Showers and getting clean are nice, but sometimes it's okay to be a little grungy. We just got back from 4 nights of tent camping at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. (listen for my Oooohs, ahhhhs). It was so wonderful. Not only did we take the BIG "MASH" tent that was originally made 35 years ago and still going strong, but we had fantastic views in panorama. I loved finding my kids hanging in the tent playing UNO card games or just sitting around talking. The first night, we had some pyrotechnical difficulties, but every night after that, we were able to sit around enjoying some deluxe Dutch Oven (thanks to my hubby who is the master cook). At night, we could sit on the lodge patio and look over the wonder of the changing colors with the sunset. There was of course a beautiful spread at the buffet in the lodge, but we opted to cook up meals ourselves. Sausage spaghetti, pancakes and eggs, tri tip with potatoes/onions and carrots to name a few.
Every day was a new hiking adventure, and I was able to hike a mile and not feel putzed out! Gotta love having energy and strength, it's gonna be the turn of a new leaf! Sperry was so cute, she loved being outdoors and once again was quite the hiker. She was also well hydrated and Scott got a glimpse of what being a nursing mother is all about, Sperry loved to get water from the tube, no matter who was wearing the "hydration backpack". Which is totally a stupid name...someone please come up with something better. Then there were the boys. They hiked and loved the sites, I'm amazed that they did so well (don't ask, they will deny to enjoy hiking). There were a few funny moments, Sperry got accidentally locked into a phone booth, they were curious to see what a phone booth was and how it worked. We forgot that the doors fold in, not out...keep that in mind when kids are curious. Once again the camping stove proved to be a great purchase, we cooked on it every night! Below, you'll see pictures of the "beefalo" which is what you get when you cross a buffalo with beefs or cattle.And then there's Uncle Jim's trail you can hike and in the lodge is a bronze statue of Brighty, his burro.We rubbed his nose for good luck. At the campgrounds, look what was within 2 minutes of our tent. Beautiful!
On the way outside the Park, we stopped at Jacob's Lake Inn. Monsterous pancakes were served and Scott and I were very happy not to be cooking or cleaning! It was a quaint little area with cabins and a restaurant with the area staffed by college students from Utah.
One of the highlights was Pipe Springs. It is located outside of the Grand Canyon, and before the Utah boarder. It was originally built in the Piute Indian territory by the Mormons and used as a "Tithing storehouse". It was incredible to see. The site is now owned by the US Park Service in conjunction with the Kaibab Indians. There were demonstrations of the Indian way of life and they even inspired me to grow a veggie producing garden. It was over 100 degrees there and they had crops...I'll have to take that on next year. The gates to the house were created big so that wagons could pull into the courtyard. All of the stone was quarried in the area and the building housed both families and visitors. See the pictures of the ranch house, the storehouse is the 2 story building with the creek running through the kitchen area. Years ago, the creek moved about 50 gallons of water every 5 minutes. Pretty impressive. You'll also see a picture of a pump organ that is over 100 years old. The ranger, Sheryl, let the kids play it a little to get a feel for the pedals. Thank you piano lessons for paying off in a life experience! Jacob decided not to play "star wars" for his number on the organ. Also in the kitchen there was the vat of cheese and butter making. They had 80 cows to milk every night and morning. While the St George Temple was being built, the family who lived here at the time made a 4 day round trip to provide butter and cheese for those working on building the temple. We ended up spending a few hours there and the kids became certified Jr Rangers. Feel free to quiz them on the details...
On the trip home, we broke up the 10 hour drive and stayed in St George at a hotel. We visited the St George Temple grounds and after that the kids just wanted to go swimming and catch up on some TV.
It was a great trip, and now...we are ready to start school next week. Eeek, did I mention Jacob will be entering middle school. (to be continued...)
