Warning: TONS of pictures ahead! On Day 5 we got up fairly early, had some breakfast, and headed straight to the Grand Canyon!!! I was pretty giddy with excitement. I've always always wanted to see the Grand Canyon and I was so thrilled that we were able to fit it in on our cross country drive.
We had about an hour and a half drive from our hotel to the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. We left my car parked at the hotel so that we could all ride together, since we had to go practically back to Flagstaff anyway because that is basically the only route to California in the area. It was so nice to have some company for this part of the drive!
When we got to the park we headed straight to the visitor's center and watched the park's movie about the Grand Canyon. We thought it would be a good way to give the kids some background info and it built the anticipation of finally seeing the Grand Canyon just that much more.
Just outside the Visitor Center the girls started asking to have their picture taken right away.
Finally it was time to board the free shuttle buses and head to the first Grand Canyon lookout point.
I think the kids liked riding the bus just as much as seeing the Grand Canyon itself!
Dave and I were blown away by the size, magnitude, and beauty of the Grand Canyon. Everyone should see it at least once. You just can't appreciate it without seeing it in person. Austyn was impressed:
Next we boarded a shuttle bus and headed to get some lunch in the park. We had beautiful weather and we loved the view of the canyon from our seats.
Dave and the girls headed over to check out the view closer after lunch. I thought this picture was so sweet!
Finally we were ready to head out for some more sightseeing. We got on the red shuttle and planned to take it all the way to the farthest point on the route, Hermit's Rest. We ended up getting off at Powell lookout first, because we were enticed by a long rock peninsula where we could walk out over the canyon. There was a staircase leading up to a monument, which was probably the girls' favorite lookout point of the day.
Finally we got back on the bus and rode out to Hermit's Rest. We had some pretty views from the bus, including a Colorado River sighting. Our children, the hams, wanted to do another photo shoot:
We hit the gift shop and got one last look at the Grand Canyon before boarding the bus back to the Visitor's Center.
We made the hour and a half drive back to my car, separated again, and finally began driving for the day. At 4 pm. I was so tired, and my pesky cold was making me feel miserable, and I really didn't want to be just beginning the day's drive at 4 pm, but seeing the Grand Canyon really was worth it.
We drove about 3 hours and made it to Kingman, AZ. Even though we were exhausted we let the kids swim for just a little while. After being cooped up in the car so much, they need a way to let off some steam!
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