TRACE'S PLACE: The Grand Canyon

Day 2- Tuesday

Tuesday morning started with an early morning cab ride back to the airport. It was much quicker and easier than I had imagined in my mind and by mid morning we were Arizona bound. Picking out our rental car...

About 30 minutes outside of Vegas is the Hoover Dam. It's just something you need to see if you happened to be driving that way. I was trying to do a quick history lesson in the car on the way but not sure it stuck with anyone. Lol

We weren't prepared for the ABSOLUTELY beautiful scenery at the Boulder Basin which we just happened upon on the way to the Dam. We saw it from the plane but it was truly breathtaking.

You walked across a big bridge to get out to see Hoover Dam and it was so windy, someone lost their hat over the side. The other side of the bridge was a big highway so we didn't stay long but very glad we stopped.

The trip to the Grand Canyon was about 4 hours but we loved looking at the scenery along the way. It is SO different from Tennessee. We had seen on the news that there were wildfires around us and there they were. We had perfect, beautifully clear skies the whole time which made the views even better!

We pulled into the National Park mid day, parked the car and rounded the corner to find this...

Words can't even describe it and pictures can never do it justice. My children have heard me say this a dozen times but I couldn't resist in this moment... "I will never understand how someone can see something like this and deny that God exists." Wow... his handiwork at it's best.

This picture will hopefully hang in our home for decades. I paid the Photo Doctor to take the top railing out but I was thankful it was there. Lol! This may be my favorite picture of the entire trip.

So there were plenty of designated view points... lots of people, lots of railings. My preferred spot.

However, there were those (my children and husband included) who were not afraid to push the boundaries for the "perfect" view. I knew I was a chicken and a proud scaredy cat but this day pushed my limits to new heights. I wanted my people behind the rails, both feet on the ground and never to lean forward or get too close to the edge. I could NOT believe what some people were doing, where they were climbing and what they were risking to get the "perfect" picture. I was a nervous wreck for complete strangers that I nearly melted down and I literally had to walk away so many times I lost count. I had no idea how dangerous it could be there and they left it to your own discretion. I mean, one slip of the foot and this magical place could turn to tragedy in a second. I read later that about a dozen people die every year here and I can so easily see how. Wow.

And the highlight of this day for my girl...the squirrels. Forget the beauty behind her, she was completely enamored with feeding these friendly squirrels that would literally walk right up to you. Jimmy gave one water from the cap of his water bottle. Lol! I have never seen anything like it and it's something we will laugh about forever.

This is "the rock" you see people on all the time. I spend my entire day handing complete strangers my phone and asking them to take a picture. And then of course, I returned the favor. I said so many times that day... I would happily pay for a professional photographer and a "set" shot where you know no one is behind you and you get the view. A photographer could make a FORTUNE there!

On the way out, we had to stop at the famous sign...

I really, really wanted to stay and watch the sun set over the canyon but by this point we were all starving. So we left the park and couldn't believe all of the wildlife we saw walking along the National Park road while cars zoomed by. It was so cool! We stopped to eat at the Big E Steakhouse Saloon which felt perfect for a dinner in the dessert.

Day 3- Wednesday- We woke up in the "sketchy" hotel according to my children and everyone was still wiped out. So I grabbed some coffee and drove back into the park for one more morning look before we headed out. It was early and calm and very quiet and the most peaceful place I've ever seen.

We hadn't planned on coming back but I texted Jimmy and told him there was a section we hadn't seen yet. Then a woman offered to take my picture and then showed me how to do the panorama feature where she got better views of the canyon. They obliged and we got some beautiful pictures...

I love this one...

Headed back to Vegas...

We dropped off the rental at the airport and took at cab to Mandalay Bay... Vegas, round 2.

Such a cool room and the best bathroom we've ever had in a hotel...

We were smart enough this time to stop at a gas station on the way back in and load up on bottled waters, Cokes and snacks. $7 for a bottled water in the lobby of a Vegas hotel is a bit ridiculous! We changed clothes and headed out to check out Mandalay Bay the bottom half of the strip. Caesars Palace is about in the middle of the strip so we had only explored north.