THE GRAND CANYON AND BACK HOME

July 28^th Sunday

As soon as we said our good-byes we headed for the Grand Canyon.  We didn’t leave until 2:00 so it was much later than we had planned.  We decided to stop at Four Corners.  This is where Utah, Arizona. New Mexico and Colorado all come together and you can be in all four states at the same time. 

It is owned by the Navajo Tribe.  There are many stalls where you can buy Navajo things.  We did our share.

The drive was very desert but at the same time beautiful in its own way.  It is a beauty you must respect.   We love it; nothing like traveling in North Carolina.  We did miss the many trees and beautiful green.  Monument Valley is one of our favorite scenes.

El Capitan

Sleeping Ute

Some of the scenery is quite bleak.

By the time we made it to Kanab we were just too tired to go further.  We had reservations in the Park but had another hour and a half and these two old ones just couldn’t go any farther.  We got a motel instead.

Tiffani had reserved us a place right at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  The campsite was beautiful.  Kristin had trouble in that there was a trail right down the canyon just a short walk from our site.  It was breathtaking.  

The pine odor filled our lungs.  Snowball loved the cooler air.  We set up camp and headed to the lodge. 

Lauryn hauling wood

 We took several trails that freaked Kristin out and just relaxed at the lodge. 

 Kristin and Cameron played a National Parks game of Monopoly.  He’s a pro at it.  The girls played with their souvenirs and dad and I took a nap.  It was a beautiful, relaxing day, much needed.

After dinner we roasted marshmallows and made s’mores.  We sat forever and just watched the flames and visited.  It was a very good night’s sleep.

While we were packing up the kids made homes for the squirrels and just had so much time in the trees and beauty of this area.

We stopped at Marble Junction for lunch and Tiffani headed for Zion’s National Park and we headed for Bryce National Park.  Bryce is absolutely indescribable.  We soaked it in.  The beauty and color cannot be matched. 

the Batchelor's

 I slipped and fell coming around the truck and landed on hard rocks.  It hurt!

We got home at 10:30 so darn tired but very happy.  It was a great few days.  I love our driver.

The next day we washed clothes and then had a bar-b-q at Erik’s.  He did teriyaki hamburgers that were so good and Shanelle made her famous potato salad. 

some of Shanell's relatives too

 It’s always good to be with family, especially at their homes. We got a lot of cleaning and organizing done.  We tended Ava and Nixon while Scott and Beth went to the temple with Jaxon. (Beth’s brother)  We love doing that now that we’re available.

Dad took Kristin and David to the airport at 4 the next morning.  They made their flight but had difficulty from there but actually made it home that same day.  I went to Dr. Taylor to see about my hip and wrist and hand.  All is well.  I’m in a soft cast for a few weeks and my hip is severely bruised but that’s all.  I’m so thrilled.  We got a lot of cleaning and organizing done. 

Saturday was my brother Milt’s birthday.  He called and we talked for the first time in three ears.  I have tried everything to get ahold of him and was so thrilled to hear his voice.  I kept calling the Mayor’s office to make sure he was alive.

Life is good and we certainly do love each other.

Sun. Sept 23rd  At 11:00 A.M.we went to meet at the Moravian Church and at 3 0'clock P.M. we went to Sanctified Meeting and at 4:30 0'clock P.M. we held a meeting at Lovin's & had a large crowd out.  We had a nice time & they all seemed to be very much interested & at 7:30 P.M. we held another meeting and had a large crowd out & had a nice time.