Grand Canyon

DAY 1 Driving to the Grand Canyon 

We made it to the Grand Canyon! It was quite the adventure, and not one I’d like to repeat.

We woke on our last morning in Bryce Canyon to snow (again). It was not a welcome sight to be honest. The weather this trip is really getting to me. I knew that it would get cold at night, and that the temps I planned for were only averages – but it’s still discouraging to be constantly fighting the cold and the wind.

 

Loading the car in snow wasn’t exactly fun, but we were heading for the Grand Canyon and feeling sort of positive?

We stopped at Big Water Visitor Center and the girls loved the dinosaur displays they had there. We also got to check out Glen Canyon Dam, which is huge and very cool to walk across. Olivia was terrified of standing on the bridge though. We tried.

 

The entire drive was gloomy and rainy. For 5 hours. It was not encouraging. We checked the weather numerous times and it looked like we would get some rain in Grand Canyon National Park, but that it would clear with plenty of time to get our campsite set up and check out Mather Point.

We checked the weather!

You know what they say about the best laid plans? The rain clouds seemed to follow us, and as we were entering the park via the ranger station, a crazy fog rolled in. It was so bad we pulled off immediately at the first viewpoint. Visibility was zero.  It was so bad I could barely see the brake lights of the car 5ft in front of me. I’m just super glad that there was an easily accessible place to stop right then.

We stopped at the little gas station, and I ran in quick. While I was in the bathroom, the power went out. Ever been in public restroom in complete darkness? Fun times.

Not even 5 minutes after I was trapped in the pitch-black bathroom, I came outside to find SNOW and HAIL blanketing the car. HOW?? I wasn’t gone that long. The fog had suddenly turned into a white out blizzard.

Ya’ll. I panicked.

I couldn’t even.

Here we were, in the middle of the national park, and we couldn’t go anywhere. It was freezing, our accommodations for the night were a TENT. It wasn’t looking good for us. We caught glimpses of the general store parking lot through the trees and cautiously made our way to civilization.

Thank goodness for that store. We were lucky that we were stopped in an area with a general store, bathrooms, and another building with a coffee shop. After I indulged in a mild panic attack/mental breakdown, we set the kids up with kindle and tried to figure out what the hell to do.The weather radar looked like the storm would break in a couple hours, so we figured at the very least we’d hang out there until we could drive again and then basically call all the hotels/lodges and find a room. I should note that Jake was pretty reasonable and calm during all this.

Eventually we started to see glimpses of the sky, and not just white, out the window. After an hour (more?) we headed back to the car, and the snow accumulation the roads and sidewalks had already started melting as the sun emerged.

Visibility wasn’t 100%, but it was enough to safely make our way to Grand Canyon Village. We saw a car that had completely swiveled and slid to the opposite side of the road trying to drive in that craziness.  It was still foggy enough that we could see nothing of the Canyon. Seriously. We were in the park for HOURS before we could tell there was anything there. It sucked.

By the time we made our way down to Mather Campground, the sun was shining again and the snow had all melted. There was a lot of hemming and hawing about what to do for the night, but the kids really wanted to camp, and it seemed like it might be alright, so we set up our tent. We felt pretty prepared with tons of blankets, lots of layers, and the agreement that we would bail on camping if it sucked too much.

After a quick dinner at the camp store, we raced to Mather Point to hopefully catch a glimpse of that freaking canyon we’ve heard all about. The kids were cold and the sun had basically already set, so it wasn’t the greatest introduction, but dang it’s still impressive.

The kids miraculously fall asleep rather easily and no one became a human popsicle. The midnight insulin pump change proved to be a little tricky, but overall we survived our first night camping in the Grand Canyon.

DAY 2

After our somewhat unsettling arrival at the Grand Canyon, we were ready for a day to go as planned. Thankfully, Mather Campground is beautiful, and the weather decided to cooperate. It was pretty chilly in the morning, but the sun was shining, and it warmed up quickly.

Abby’s favorite game at the campsite is playing “cat” in the ashes of the fire pit. I allowed it for a bit, but when she tried to climb in and lay down I had to put and end to the giant litter box. We’ve only been camping for 24 hours and already both kids are filthy.

Our first stop of the day was the Grand Canyon Visitor Center. We got off the shuttle bus and and suddenly realized it was Earth Day! There were a bunch of booths and vendors, and fun things for the kids to check out. We eventually had to make a hasty exit when Abby began to melt down from over stimulation. Toddlers.

They’re super fun.

South Kaibab Trail

We grabbed a shuttle bus out to the South Kaibab Trailhead. The kids seriously loved the shuttle bus, for reasons we can not figure out. The shuttle bus is the main attraction for them. When we got to the trail, Jake opted to just carry Abby from the start. She was kind of a tired mess, plus the trail is a little risky for a two year old. Olivia did just fine, but I won’t lie and say I wasn’t a little bit nervous in couple places.

 

Most of the hike feels safe enough, although looking over the edge of trail in some spots made me wonder what I was thinking bringing Olivia down there. Mostly because I’m a little bit terrified of heights, and the Grand Canyon is obviously the best place for me.

The hike down is great! Super easy, fabulous views! The park service does a good job of stressing not to go too far. You are constantly reminded to turn around before you are tired, because going UP the canyon is a bitch.

We made it to our goal point though, Ooh Ah Point. It’s a little under a mile down into the canyon. That doesn’t sound like a lot on paper, but HOLY SHIT going a mile back up is seriously hard work. The views are really incredible, and the hike does help put the scale of the Grand Canyon in perspective. It’s just so huge. When I look down from the rim, it’s hard for my brain to even comprehend the enormity of it.

I was a little worried about Olivia, because duh, it’s hard. But she did amazing. She didn’t complain once! On the way up, Jake powered through to the top with Abby, because she is heavy and he just wanted to move.

*She slept through the entire thing, then declared at the top she earned ice cream*

Me and Olivia took our time getting to the top. We took plenty of breaks, drank a lot of water, and sat our butts down anytime we found a patch of shade to rest in. Just when she was getting pretty whooped, I busted out the Disney Princess Soundtrack on my phone. She sang her little heart out all they way up every switchback.

I’m super glad we got a chance to hike down into the canyon a little bit. I was worried about the drop-offs, the kids not being able to make it, and various other forms of peril, but it was fine. One day I’d love to hike to the bottom, but perhaps not while carrying three backpacks and enough crap for a toddler, diabetic preschooler, and enough food to last us three days.

We seriously hike with so much stuff. I try to streamline, I swear! But the list of crap we need is ridiculous. Everything I carry with me is important, so I guess I will be playing the role of Sherpa for the foreseeable future.

 

 

I shouldn’t be complaining though, Jake carried Abby the entire way. I can’t even. She’s so big. Plus his pack had two liters of water and our lunches in it. Poor guy earned his ice cream after the hike.

We attempted to hop on the bus and check out some more scenic viewpoints in the afternoon, but both kids were DONE. Liv was trying to sleep on the bus, and both girls were whining, near tears etc. I sent Jake to walk the rim trail and enjoy some peace and quiet, and took the girls back to the campsite to relax.

They had a blast running around our site, stomping through the woods, and just playing. I love watching them become feral nature children when given the chance. It makes me feel like perhaps we are doing something right?

As we were getting ready for bed, Olivia declared she had a loose tooth. Now, she’s been declaring this for months on and off, so I didn’t take her very seriously. Until she showed me her very loose front tooth. OMG I’m NOT READY. She was super proud of herself and told literally every single person in the bathroom, even the ones in the stalls. 

I’m happy to report that night two in the tent was much warmer, and the sleep seemed to be a smidgen better!

Day 3

Our morning started off with a visit from a friendly herd of elk in our campsite. This made all my mom nerves go into red alert status, but the kids thought it was just about the greatest thing that’s ever happened.

We didn’t exactly launch into the morning. For reasons unknown, we could barely move past our campsite and onto the visitor center before 10am. Per Olivia’s request, we made a totally out of the way shuttle bus journey to the visitors center to watch the Grand Canyon Video and earn her Junior Ranger badge. This kid is not playing when it comes to the badges. She is legit convinced she’s a real ranger. Abigail could not have cared less about the video, so we ended up perusing the bookshop instead. I somehow got suckered into purchasing pink junior ranger hats while there.

I also commandeered Abby’s sunglasses for the day because I forgot mine. I was very stylish and Jake could not look at me without laughing.

 

We hopped on another bus to check out the west side of the park and hike the Rim Trail. Our children, who previously loved the shuttle bus, had become totally and completely unbearable on the shuttle bus. They refused to sit, climbed all over the place, and meowed like cats at all the other passengers. LOUDLY. It was incredibly painful. We might never recover from the memories.

At one point I even caught Abby licking the bus seat. WHY. 

We spent the majority of the afternoon hiking various sections of the Rim Trail. The kids were mostly alright, interspersed with Abby meltdowns because she can’t run as fast as her sister.

Ahhh travel with kids. Epic views, same old fights. We eventually made it to the last westward stop on the bus route and enjoyed ice cream sandwiches while looking out over the canyon. That part was pretty dope.

Abby was exhausted, but sleepy Abby is a very sweet Abby, and she curled up in my lap and pretended to be a baby. #notcomplaining. These moments of babyhood are quickly leaving and I’m soaking up every little bit she gives me.

We endured another painful bus ride back to the visitor center with our two children cats. Olivia had requested we attended a ranger program, so we hung out, drank some iced coffee and learned all about big horn sheep. This kid is so funny with the things that make her happy, but since I dragged her across the country to “the big hole” as she calls it, I’ll give her some leeway. She’s been quite the trooper, and rather funny to hang out with this trip.

Olivia has also told every single person we cross paths with that she has a loose tooth. Every.Single.Person. She actually got very mad that the bus driver was not discussing her tooth in depth, and instead giving directions. The audacity.

We treated the kids to s’mores and popcorn over the fire our last night in Mather Campground. The popcorn was mostly planted to “make the campsite the most beautiful”, but the s’mores were a big hit. When it got dark we bundled the kids up, pilled them in the car and set out to the Canyon rim to do some stargazing.

There were some clouds obscuring the stars, but what we could see was incredible. The vastness of it all is insane and hard to even describe. There was also no one there when we left. Talk about a cool, but seriously eerie experience. Alone, at night, on the Canyon rim. So.Freaking.Cool.

Eventually we settled into our tent for our last night of mediocre sleep at the Grand Canyon. Next up, Zion!

 

 

 

 

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