Grand Canyon

Off we went to see if there was more to see. We drove into the village where there were hotels and trains. We just kept driving. Paul spent the next hour humoring me because I was determined to see if there was more. “Hooonnneey, just keep driving.” Cheesy smiled followed that. “Pull over! Pull over.” Same hole different view. Though pretty. “Pull...never mind, same hole.” “Stop!” Same hole but this rock formation looks like a duck. It does! How cute. Nobody really cared about the duck. I showed Paul and Matthew said, “Dad, won’t see it. He’s not creative enough.” After some finger tracing and guiding his eyes, I think he saw it. He never even sees the taillight faces on the back of cars either that the kids and I point out all the time (Makes the drive to and from school more entertaining). He sees numbers and dollar signs. I see those, too but on receipts. Paul started getting tired of driving and I figured if I let him take a snooze in the back, I could go wherever I wanted. Ben hopped up and drove his first national park. I taught him how to drive with his future girlfriend or wife. Always say yes and smile. He obliged. “We’re stopping again?” “Honey. Smile. Say, yes dear.” Evil smirk. We were headed for one last stop at the East rim called Desert view. I will tell you that the drive to desert view is quieter, less people and great views. I highly recommend that.

Ben got me to the Desert View while Paul slept. Ben was the only one who would get out to see it with me. He is so sweet that way. He is going to make some girl really happy. His heart is big. So he and I walked out to the lookout which had a balcony and a tower. There you could see a whole different view of the canyon which included the Colorado river and to the right, the Sahara desert. Amazing views. “Ben, lets climb the tower.” Side glance and a smirk. He thought it would be crowded. It wasn’t bad. Kind of cool. It was a winding staircase up to the top four floors. There was some Indian drawings on the walls. It was neat inside. We got to the top for about 30 seconds when Ben grabbed me by the shoulders with a disgusted look. He spun me around and said it warm and there is a poonsie smell up here. Let’s go. I started to laugh. It did smell. We giggled all the way down. They missed out because I think this was the best stop.

We were near the East rim gateway which led us out to Flagstaff and back home. It was about an hour and 45 back. Ben got a taste of winding mountain roads. I had to keep telling him that if he is driving, he does not get to enjoy the views. He kept sneaking a peek to his left and the car would slightly veer. Hey! Once we got out to the highway to Flagstaff, Ben had enough. Paul drove the rest of the way. I would highly recommend doing this loop. I would start on the East Gate, no lines and drive out the South Gate. The views in and out of the East side are amazing. You would miss out if you don’t do this. Flagstaff is a cute little town. Full loop drive without stops is about 3.5 hours. I am glad we went the full way.Read more