Summer Trip, Part IV: North Rim of Grand Canyon

Our next stop was Grand Canyon National Park.  On our drive from Page to the North Rim, we were able to go down to the Colorado River and dip our toes in the water. Technically, we were inside the National Park.

We had a campsite on the North Rim.  The boys set up their own tent and helped get the site ready.

After setting up camp, we hiked to the Transept Trail to the Lodge.

There were lots of great views and rocks to climb.

Jim kept a tight grip on Maggie as she neared the edge.

Then, we took a short walk to Bright Angel Point to watch the sunset.

We had great seats for the "show"!

Patrick took about as many pictures as his mom!

Charlie wasn't too keen on sharing the picture with Jack.

They were pretty close to the edge!

The kids watched the last bits of sun dip below the horizon.

The next day we drove around the north rim and stopped at a few spots to hike.

The opening on the right is called Angel's Window.

Jim and the kids are standing on the arch, above and to the left of the window, with their arms raised for a picture.

Love this family!

Jim, enjoying the views!

Jim, Patrick, and the Grand Canyon!  The north rim is way less crowded than the south rim. On some hikes we went long periods of time without seeing anyone else.

Jim and Maggie took a trail to a little spot where people get married.

In the late afternoon, we decided to hike about 2 miles into the canyon.  It was the Fourth of July, so most of us were donning our red, white, and blue.

There was lots of mule poop, but not a lot of people.

We got our family picture with the Grand Canyon sign as we left,

Summer Trip, Part III: Page, AZ and surrounding area

Our next stop was Page, AZ. We spent 3 nights at a rental house and explored the area.  One of our first stops was Horseshoe Bend.

You can't really tell from the pictures, but we saw people in kayaks or canoes at the bottom.

Our rental house was near a small airport. The kids walked down to watch planes.

We made reservations for a tour of Antelope Canyon. I was so excited to go in a slot canyon.  Shortly after we arrived at the tour company, a storm quickly blew in.  They canceled all remaining tours for the day due to flash flooding. They did not have any openings for our remaining time in Page. Jim and I booked a boat tour that went in part of Antelope Canyon and Lake Powell.  It was a neat tour, but I was bummed not to see a slot canyon (can only be seen on foot).

We learned that the water in Lake Powell is critically low and has been decreasing for more than 20 years.

In an attempt to see a slot canyon, Jim and I sought a hike the next day that would take us to one.  We hiked along the Wire Pass Trail to Buckskin Gulch.  We had to drive about 8.5 miles off the main road to get to the trailhead. The ride was rocky (4WD vehicle recommended) and took us an hour.  Then, the sun was hot, hot, hot for the first mile of the hike. After that, we were in the shade for most of the hike.

The slot canyons were beautiful!  It was probably my favorite hike ever!

We had to climb down a ladder in the canyon.

The kids liked climbing anywhere they could!

There was a little water left from the previous day's flash flood. You do NOT want to be caught in a slot canyon during a flash flood.

My favorite hiking buddies!

Charlie loves to climb!

Maggie is next to some petroglyphs we saw.

We hiked almost 6 miles. The kids were troopers.  Here we are climbing the ladder out on our return hike.

On the way back from the hike, we stopped for a couple pictures by Glen Canyon Dam. You can see a little of Lake Powell on the other side of the dam.

Patrick taking a picture of the dam the next day. We did go in the museum in the dam.