Isn’t it Grand?

After a  warm couple of days in Phoenix we headed up to the Grand Canyon.  It was SO much colder here.  Before we left Ken suggested that we bring more than just hoodies and I’m so glad I listened to his suggestion because we were FREEZING!

Our good friends meet us down there for the weekend.  We got in just before dusk on Thursday, and drove into the park, but it was really just too late to see anything.  So back to the hotel we went entertaining Neil with Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree (man that is a SHORT song!).  We had tasty Tuna Grape Salad and Crescent Rolls for dinner while the babies ran around so happy to be out of their carseats.

Tuna Grape Salad
(this sounds yucky, but it’s really delicious!)

2 cans tuna, drained
2 cups green grapes
2 cups finely diced celery
2 cups finely diced, apples
12 oz. large shell pasta, cooked, drained and cooled

Dressing
1 cup mayo
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp. onion salt
1 Tbsp. dill weed

Mix together.  Chill 12 hours. Serves 12

The next morning we headed in a little early.  Here’s our first peek at the Canyon from the South Rim.We headed along the rim trail checking out the lookout points.  So pretty!Spencer wouldn’t keep out of the snow along the trail.  Even though it was soaking the sleeves of his outer jacket he was convinced that the other layers underneath would stay dry.Neil soon fell asleep!  Yeah for baby carriers!!We meet up with our friends in the afternoon for a little more exploring and fun.

We decided to walk the 1.3 mile Greenway Trail to start off our trip.  It so nice that they have a number of paved trails along the top of the canyon.Spencer was so excited when our walk was over because his legs “were killing him.”  Abbie on the other hand was having all sorts of fun wearing her coat backwards and having someone lead her along.Next up was lunch.  Baked potatoes, cooked in the crockpot, and salad with oh so tasty rice crispy treats for dessert.  We drove around and found some picnic tables in front of the Market Plaza where we spread out to eat.  It was dry and the wind wasn’t blowing, so it wasn’t too bad.  Plus, holding a warm potato in your hands didn’t hurt either.

We decided to finish our day with the shuttle bus tour along Hermit Road.  I love that the National Parks have gone to free shuttle buses so you don’t have to find a place to park your car at each stop!  It was hard enough to find two parking spots together just so we could catch the bus.  Plus the buses are warm…..YEAH!Here’s Abbie sliding down the rail at the Trailview Overlook point, our first stop.  We meet a nice guy and his big dog here and the kids were so excited that they got to pet the dog.  Back at the top while we were waiting to catch the next bus Neil discovered the fun of walking on the rock walls and that’s what he and Ken did for a lot of the remaining trip.Our next stop was Powell Point and then we walked on down to Hopi Point.  Everyone wanted to help push the stroller.Our last stop for the day was Mohave Point.  You could even see little parts of the Colorado River down at the bottom of the gorge from here.We were extremely lucky that we had decided to take the bus tour that day and not wait until Saturday morning, because it turns out that the buses wouldn’t be running until after 11:00 am the next morning due to a marathon being run on that road.  Sounds too cold for me!  Abbie got a ride while we waited the the bus to take us back home.That evening we had warm Porcupine Meatballs and then we played some games back in our hotel room.  I think Pit was the favorite that night.  The next morning we stopped for a group picture, incase we forgot where we were :-)!

And then headed back home along the Desert View Drive to the East Entrance.  We stopped off for a few last peeks at the Grand Canyon at Moran Point and then Lipan Point and then hit the road until we got to the Glenn Canyon Dam.Here we stopped and made sandwiches for lunch.  We were hoping to catch a tour of the dam, but it wasn’t starting for another hour and we decided it wasn’t worth the wait, maybe next time we’re headed this way.They did have a fun little fountain out front dedicated to some workers that the kids were “carefully” walking around, that is until Mark fell in!  (Notice the wet pant leg.)All in all it was a fun trip, although if I were to pick I’d definitely choose the North Rim over the South Rim to visit.