The Grand Canyon

The first stop on our summer vacation was

here!

My boys have been asking for the last five years,

"How can we live in the Grand Canyon State when we've never even seen it?!?"

So, since we pass the turn-off every time we go to Idaho, we decided it was time to stop and take a look!

It was beautiful!

We took a hike out to Bright Angel Point.

Everyone who saw us said that Junior had the

Best View!

Here we are at Bright Angel Point.

See the clouds in the background?

As we were hiking a thunderstorm was rolling in...

it was amazing!

You could hear the thunder rumbling through the canyon and see lightening in the distance.

For those of you feeling nervous go ahead...

parts of this trail had drop-offs down both sides, but my boys behaved very well... no one wanted to fall into the deepest hole they'd ever seen.

The North Rim Visitor's Guide it says to "Avoid Shocking Experiences," lightening strikes are apparently very common on the North Rim. The Guide says, "hair standing on end is a warning. It is a signal that an electrical charge is building near you and that lightning may strike. Move away from the rim immediately!"

Nothing like little boys checking their arm hairs to see if they're standing on end ;)

We felt lucky that we were able to hike and see this amazing view before the storm rumbled our way.

Yes, that's me... last one out!

Hiking around with a 6 month old strapped to your front is not the easiest thing to do... but it was some amazing exercise!

After our hike we went to the Lodge for lunch.

Junior tried out his first high chair...

with my purse shoved behind his back and a little help from Dad it was a successful venture (for a little while).

My Dad always takes pictures of our family eating...

So, this one is for you Dad!

We had an excellent meal...

Watched the storm come in through the giant lodge windows...

and the boys were very interested to hear the stories I had to tell about the summer Grandpa (my dad) worked at the Grand Canyon as a teenager.

We had a great time!

Maybe next year...

The South Rim!