Thanksgiving 2014 - Part 3: Arizona + Grand Canyon

We left Vegas mid-morning and embarked for the Grand Canyon. The drive was about 4 hours, but for November the sun sets pretty early. We wanted plenty of time to explore the South Rim. The weather was gorgeous and sunny...but dang, it was COLD! It was our first time seeing the Grand Canyon and you really don't know what to expect. Is there a gate? Is it like a park? Do you just walk up on this big gaping hole in the ground? Can you see it from far away? The answer to all of these questions is ...no.

You literally just walk up on it, and there it is. And it takes a second to register in your mind and your physical body what you are encountering...and breath taking.

No picture can capture the beauty, the enormity of the experience. At some point you just have to put your camera down and just breath it in.  With the elevation around 6,800 ft. the mountain air can either make, or break you. I literally don't know what came over me, but with the elevation, the air filled my lungs with pure happiness and all I wanted to do was run.

In one section, there is a huge boulder that overlooks a gated area and it's a perfect place to have your picture taken.  I mean, the perfect photo op. Everyone stands in line and is trying to make friends with the people behind them so they can have someone else take their picture.  It's the best way to make new friends, find out where people are visiting from, and people watch.  

Everyone watches and laughs when the next couple or individual tries to make their way up on to the boulder.  Somehow with the canyon in your line of sight you feel incredibly off balance and you end up retorting to getting down on all fours to crawl your way onto the boulder....that's only about 5 feet off the ground.  

Of course when it's your turn to have your picture taken you need to assess whether the people you are trusting to take your picture are going to snap the camera a million times. Because thats what you want. You want to have a few poses lined up and you need to make sure your photographer has their game face on. You gotta get in, and get outta there, and make sure you get the goods. Of course you need to do this all while the other 30 people waiting in line are watching you. 

We were a little more creative that the others that had gone before us, and when our pictures were being taken...people cheered....yeah, we're that good. 

Apparently this was when everyone started cheering.  Haha.

#Winning.

From this point we walked...well, Husband walked, I ran to the next few check points.  It really is the most incredible experience.

The sun started to set, no one was around, we had the edge of a cliff all to ourselves and we just sat and took it all in. 

At the point where the last light of the sun went down over the edge of the canyon, it all of the sudden got really dark.  And then we realized... there are no lights out here, there is no one out here, and we have about a good mile to walk back to the bus stop! We popped up and busted a move, and ran like the wind! When the sun goes down at the Grand Canyon it does not waste any time. It was pitch black and we were laughing hysterically, while running, while trying not to trip and fall. What a fun memory.

The next 3 days we drove on to Scottsdale and Tucson to spend more time with family and friends. I LOVE LOVE LOVE visiting my sweet auntie and uncle in the desert.  Anytime I visit I just want to sit on their back porch, in the sun, and stare at the mountains.  Just give me a cup of coffee and sit me in a rocking chair, and I'm goooood.

Here's a clip of Coyote Jane (CJ) playing fetch in the backyard. 

Thanksgiving was perfect.  Food of course was awesome, the weather was pristine, so we ended up eating out on the patio of my auntie's sister's house and soaked in the sun.  

We flew back on Sunday from Tucson and our trip was complete.  Every moment from beginning to end - Phase 1 - Phase 2 and now the finale with our family was so much fun.