Grand Canyon Day

We drove from Lake Havasu City to Flagstaff in a day.  We were exhausted, thought the van was broken, took the day talking to mechanics and Gordon trying to figure out what was wrong, found out nothing was actually wrong, and spent the night in a hotel because we could.  

We woke up early and headed to the Grand Canyon.  There is so much I could say about this place, but I won't  There are infinite adjectives to describe the beauty, awe, depth, majesty and grand-ness of this the Grand Canyon.  I'll caption my photos and tell you to GO THERE.  Some time in your life, visit this place.  None of the pictures have filters.

The map of the Canyon in the visitors center where we got the kids Jr. Ranger packets

South Rim

Annika Says Hi!

Gannon and Siri get their Jr. Ranger Badges

I hiked the Grand Canyon today.  What did YOU do?

Sunset at Desert View

Alia and I.

Panoramic.

London Bridge is Falling Down

Leaving California

When you do things as a parent, you have expectations.  If you say you don't, you are probably not a parent.  I had expectations of my kids reactions to different things, hoping they would marvel at the amazing works of God like I do.  One of the wonders of Western Arizona (maybe the only wonder of Western Arizona) is the London Bridge.




I had expectations that my kids would marvel and awe at the great London Bridge which was falling down.  They could touch it, stand under it, learn about it....

They were underwhelmed.  I was disappointed that they were underwhelmed.  It was 116*F.  We touched the bridge, got In-n-Out for the last time, and drove to Flagstaff.  The burgers were FANTASTIC :)

NorCal and Oregon - Over Half Way Done!

August was upon us.  We left Utah and began our trek across the most boring state in the Union, Nevada.  Seriously.  The kids watched hours of movies in between 2 gas stops.  The only neat part was the very Western section which includes the Great Salt Flats.  Salt for miles.  We were able to stop the van, pull to the side, hop out and grab hands full of salt!  We walked around for half an hour, got back in the car, and watched X-Men:First Class again, and again, and again..............................

Our drive into California took us through Lassen Volcanic National Park.  It is one of the most serene places I have visited.  As we came off Rout 395 from Reno and rounded into Susanville, radio reports gave me the impression we may be in for delays and detours due to a wildfire in the park.  While we weren't delayed or re-routed, we were able to capture the pillar of smoke coming from deep in the forest, blending with the clouds.  The shadow it cast with the smell of burning lumber and brush was heavy, but seemed very far away.

We stayed with my husbands parents in Redding, and were able to meet up with old, wonderful friends.  Ken and Linda (Gordon's parents), Laurie and Joe (Alia's grandparents) with cousins, aunts and uncles, plus the bonus of Eric, Diane, and Erica Rapport met us at Manzanita Lake for a day of hiking, picnicking  

And a little bit of R&R for this Jolly Camper

A beautiful sunset wished us fair well as we headed to Redding, CA for a few days of friends and family.

 We spent about three days getting FAT.  We ate In-n-Out Burger, we had a potluck with dear old friends, we had Grandmas cooking, and we rested.  

 We rested till the 4th of August.  

Then we had captives.

We dragged (very willingly dragged) Ken and Linda (ok, maybe they dragged us.  Very willingly dragged us) to the southern Oregon coast line.  We spent the night in a charming little cabin by the ocean.  The sea air, seagulls and freshly picked blackberries met us in the morning.  Siri and Alia had gone exploring and fed us their bounty of juicy, coastal berries.  Delish!  

Brookings, OR Harris Beach was a cloudy, cool day to climb rocks, find shells, and play in the sand.  Annika hadn't seen the Pacific ocean before, and was in awe of its size.  She ran from the waves with a smile and a giggle.

 Alia was King of the Hill as Grandma Linda helped Annika navigate walking in sand.

A few hours south found us in the land of the Giants.  Paul Bunyan and his faithful Ox, Babe welcomed us to the home of the redwoods.  We recently visited Italy, and when we were sharing pictures of places to visit in the US, he very eloquently said "That is a MOUNTAIN, not a TREE!"

We said goodbye to the redwoods, the cool ocean air, and our traveling companions and headed to SoCal.