official oath of the ranger. She was so proud and such a big kid.
Our afternoon was spent doing yoga and napping and drinking iced coffee.
Our campsite was amazing and offered fresh showers. It was so nice to be able to be clean and have access to fresh water as well as a grocery store 3 minutes away. Seriously my kind of camping.
By the time Sunday morning came around the general consensus was.....how fun......lets go home. Perfect timing. So we cooked our final meal, got all packed up and drove ourselves back to the valley. The girls slept most of the way home and Bob and I were so happy that we made this trip happen.
What a wonderful time and an incredible experience.
Grand Canyon 2017
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