The Grand Canyon: South Rim

Last time I took a road trip out west we had to cut out the grand canyon. But not this time, even though it might always seem out of the way, it's just something you got to do. It took us longer then we had expected to get there so we just walked the trail right there by the visitors center instead of trying to pick one of the many hikes or trails that are offered. Now I'm not one to be afraid of heights but as we walked up to the edge my stomach dropped. It truly is amazing. And yes, Blake and Adam were one of those "idiots" pushing their limits, going over the guard rail and getting closer to the edge. Not going to lie I think I would have gone with them if there weren't so many people watcing.

As the sun started to set we left the Grand Canyon and made it to Las Vegas for the night. I love it when we make it out there to see family. Specially when there is a new baby to meet. Plus we can never turn down the chance to watch the fountains at the Bellagio. 

Sedona Az.

    

Jari and I had our own western road trip in the summer of 2009, it was the best sister trip EVER!! On that trip Sedona was one of our stops. I knew my Mom would love the place so we made sure to fit it in our plans. You just can't beat the red rock, green trees, and water ways throughout the valley, its like Christmas. We rolled in just in time for dinner at the cowboy club grille, where we tried buffalo, rattlesnake, cactus fries, and more fry bread. This is also where Adam downed the remains of the chocolate syrup from dessert. We left that place 100% satisfied. While we walked down main street we could not stop ourselves from ducking into a few shops where we picked up a nice cheep Indian blanket, fudge (I know even after our dessert from dinner), and dirt shirts. One thing the desert has over the tropics is that in the evening it is nice and cool, perfect for walks and fires. Here at home we work up a sweet at night walking around in the summer. So it was fun enjoying a cool summer evening. The next morning we got up and loaded into a pink jeep for a little bouldering. This trip was not only an adrenaline rush driving up and down steep rocky trails, but was nice and scenic, especially first thing in the morning. Totally worth waking up early on vacation to get views like this without the crowds. Plus we got back to the hotel and showered before check out, can't beat that. Before we left town we stopped and let the boys take a dip at slide rock where they cliff jumped and slid down the natural water slide. So sad we did not have more time to spend in Sadona. We had such a nice time that we are already planning a family trip back. 

Monument Valley

*not sure why some pictures are uploading blurry 

 ^^Blake's toe tough^^

 ^^ Adam's toe touch^^

After four corners we were off to the picture perfect scenery of Monument Valley. We see pictures of far off places posted on pinterest and travel guides all the time. And how many times do we think and wish to see such wondrous sights or land formations, but forget how many amazing things we have here in the U.S.? I mean people travel all over the world to come see stuff like this. We have seen pictures of this place our whole lives, it is the back drop of so many western films. So it was nice to finally getting it marked off the list of places to see. Monument Valley is a nice drive through park. So we drove along the bumpy road through what seemed like endless red sandstone buttes. It was amazing that even though everything looked very much the same, at every turn we would still look up in amazement at the uniqueness of the scenery. We got out and ran around, and even found a horse to ride. It is so different from the everyday Florida landscape.  The Valley is in the Navajo Nation, so I jumped at the chance of getting a cute turquoise ring I have been wanting. It reminds me of my oh so southwestern mother and her own childhood turquoise ring (that I have been refraining myself from stealing). We ended the day with a lunch of endless fry bread and Navajo tacos. Then everyone fell asleep as I drove us to our next stop, Sedona Az. 

The Four Corners

Remember the movie A Walk to Remember? And you know the part where Landon takes Jamie to the state line so that she could cross being in two places at once off her bucket list? Well when I was a kid I thought that was the coolest thing ever. My mind was completely blown when my mom told me about four corners, where four state lines come together and you can be in four states at once! So when mapping out our western road trip we had to make it one of our stops. So after Mesa Verde we headed to the state lines. We were hungry but wanted to get there before sundown, so trail mix and beef jerky were our sustenance as we rushed off to our destination. It was a good thing we did too, because the place closes at 5!! We pulled in at 4:45, I'm still amazed we made it in time. This is like a total road time stopping point and they close?? I was not expecting that. But we made it, and we had the place to ourselves. So we took our pictures then were rushed off the grounds by workers wanting to go home. As we were pulling out a car with California license plates pulled up. I felt sorry for those guys. But really, they close?