Grand Canyon

So, Reed had 2 1/2 days off this week, and we decided to take a little roadtrip. We went to the Grand Canyon! On the way, we stopped at the Deer Farm in Williams, AZ and it was really cute! Poor Trevor was petrified and wouldn't even enter, but he and I had a good time talking to the pretty parrots who talked back while Carson and Reed fed all the animals. Carson LOVED it.

Then another hour or two down the road and we got to pose for the requisite "We were here" picture:

And then just a short drive from the entrance we got to finally see it in all its glory. I really can't describe the feeling you get when looking out at the canyon, and these pictures, of course, do NOT do it justice. It's not just a hole in the ground, it's truly majestic. You feel small, the world feels awesome and magnificent, and it's hard to even comprehend how far down and across it is--it just goes on forever. It's very meditative and reflective, even though the first day we went it was swarmed with tourists. The boys loved it, and although my knees were shaking quite a bit (note to self: Learn how to get past fear of heights), the boys would literally bounce from rock to rock to ledge and lean way over, looking down. No wonder I was about to hyperventilate. I liked that they liked it, and were able to enjoy the views without being scared of it the way their mom was.

From one lookout to another:

Where I was most comfortable (a bench away from the ledges, lol):

I just love how precarious this looks balanced on top.

There was a village in this area with cabins, restaurants (fancy and otherwise) and shops. We saw Jeremy, Amy and Zach from Little People and they were filming what looked like a new show up there! Poor Reed was so mad because he's watched that show quite a few times and wanted to get a picture, but I wouldn't let him. The scenery changed just about every lookout. From lush green grasses below, to stark red earth to crazy cliffs. There's been a drought here recently, so the Colorado River was not visible but you could see where it usually runs. A rare picture of me by the railing. Note the white-knuckle grip. LOL And note the gap in the fence to the rock ledge...**shudder**
These huge California Condors were flying directly overhead, swooping low enough that you could see their huge claws...giving quite the show. We weren't quite quick enough with the camera to catch them down low, but it was pretty awesome regardless. They were very close to extinction but are now bouncing back nicely. Day Two, we took a more leisurely tour of some of the ones that were crowded the day before, sat on some boulders and chatted, and let the kids have a better look. Finally, a bit of "flying" over one of the 7 natural wonders of the world...