Grand Canyon Trip

In January Carter asked me if we could go camping at a National Park this summer. Of course I said yes! He picked Redwood National Forest. We looked at it and it was such a long drive. I thought maybe we could stop at the Grand Canyon to camp on the way but then decided we'd need more than a week to travel all that way and enjoy time exploring. Carter agreed that the Grand Canyon would be a more manageable trip. I researched it and saw March was one of the least busy months so we decided to go over spring break. When I went to reserve a campsite, they were all booked already, so we decided on the week before spring break. The kids were still in distance learning so we decided we'd just take our school stuff with us and get everything done on the drive to and from the Grand Canyon. The average overnight lows on the site I was looking at were listed in the 20's-30's for early March. Leading up to our trip the overnight lows were supposed to be 15-20*! We were worried about the kids getting too cold so Ty ordered them some sleeping bags rated for 20*. He didn't think to check our bags until he was packing and realized mine was rated for 15* (no wonder I get so overheated camping in the summer) but his was only rated for 32*. I booked camping at Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Texas on the way there and back. We looked at also staying at Petrified National Forest on the way there but even tent camping was closed due to Covid, so we decided to just power through with a 10.5 hour drive that day.

First stop: Palo Duro Canyon State Park and it was a beauty! When I was reading about the park I read a couple reviews and one said it just wasn't impressive after seeing the Grand Canyon. I told Ty it was a good thing we were seeing it beforehand! I still would have loved it and thought it was beautiful either way. But my expectations weren't for it to be anywhere near as amazing as the Grand Canyon. It was just a stop on the way. We ended up loving it so much there we wished we could stay longer. It is listed as the 2nd largest canyon in the nation, behind the Grand Canyon, and maybe that's where other people were disappointed. There really was just no comparison. We arrived in the late afternoon on Sunday, March 7th. The first thing we did was stop off at an overlook and the kids were super impressed. Then we went on a little hike which was so amazing. The area was under a burn ban so we planned ahead. Our neighbor gave us their old camping stove that they hadn't used since the 90's. Ty had the great idea to make ahead bean soup and just re-heat it on the stove so that's what we did for dinner that night.

Hiking in the canyon.

Carter wanted a picture with the cacti.

Checking out an animal home.

Carter wanted to take a picture so I let him take 2.

Elise wanted to take some pictures too, so I let her take 2 as well.

The kids were super excited to try out their new sleeping bags!

Checking out a trail that ran behind our campsite.

Carter's unit in social studies was about maps so we made sure to discuss maps on our trip.

The overnight low was 39* and the kids were totally comfortable, they didn't get too hot. Ty and I slept great other than being woken up by coyotes making a lot of noise. Though Ty did get a bit cold which he realized the next day while taking down the tent was thanks to one of the kids unzipping a flap which caused air to blow into the tent on his head all night long. The next morning I woke up at 5am and thought about getting out for my run but it was super dark and I knew it would be for my entire run if I went then. After hearing so many coyotes the night before, I wasn't interested in running in the dark. I read for a while and then went out for my run around 6. It was dark for the first few miles so I used the flashlight on my stun gun but then the sun started coming up and I could see without it. My run was amazing. The trails weren't technical and were easy to run even in the dark since I didn't have to worry too much about rocks and tree roots, though I was cautious and slowed down quite a bit. I was really pleased my run was mostly toward the rising sun. It was beautiful. Elise asked me to take pictures of anything cool I saw on my run so I took some pictures. It was dark when I made it back toward our camp and decided to run out the other way so I misjudged where I was and ran out too far in the other direction. I ended up finishing my run and then walking a mile back to our campsite. I was a bit irritated with myself about it. Had I realized where I was, I would have just kept running, but I got to see lots of deer that didn't run off right away since I was quietly walking which was fun. When I got back Ty had already packed up camp so I changed really quickly and ate breakfast in the car as we drove. We were out a little after 7am so we could get to the Grand Canyon earlier in the day.

The sunrise was so amazing.

We made a restroom stop around 9:30 am and when we got back in the car Ty said he thought he'd held it too long because he was feeling some pain. I felt bad for him but wasn't really worried. Then we stopped again around lunchtime and when we got back in the car he wasn't looking very good, but declined my offer to drive. Just outside Albuquerque he started grimacing and I told him he better stop again and let me drive. I wasn't sure if he was sick or what was going on. He went into the gas station and we waited in the car. When he came back out he started vomiting in the parking lot and that's when I started to freak out. I called an Urgent Care nearby to see what they would do for kidney stones because that's what Ty thought was going on. They said they didn't have the stuff there to check for one so they'd have to send us to the hospital. When Ty heard that he didn't want to go because he thought you just had to pass kidney stones but I wasn't about that. I was worried it could be something else and at the very least, if he was in that much pain, I wanted him seeing a doctor. I dropped him off at the hospital and we stayed in the parking lot, connected to wifi to get some school work done. Then we headed to a nearby playground. It was a bit of a mess of a day with a search for restrooms for Elise and thinking we were going on a hike only to walk along a paved path next to a dirty river with lots of litter. But the kids had a blast and said they didn't mind at all, so that was a win. I couldn't enjoy any of it because I was too worried about Ty. 7 hours later he was discharged. He had multiple kidney stones and an infection. The doctor released him but wanted him to stay nearby in case he needed to go back to the hospital and said sleeping on the ground wasn't a great idea for that night so we got a motel for the night. While he was in the hospital I called the campground at the Grand Canyon to let them know we wouldn't be checking in that day since we would be there 24 hours after our check-in time, that way they wouldn't cancel our reservation for the following nights. We were up early the next day to get on the road and arrive at the Grand Canyon earlier.

Ty in the hospital.

Ty wanted to drive so he could keep an eye on the road and be prepared for any bumps.

We made it to the Grand Canyon between 2 and 3pm. The line to pay and get inside the park was pretty long and slow moving so the kids and I jumped out to get a picture by the park sign and then ran to catch back up to Ty in line. We were super excited and couldn't wait to see the Grand Canyon! The trees along the road were so pretty and we got to see some elk next to the road. We went straight to Mather Point Overlook to get our first look of the Grand Canyon and wow. I wasn't prepared for how huge it was. Elise immediately wanted me to pick her up and clung to me while we stayed way back from the railing. It was a bit terrifying on first look! Carter was all about it and it was making me sick to my stomach to see him right up against the railing. We also picked up Junior Ranger booklets. When we headed back to camp Carter was all about his and finished it all that evening so he could earn his badge. It was so sweet. Elise didn't finish hers until we got home. Once we had our tent set up I headed out for a run while Ty bought firewood and started a fire for dinner. I decided to run the rim trail and it was so amazing. I didn't realize it was a paved trail so I ran in trail shoes. I ended up being super glad it was a paved trail because I didn't have to look down to watch where I was going at all and spent my entire run staring out at the Grand Canyon. I felt like I was going to cry for most of my run, staring at the Grand Canyon. It was so amazing. We went super simple for dinner. The kids roasted hot dogs and Ty had a brat. We heated up the leftover bean soup for my dinner. It took me a long time to warm up after my run and when we went to bed my hair was still a little damp. The temperature got down to 19* that night. I woke up at midnight and my feet were freezing. I took my coat and wrapped it around my feet. That helped me fall back to sleep but then I woke up again and my feet were so cold, in my sleep haze I was sure I would lose a toe if I didn't warm them. I started searching for the hand warmers we packed. Ty woke up and helped me get them going and I stuck them in my socks. After that I slept through the night with no problem. 

A view on my run.

The most amazing run!

Carter proudly wore his badge the rest of our trip.

Carter showing us his picture.

The next day I woke up so cold I couldn't fathom going for a run and decided I'd just see if it worked out to run at some point in the day. We ate breakfast around the fire to warm up and then headed out to go for a hike. We decided to do that first thing because the forecast was showing a chance of snow in the afternoon. We went on the Bright Angel Trail and planned to at least make it to the first arch way because a friend recommended that. We enjoyed the view but I was pretty nervous the entire time, worrying about the kids. I had Elise to the inside of me and held her hand most of the way. There were some icy patches and then a little bit past the archway we came across where a spring crosses the trail and it was a solid patch of ice so we decided to turn around and head back up. On a side note, before this trip I bought my first ever pair of trail shoes. I've never felt the need to buy specific shoes for trail running but decided with this trip and doing mostly trail running and doing some hiking, they'd come in handy. I didn't have any trouble on the icy patches while everyone else slipped at least once. We also saw a kid coming down in tennis shoes behind us slip and fall and slide down the icy patch. So I think there is definitely an advantage to trail shoes. Ty and I will be investing in some hiking boots in the future.

After our hike we visited the Kolb Gallery and Lookout Studio at the top of the trail. It was interesting to read some of the history and see pictures of them building the house which hangs over the side of the cliff! The kids weren't super interested so we didn't spend much time in there. They were really excited to check out the Hopi House. I thought it was more of a museum and didn't realize it was basically just a gift shop. We also checked out the Verkamp's Visitor's Center. We walked a section of the Rim Trail and looked at the rocks along the trail. It was so awesome. I loved getting to walk it and read all the signs. Elise was tired and didn't want to walk anymore and I didn't want Ty carrying her with his kidney stones so I ended up carrying her quite a bit. After our walk we headed back to the campsite for lunch and I went for a quick run. For the sake of saving time I just ran the paved Greenway Trail from our campsite. When I got back I planned to eat lunch in the car as we drove to the Desert View Watchtower. The kids were having fun playing around with rocks. Carter told me not to rush and enjoy my lunch by the fire so that's what I did. He was right, as there was no reason to rush. We ended up having plenty of time to see everything I had hoped to see. On the drive to the Desert View Watchtower there were lots of overlooks and vistas and we stopped at most of them. A couple we hiked down a bit, but most we just looked. The Desert View Watchtower was closed inside due to Covid but we enjoyed reading about it and going to the overlook. While we were there it started to snow a bit. I asked Ty to leave his hospital bracelet on when we got to the Grand Canyon so I could get a picture of him wearing it with the Grand Canyon in the background. Once we were there I kept forgetting, but finally remembered at one of the overlooks on our drive back to the campsite. It worked out because it was one of his favorite views because you could see the Colorado River really well! For dinner we did a campfire meal from my Girl Scout days, skillet lasagne. Afterward we had hot chocolate and the kids used their new camping mugs we got in the store when we bought firewood. They were thrilled with them! I wanted to make sure I was warmer before going to bed so I wouldn't wake up with freezing feet like the night before so I drank hot chocolate and then hot water by the fire to warm up before bed.

Ty taking pictures on the Rim Trail.

Touching a really old rock!

The view on the Greenway Trail was also very pretty!

Carter using his binoculars at one of the vistas.

Not even a hospital stay could keep him away!

That night I started out with hand warmers in my socks, wrapped my feet in my coat (it was so nice to wake up and have a warm coat to put on instead of one that was cold from being out in the tent overnight that we also put our clothes to change into inside our sleeping bags with us so they'd be toasty in the morning), and used a blanket in my sleeping bag. I stayed so much warmer and it got down to 15* that night. I think it also helped running earlier in the day because I had plenty of time to warm back up before bed and my hair was dry, no longer sweaty, when we went to sleep. Unfortunately, thanks to all the warm drinks I had around the fire, I woke up at 4am having to potty. I tried to go back to sleep but couldn't. When I opened the tent up to go pee by a tree I realized it had snowed! When we got up the next morning the kids had somehow switched spots in their sleep but stayed in their own sleeping bags. With all the rolling around, Ty ended up off our mats we put down to keep us off the cold ground and froze, poor guy! But in true Ty style didn't complain and just powered through. It was so beautiful with the snow. After packing up we decided to go to get one last look at the Grand Canyon before leaving. Elise didn't want to get out of the car so it was just me, Ty, and Carter.

The drive that day was supposed to be around 10.5 hours but we went through a blizzard which slowed us down and ended up being more like 11.5 hours. Before we left for our trip Chickasaw Nation opened up their vaccination clinic to teachers of all age groups, including preschools and daycares, along with their spouses. So I was able to schedule an appointment for me and Ty on the Friday we would be driving back through. Normally it would have been a 2 hour drive from our house, but it only added about an hour to our drive. And what's an hour when you are already driving 5 right!? So on our way home we stopped in Purcell so Ty and I could get our first dose of the vaccine. It was so nice because it was a drive through clinic and we didn't even have to get out of the car! This trip was memorable on so many accounts and I'm so glad Ty was able to take a week off of work to go with us. The kids did an amazing job and powered through all their schoolwork on Sunday, Monday, Thursday, and Friday during our driving. I was really impressed with the minimal amount of complaining, even having to do most of the online stuff on my phone since they didn't have wifi for their Chromebooks. Elise complained less doing distance learning in the car than she does at home, but I guess she saw the benefit of getting it done so she could go camping! I'm so thankful we got this special time together as a family and got to experience such a gorgeous landform in our beautiful country! Now Ty and I want to go back sometime and hike the Bright Angel Trail down into the canyon to camp and then hike back up the following day! Things to look forward to some day!