Eleanor and Henry had a blast celebrating the 4th of July in our new home town. We attended the local parade, had a fun afternoon and then enjoyed three different fireworks shows. The most impressive was the downtown show which featured four different barges shooting off identical synchronized shows. The day before, the kids decided they were going to make dinner, so they put together a menu for their restaurant “The Bird Rock Healthy Monkey” including smooties and entrees like the “Tucans Beak” (peppers and carrots with hummus, of course). After a quick visit to Point Lomas and Cabrillo National Monument, along with a poorly planned out bike ride in Mission Bay, we were packing our bags and heading to the Grand Canyon for a visit with Grandma, Grandpa and our cousins.
On day one, we hit Rock Springs for lunch and pie, Montezuma Castle, Cathedral Rock in Sedona, and Slide Rock State Park. For dinner we hit a retro dinner on historic Route 66, where we heard lots of Eagles songs.
Day two was all Grand Canyon. We started with a short hike down the first section of the Bright Angle trail, just to get a feel for what it is like to descend a bit into the canyon. We then explored some other overlook points, had some lunch at the Bright Angle Lodge, and then continued exploring all the way east to the Desert Watchtower and overlook, were we could see quite a bit of the Colorado River snaking its way into the canyon.
Day three took us to Antelope Canyon where we had some fantastic views inside this amazing slot canyon. At times we had to squeeze through some pretty tight spaces, but it was well worth it for the amazing formations inside. We finished the day at Lake Powell for some R and R and pool time.
Day four began with a quick hike to Horseshoe Bend for an amazing vista of the Colorado river doing almost a complete 180 in the canyon. Returning to Lake Powell for the afternoon we enjoyed boating on our very own pontoon boat – with some swimming and tubing of course. It was a busy whirlwind of a trip, but definitely worth it. Can’t wait for our next adventure!
