So, I bet you are guessing I went to Vegas last week.
I did.
For about 15 hours.
It’s not really my style to spend a week laying by the pool with thousands of other people milling around. If I’m in a swimsuit, the ocean waves will be lulling me to sleep. Quietly.
So Vegas was just a pit stop.
My original plan was to road trip it the entire way, but my husband spent some time in Texas the week before, chasing Boars, and a lot of time in the car, so we decided to fly a part of the way instead. The reasonable place to fly into was Flagstaff, but there is nothing in Flagstaff that I needed to see, so Vegas it was.
We flew out of a different, smaller airport for this trip. Thinking I was smart about it. Saving money. My puppies had a place to stay (with my mom, who becomes very attached to them) and we were able to attend some family fun stuff upon our return (yay for family fun stuff!) Though, turns out, an inch of snow on the road can cause A LOT of problems (have I mentioned lately that winter should be over soon around here) and little airlines have an exorbitant amount of fees tacked on to their tickets. Cest La Vie.
We made it to Sin City safely and were able to spend the evening checking out the strip and the lights and the coffee shops. Nothing too exciting. Vegas is a lot to take in for an 8 year old. The Wyoming wind followed us there, but not the cold. Thank God.
Pizza was our dinner and then off to bed we went.
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The next morning we were on the road by 7:00 in our Dodge Charger. By the time we hit the road I had made a coffee run and hit the grocery store and came back to get the boys. We stopped by the Hoover Dam. It’s huge and impressive. Though there is no painted line on the road separating the two states. That’s what I really wanted to see. It was only painted there for a movie. We went on our way and headed out into the dessert surrounded by mountains. We stopped at a little road side cafe for lunch. Sometimes those are my favorite kind places to eat. They are full of the best characters and sometimes the best food.
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A few hours later we pulled into the National Park to the South Rim. We drove and drove and drove and all this time had no sightings of the giant hole in the ground. We parked and checked out the general store and bought ourselves some warmer clothes (it was a little colder than I had packed for, just a little.) We checked into the Yavapai Lodge and then went to explore.
When I finally caught a glimpse of it, I jumped out of the car and ran to to see it.
It was like seeing an ocean made of magnificent reds and blues and purples. Its beauty is clearly indescribable. In some places you can’t see the other side and the colors wash in and out.
It was so much more than what I was expecting. I was expecting to walk up to the edge, take a few photos and be on my way.
But it invited me to stay.
It invited my soul to visit for a while and become full of God’s work. And that’s exactly what the Grand Canyon shows you. No man could have made something like this.
It was something bigger.
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We walked a short ways down the main trail and then hopped on and off the shuttle that goes through the parts you aren’t allowed to drive on. Yes there are guard rails at the main view points, but believe me, if you want to stand on the edge of the Grand Canyon, you can. Our lodge was only 1/2 mile off the South Rim, and if you’re going to drive all that way to see it, you should probably stay. It’s completely worth it.
I love the picture of Parker with the Hollywood sign behind him!
And I always love your work! Absolutely beautiful!
I do too! Especially since we’ve called him “Hollywood” with his sunglasses since he was tiny!