Grand Canyon Explorations

The kids were not able to connect with school due to our reception near the park, so their classroom was the Grand Canyon today. We set off to share with Ariel and Wyatt one of the natural wonders of the world.The last time Ron and I were here we were dating. Our road trip crew has added two kids and two dogs since then.   

We drove to the Village and walked to the rim of the Grand Canyon.  Ariel and Wyatt were amazed at how deep the canyon was and we spotted a group of Desert Bighorn Sheep hanging out on one of the canyon ledges. The way they move so easily along these sheer cliffs amazed me.  Apparently, their split hooves help them balance and the rough bottoms on their hooves provide a natural grip. Just looking at them relaxing so high above the canyon floor made me so nervous. I explained to Ariel and Wyatt that even the babies are able to climb all over these ledges. I think we may have even seen some young sheep in this small herd.  

We continued to walk along the rim trail for a few minutes and then went to the gift shop. Ron and I find that it’s best to grab the souvenir pins for the kids at the start of our National Park exploration. That way, they don’t remind us throughout the day. After an exhausting visit at the gift shop (the kids were very excited about all the wonderful things for sale inside), we headed to the El Tovar Hotel for a delicious lunch. They sat us in the smaller dining room and it made for a safer (due to Covid) and more relaxing dining experience.  

After lunch we grabbed Maggie and Remi and all six of us set out to hike the Trail of Time. This trail is 2.83 miles (4.56 km) long and demonstrates a geologic timeline. Each meter walked on the Timeline Trail signifies one million years of Grand Canyon’s geologic history.  Along the Timeline Trail there are a series of rocks and exhibits that explain how the Grand Canyon was formed.  We knew we may be pushing it with Master Wyatt and his stamina. Still, we hoped the dogs and the magnificent views would make him forget about how far he was walking.  

My sweet Maggie was so well behaved for me on the hike and I got so many compliments on how beautiful she is. My mom and dad used to get the same kind of compliments about our Irish Setter when I was growing up. I was pretty proud of Maggie. And then there was Remi. Ron got to walk his special pup. Remi burst with joy when he saw Ron approach with his leash.  Ron, I could tell, was very excited too.

We started our hike and to Ron’s delight everyone could hear Ron and Remi coming up the trail. Remi was pulling so hard and breathing so loud. Ron got some very sympathetic looks and some giggles directed his way. We thought that the long hike would exhaust him somewhat and he would stop pulling but we were wrong. I could tell from his facial expression that Ron was having so much fun being pulled through the Grand Canyon.  Again, it was hard not to laugh. 

On our way back along the trail some sheep made their way up to the trail from the canyon ledge. They paused to look inquisitively at all of us. I held my breath for a moment not knowing what Maggie and Remi would do seeing a large animal this close, but they didn’t even flinch. I couldn’t believe it. Now if it was a cute little chipmunk crossing the trail there would have been mayhem.  

By this point in our hike, both kids were done. Wyatt was saying his legs were going to fall off and Ariel refused to walk faster than a snail’s pace. We were surprised that our amazing little hiker was calling it quits as well. We all happily (yeah right) made our way back to the truck and headed into William’s for dinner.

Before dinner we stopped at Grand Canyon Wine Co for some wine tasting. What was meant to be a quick stop before dinner became a couple hours as we chatted with the small group of people there for a tasting as well. Ron and I had so much fun sipping our wine and making new friends we lost track of time. We have truly met some fantastic people along this trip. The wine was delicious and we went home with some bottles to share with friends and family.

Our final stop was Route 66 Diner. The kids were so excited because they could order breakfast food for dinner and enjoy the Halloween decorations. Our bellies full, we headed back to camp. The adventures of the day wore us out and we are actually excited to head to bed. Maggie and Remi were so happy to have had such a nice long hike and Remi seemed like he might sleep through the night.

Goodnight from Arizona!