Today was the biggest reason for the trip:
a chance to explore the Grand Canyon
We set off, headed north,
and saw all the snow that our rainy days
had been dropping in Flagstaff
It was really pretty--
the sun was playing tricks with the clouds,
making this vibrant blue strip
(that didn't come out great in pictures)
When we got to Williams,
about 30 minutes from the Grand Canyon,
we were excited to see some blue skies and sunshine
We were really surprised as we reached the entrance to the park
at the amount of snow on the ground--
there was 6-10 inches!
We headed for the Visitors Center,
read a few displays,
watched the movie,
grabbed our Junior Ranger books,
and headed outside to Mather Point...
and discovered what "cloudy" at the Grand Canyon
really meant.
So...
this is us at the Grand Canyon.
We were shocked.
And bummed.
And couldn't believe our luck hadn't improved.
And were bummed again.
Mom felt really bad for bringing us all out here
just to see a giant cloud/fog obscuring our view.
Well,
what else could we do?
We decided to walk the Rim Trail
and hope for a strong wind.
Every once in a while,
the clouds would lift just a bit
and we could get a glimpse of what was below.
We decided to make the best of it--
how many people can say they built a snowman
at the Grand Canyon?
And how many people get a Christmas Card
from the Grand Canyon
that looks like this?
We decided to head for the Village
to check out the shops
and the other Visitor's Center.
One perk--
we had plenty of time to work on our
Junior Ranger books!
This was Brock, Grant and Harper's first badge--
we were excited to be a part of it!
One of the big plans for the day
(before the cold, the snow, and the clouds)
was to hike part of the Bright Angel trail,
just like Mom and Dad did back in 2009 when they were here.
It looked a little different today.
It was slick, icy and snow-packed
Without crampons and hiking sticks,
this was as far as we felt safe shuffling down the trail
Sigh.
What a bust.
It wasn't what we had hoped for
but it was definitely memorable
and something we'll talk about for a loooong time!
We headed to Flagstaff for dinner--
and the weather was MUCH prettier as we headed southeast
Well...it was.
Check out this HUGE cloud bank we're about to drive into!
It's a theme of the trip.
Unexpectedness.
We drove in near zero visibility for a few miles
before popping out in Flagstaff.
After surmounting what was supposed to be a 2 hour wait
(which turned into 45 minutes--a win!),
we had a nice dinner at a local brewery
before finishing our drive in
another bout of super dense fog
with zero visibility
(no exaggeration--ask Mom and Dad!!!).
We are really starting to appreciate
how lucky we've been on previous trips.
But it could be worse--
we could still be waiting for a flight out of KC!
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