Number of Miles Driven: 352 

Drive Time: 6:15 am-9:45 am (to Grand Canyon); 5:00 pm-6:45pm (to Seligman) 

States Driven through: AZ (1)

After getting donuts from Dunkin Donuts (not that great…) we were on our way to the Grand Canyon. It was a quiet trip in the car because most of us, except Michael, slept for a significant part of it. We found a Sirius station that was all Garth Brooks and they were doing a Top-70 countdown - it was only in the 40’s when we first tuned in so we didn’t recognize any of the songs. However, later in the day we tuned in for the top 10 and we were singing along. “The Dance,” of course, was the #1 song. 



We took the East Entrance into the Grand Canyon because it was the recommended entrance if we were coming from Phoenix. The South Entrance is the busiest so we were hoping to save some time. I’m so glad we did the East Entrance because it gave us the opportunity to explore more of the South Rim - including the Watchtower and the Grandview Point. Our first view of the Grand Canyon was at the Watchtower view point. It was amazing! I know that everyone who has been to the Grand Canyon equally expresses that you can’t put into words (or pictures) the magnitude of greatness of the Grand Canyon. My first time seeing the Grand Canyon was when I was 16 and I didn’t fully appreciate it - it even felt “fake” to me. I think I had more appreciation for its enormity this time because we stopped to see the Canyon at several view points. It also didn’t feel as “fake” because we hiked into the Canyon a bit. 









The Watchtower




Our picnic

After the Watchtower stop, we pulled into the Grandview Point and had our picnic lunches. The map legend suggested there were picnic tables but we didn’t see any so found some logs in the shade - just as good! Michael explored the area while the kids finished eating lunch. He said there were some amazing views, so he led us down a more obscure path (but a path nonetheless). He took Andrew and Carolyn out to a “ledge” - it wasn’t a ledge over the full canyon (there was a short drop beneath it) - but it did offer great views of the canyon, and Andrew and Carolyn got a little thrill. What Michael didn’t tell us until later is that he went a little further down this obscure path and he definitely felt nervous when trying to navigate it back. I told him no  more wondering off - we need a driver for the rest of the trip. 



Taking Andrew to the "ledge"



After I asked for a good smile

Matthew's new smile - I kind of like it!



Getting a little help from Dad





Our final stop was the Village to hike Bright Angel trail. Michael had identified this trail as the most adventuresome option for young kids. We liked that it wasn’t a purely paved trail like what is offered along the Rim Trail. It also descended into the canyon. When planning, we thought we might even be able to hike the whole thing (1.5 miles one-way), but we easily decided against that and decided we would go as far as the kids were willing. This is the same trail that people take mule rides down so we thought we might see a mule - nope - just lots of mule poop. The trail didn’t have a significant barrier on its edge but it never felt unsafe. Of course, we constantly held Dani and Matthew’s hands and we took it very slowly, but it was easy to navigate and was a wide path (at least 4 feet the whole time). However, I don’t think I would have wanted to ride a mule down the path - I’m glad both feet were on the ground. Andrew preferred to walk as close to the inner wall of the canyon as possible, but he wasn’t visibly scared and rigid like he was at Meteor Crater. He actually seemed to enjoy the experience. We didn’t make it far before Matthew and Dani asked to turn around (maybe .25 miles one-way). But I think that was the best decision because we were about to enter a part of the trail that was in full sun, and the people who were hiking back up were visibly winded and many stopped at our turn-around point because of the shade that was offered at that spot. There was even a young lady (late teens/early twenties?) who looked faint from heat and was using another person for support to walk back up. The canyon is 10-15 degrees warmer toward the bottom. So we happily turned around because our goal of hiking into the canyon had been met and everyone was still, relatively, in good moods. The Bright Angel Trail was, in my opinion, the best part of the trip. Although the initial views at the East Entrance were hard to beat! 













The kids asked for ice cream when we ascended out of the canyon, but everyone else at the Canyon seemed to have the same idea and the line was incredibly long. Instead, we went in the gift shop where the kids got, what else, more stuffed animals. Their stuffed animal souvenir collection is similar to how people used to collect spoons or pennants - except more expensive. We’ve tried to explain their souvenir money will only go so far…but they keep reaching for those stuffed animals. I got a Christmas ornament, Michael got a coffee mug, and Danielle got a nightlight made from a slice of geode rock. Next, we sat in the shade and the kids finished their junior ranger books.  


We ended our day by tracking down a Ranger so the kids could say a pledge after completing their activity books. We came across an elk (they are HUGE) that was eating from a tree right next to the sidewalk. I tried to take a picture with Carolyn but a Grand Canyon employee came out and told us to “Back away from the animal!” (ooops). We also saw the mules as we were leaving the park and Carolyn really wanted a picture with them - so we hopped out and grabbed a few. She asked to pet one and I wasn’t sure, but one of the mules came directly up to the fence and put his head out. To me, that was a universal sign for “pet me” so I assumed they must be used to it, so I said “go ahead.” It wasn’t until we were running back to the car that I saw the sign “Do NOT pet mules” (ooops again…). 




We were nervous for this trip because, thus far, the kids (mostly Matthew and Dani) have begun complaining about being tired after only 30-45 of walking. After our experience at Meteor Crater with Andrew being afraid of heights I was also afraid he would be too nervous to engage in the views/hikes. And, finally, we thought the heat would be too much for the kids and they would all be ready to be done after only 30 minutes. We were driving out of our way to go to the Grand Canyon, so we were hoping it wouldn’t be a bust. Fortunately, we couldn’t have asked for a better day. It wasn’t as hot as we were expecting - we were expecting temps in the 110s, but I think it was more like upper 90s and there were nice breezes with plenty of places for shade. The car, on the other hand got scorched. Dani’s crayons melted and I had to sit on pillows because my seat was so hot. Luckily, the kids were in awe and were more engaged than we expected. At first Andrew didn’t want to get close to the railing and was visibly nervous but he had the best attitude and was willing to look. He also had the best attitude for taking pictures all day (the other kids grew old of me constantly asking for pictures - but even they were willing to give me smiles for most of the pics). We got great parking spaces at every stop we made along the South Rim (also something we assumed wouldn’t happen), and we weren’t overwhelmed with crowds. Overall, it was a wonderful day and we were grateful we made the trip and that everything went smoothly.


Our dinner plan had been to eat at the Roadkill Cafe in Seligman, AZ (where our hotel was), but it was already 5:00 pm by the time we left Grand Canyon (we were there much longer than we thought - a good thing!) and Seligman was 1.5 hours away. We stopped at the McDonald’s (kids’ choice) right outside the entrance of the Grand Canyon - and everything was definitely inflated in cost. A kid’s meal was 7.50 and an adult meal was $13. We thought we might even save money by not eating in a restaurant - but I don’t think so… We got the kids ice cream and milkshakes since they were such good sports the whole day. 



We arrived at Seligman around 6:45 and stayed at the Historic Route 66 Motel. Seligman, AZ is known as the “birthplace of Historic 66” and is supposedly the town that Radiator Springs (from the movie Cars) is based on. The hotel was themed out with Route 66 memorabilia, and our door had a sign that indicated Burl Ives (the narrator snowman from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer) had slept in that room. The kids thought the hotel room was very fun and liked all the themed decorations - including a wall painted to look like a highway. We were all tired and dusty so we took showers and the kids were in bed/asleep by 9:00 after watching Trolls. I stayed up a bit longer to work on the blog for our time in Phoenix and a small bug fell on my arm. I felt like I had bugs on me the rest of the night. It didn’t help that right as we were going to sleep, Michael saw a fairly big spider crawling across the floor (about the size of an oreo). Oh well…I guess that’s what might happen in a small-town motel. It was still a fun place to stay nonetheless (I just won’t think about all the bugs that might have crawled on me while I slept - ha!). I actually slept fairly well despite Dani sharing the bed with me and Michael. Michael, on the other hand, did not. Apparently, he was Dani’s pillow all night - even when he moved her onto me. This morning I was awakened by Dani by her pushing up my eyelids and asking in a sing-song voice “Do you wanna build a Snowman?” Great way to start the day :-)



Tumbleweed was on their scavenger hunt for AZ


The door plate says Burl Ives slept here


Other tidbits from our Grand Canyon trip:

  1. Dani calls her fanny pack a “fanny pocket” 
  2. I got sunburned on my shoulders despite putting on thick sunscreen multiple times
  3. And some lucky sight-seer will get an Alabama hat. Pretty sure Andrew put it down and left it there - because we can’t find it in the car. 


Next stop: Indian Wells, California!